Introducing kids to firearms

[Bocephus123]

Red Ryder BB gun to learn safety, sight picture, in home range built from cardboard box and a blanket. My daughters and their kids all started this way as did I. Many winter evenings we would shoot the Red Ryder and a Sheridan 5mm air rifle in our basement or bedroom hallway.
After they show safety understanding and are listening to instruction well, they learned .22LR with a Ruger 10/22
Pistol training for my daughters started with a Crossman and before long they were shooting .22 from a Ruger Single Six and 38 spec then 45 Colt from Ruger Blackhawks
now oldest daughter has her own Glock 26 and youngest daughter likes her shotgun.

yep. had a Daisy single pump hooked a little left. i got to shoot it good my first gun!

 

[dennishoddy]

I started mine by showing them what they can do. 12g 3" slug and a pumpkin at 20 ft.
It wasn't a "This is what happens moment" It was a "Hey! Watch this!" moment.
They got the hint real fast without the negativity of being "scolded" about it.

Raised them on BB-guns and the rules of firearms. The key is to satisfy the curiosity in a way that they also learn safety.

Same here. My kids learned with bb guns, but always got the lesson of a carp hung from a fence and shot with a large caliber pistol to show what really happens during a gunshot, not like the little dot of blood you see on the shirts in the movies. They assisted in field dressing many deer before the oldest decided on his own he wanted to start hunting. The youngest had zero issues eating the game we brought home but never had the desire to become a shooter or a hunter.

 

[Glock 'em down]

When my grandson was about 9 or so, I noticed he started to get really curious about my guns. So one day, I got my little Taurus PT-22 (about his size) unloaded it, passed it around to everybody in the house for them to also verify that it was empty. I then proceeded to give it to him to carry it around day and night, whenever he was at our house. But before I gave it to him, I told him the Cooper's 4 rules of gun safety and made him memorize them and recite them back to me.

He carried it around for awhile, and then after a day or two, I noticed he was watching TV but his gun was in the kitchen on the table. "Where's your gun?" I asked him. "I dunno," was his response. I said, "you need to go find it," I replied. "I'm sick of carrying it around," he answered.

He hasn't been intrigued about guns since that day.

He always accompanies me to the range whenever I go and twice a year he goes with me to my agency's pistol requals. I make him recite the Cooper's 4 rules and the guys I work with think that is so cool. This year, I gave him a quick tutorial on grip, stance, trigger control, and sight alignment then let him shoot my Glock model 45 (from about 5 yards) and he loved it. He did pretty good too.

 

[grizzlywinmag]

Dad started me and my 7 siblings at around age 5 shooting .22 rifles and a Ruger Single Six. By age 10 we were shooting his Super Blackhawk. I started my boys at 5 also. Discussed all the safety rules, and what happens when a living being is shot. They're both now excellent marksmen and I've never worried about leaving a loaded gun with them.

 

[jackinok09]

I started when I could keep up following along on quail hunts. Son the same way. granddaughters when they showed an interest. like the others starting with a bb/pellet gun. did have one granddaughter out when she was about a week old (momma was hunting) LOL

 

[garytx]

All of the above suggestions are great.

- Remove curiosity
- Teach the Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Program - Stop. Don't Touch. Get Away. Tell an Adult.
- Teach them to keep their index finger pointed and off the trigger
- Don't point guns
- Teach their parents. Dislike/distrust of firearms is partially due to lack of knowledge.

When my kids (and nephews and nieces) were little, after purchasing another firearm I would sit in the middle of the floor and show them what I purchased. Each time, emphasizing keeping their finger off the trigger and not pointing the barrel at anyone. If they inquired about other firearms, I would get it from the safe so they could see it. They would slowly get bored and one-by-one go do something else.

 

[Mr.Glock]

Not liking this “boredom“ a few is referencing to. Boredom is a temporary emotion/feeling that comes and goes with humans of any age. You feel they are bored with the weapons may rightly be so at that moment, but boredom goes away fast, then curiosity sets right back in. Curiosity is what kills. Teach them respect, safety and a healthy dose of fear of getting their ***** hot from a ass whooping, and lock the guns up till they reach an age of responsibility and maturity. My grandkids have no free range on the accessibility to any gun, till they are old enough and shows trust and maturity. Each child is different to. The one granddaughter by the time she was 8-9 could and would compete with Adults and hold her own, but she still is not allowed to free access to any gun she owns or is not owned by her. I was allowed and did hunt squirrels and rabbits at a age that most think was irresponsible at age 7 while other brothers/ cousins was not allowed to do so till a lot older.

Start them young, teach them safety, lock your **** up till every soul in your home can be trusted.

Lastly I reiterate, don’t for a second think they are bored and don’t have a interest!

 

[Kid Glock]

IMO, I think every kid can vary when and to what extent firearms interests them.
When my gson was 5 and we were out shooting or tramping around in the woods, most everyone packed a sidearm of some kind. I guess not wanting to be different, gson wanted to be armed too. I found a NAA .22 LR mini revolver and had local leather guy make him a personalized holster for it. He was content just packing.
Prior to, he had Daisy Red Rider with stock shortened and has since moved on to bigger and better calibers. He's now 13 and his older sisters are 15 and 18. They're both shooters as well as his cousins too.
One thing I taught my kids/gkids, their friends and about everyone that would listen is gun safety. After that, depending on their interest level, determined what we did. Besides gun safety, they learned to use iron sights of various types before ever advancing to optics.

 

[Bigcatrecovery]

So my nephew is 7. He’s kind of a timid kid, but smart and loves nature and the outdoors. He hears me/people talking to me about hunting and stuff. Recently he has started regularly bringing up the idea that one day he wants to go hunting with me. He loves the idea of going out, hanging out in nature, and hanging out with my pup. Pretty much the things I love about it too. I see a big hurdle with it all though, nobody else in the family is into firearms or hunting. His grandpa (my father in law) started fishing mostly because his grandkids wanted to learn. Then I came along and helped with that. I got my wife (his aunt) and my sister in law into shooting and getting their CCWs. But his dad is not necessarily anti gun, he’s just not a fan of guns. Grew up in Juarez and dealt with a lot of crime and killing as a kid, lots of cartel stuff. I can’t say I blame him.

So with this all in mind, at what age did you get your kids/relatives kids out hunting? What did you hunt? How do those conversations go with your relatives? What kind of guns did you have those kids use when starting out?

I started and all my kids started on a single shot .22. All were around 7 to 9 depending on maturity. I have a son in law fairly anti-gun and about to bless me with my first grand daughter, I'm sure we will have a discussion about when and if she learns. Ill have to let you know how that works in a few years.

 

[Vigilance OKC]

I’ve got two sons and both understand how to handle guns safely and can recite gun safety rules as I drill them religiously. I introduced them to “real” guns around age 8. I wanted them to know what to do if they were in someone else’s house and saw a gun. Mine are locked in safes, no exceptions, but you can’t count on that in other people’s homes. Not condemning, people just may have a different situation. I think it’s important to remove the curiosity. I also wanted to differentiate the seriousness of real firearms vs. their toy guns they played with.

I would let them handle all of my guns regularly. Working actions, loading and unloading dummy rounds, helping clean them, etc. What I was looking for was a desire to go further and actually learn to shoot. Sounds like your nephew has reached that point. My oldest started asking me to go to the range and we’ve done so and he can handle anything in my collection safely and can shoot reasonably well. I started him out on .22’s - a Ruger Mark IV and a Ruger 10/22. If they were younger I would have looked at one of the Savage Rascals. Small bolt action .22 that is a single shot. Saves you when they get excited and sweep you with the barrel.

The one thing I wish I desperately had was land. An indoor range is no way to learn. Way too loud with the guy next to you shooting his .44 mag or SBR unsuppressed. It’s way too intimidating for most kids. Outdoors is the way to go and sounds like you already have that. The noise is way better, you can usually mix in camping, hunting, fishing, etc. There are no pressure of crowds or someone doing something stupid. As a note - if you can and are willing to pay and wait, shooting suppressed is an awesome way to introduce a kid to shooting. Especially one who might be timid.

As a note - I also use a G-Sight ELMS laser training cartridge with Mantis targets and app. I wasn’t sure about this but have found it to be incredibly helpful for myself on trigger control, accuracy and muscle memory. It also saves on ammunition. One of the best ways to start practicing drawing your weapon and quick target acquisition safely. The Mantis app is great, especially if you upgrade to pro. I just happen to like the ELMS cartridge for accuracy. I purchased some magnetic stick on white board material and some 8.5x11 magnetic backing to put the targets on and I can easily swap targets. This has been a game changer on getting my youngest interested plus a nice bonus for myself.

I always tell my boys that I’m willing to train them as much as they want but they have to show the desire. Using and carrying firearms is a huge responsibility and you must be committed to training. I always tell them that once that round leaves the barrel you can’t take it back.

Try talking with your nephew’s father about guns. I think if you can stress your philosophy around safety, use, etc and you can separate the idea of guns from the criminal behavior he witnessed you may be able to win him over. It’s not the guns, it’s the people that are the problem but I’m sure that’s worth a whole new forum! If he starts to see you as a responsible gun owner, as most are, then it might help ease his mind.

My father-in-law carries a Ruger LCP that he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn from the inside. He’s only fired maybe 100 rds through it in 10 years and has never cleaned or knows how to. I have a philosophy that a gun doesn’t get carried until it has 1,000 rds through it. If he ever had to use it he’s more likely to shoot himself or hit an innocent bystander assuming he could even draw it. There are plenty of people who carry who have no business doing so. Without training that gun is useless and dangerous. (Sorry - ranting a bit). Anyway - I don’t want my boys to be one of those guys. They know how to handle a gun safely and use one. My oldest is interested in CCW when he gets old enough and we’re training with that in mind.