I have a daughter that just turned 4 and she has been hounding me to go shooting. This isn't a passing phase as she wants to do everything dad does; fishing, camping...etc. I don't have my own property that I can make secure so I'll have to contend with the masses at a public range. I have a 22lr for her when she's able, I just don't know when is it o.k. to really introduce her to firearms. I'd like to start her off now. I'd also like to be able to use "active" targets ie. water ballons, clays or something that reacts to being hit to further illustrate the result of pulling the trigger. Not many public ranges allow such types of shooting, they only want you to shoot paper. Fine for adults, but I think she would get much more information and enjoyment out of seeing water busting out af a ballon. Am I right? Any ideas on when and how I should attempt this? I want to encourage her participation in the hunting and shooting life.
-tlfw

RAT NOW!!! Not Mousey rat but rat now!!!
Earlier is better and even though at her tender age you may not be able to get her to understand safty real well just be her safty until she learns but theres no reason I can think of not to start her out now.Make it interesting and cheat a little bit if nessasary like letting her shoot 22 shotshells at balloons close enough that you can help her hold the rifle and bust the ballons.As she grows you can let her shoot bullets but the key to the castle here is you must make it FUN FOR HER!!!!!!!! If she has fun she will enjoy it and want to do it more.Don't worry about all the safty stuff yet,just the basics YOU BE HER/THE SAFTY for awhile and have fun.It will all come together in time.

I think that is early enough. My father started me when I was about 5 if I remember correctly. simple rules like "never point it at anyone" and "it isn't a toy" will sink in to a bright child's mind. I agree that balloons will make it more fun, as will any other things that she can witness the results with. And I read an article about using dinger and such for shooting, the human mind will automaitcally train itself when it hears the sound of the bullet striking. So, if you give her something to shoot at that makes some noise when she hits it, or a big show (the balloons will do both), then she is going to automatically improve.

In case you are wondering why, when you shoot something and receive an immediate response your mind learns "that was correct" or "that wasn't correct" and will begin compensating. Whereas with paper you have to shoot and then observe the target and it takes it from the subconcious to the concious and you have to go,"ok, I did this so now I need to make this adjustment..."

that's what the article said and it made mucho sense to me.

Good job on giving her the gunbug, I hope she has a great time

Red

Just make sure that the gun or guns are very securely stored at home. Once she learns to operate one (load it and fire it), a child of that age may have little fear or concept of permanent consequences, how the bullet may penetrate walls, etc. Maybe I'm overly worried, but I have lost a child, who drowned at age 6 - and I had taught him how to swim. It is something you never get over. Has she been around you shooting? My little guy (5) loves his toy guns, but is still afraid of really loud noises - so I will wait until I know he won't be scared before I introduce him to live firing. He has fired air guns, though.

[ 05-23-2003, 03:27: Message edited by: Calif Hunter ]

tlfw,
Don't know if you are a re-loader or not but if you are you can make up some wax bullet squib loads in any hand gun round your have. They work much better in a revolver, they won't cycle the action on any semi-auto. I started my two oldest granddaughters on these in .41RemMag in full sized handguns (S/W 657, Contender and a Taurus 425 Tracker). The good thing about wax bullets is that they have enough juice to brake a balloon but will not go through a packing box stuffed with newspaper. They are easy to make and the kids love to shoot them. They always go through all that I have and look for more. As for balloons I use BIG bright colored CLOSE. I get the kind that will blow up 18 inches across and place it no more than 5 yards to start. If you are shooting a 22lr revolver CB caps or shot shells is the way to go, again a wheel gun is much easier than any semi-auto. The most important thing after safety is to let the child dictate the flow of the shooting session. When I am with the little ones I leave "my stuff" home. Everything I have with me is for them to touch, hold, drop on the ground, jam, scratch, dent, bang up, and ultimately shoot and break that BIG OLD red balloon. The above by no means says that they can be careless it just acknowledges the fact that little hands have accidents. It is MUCH less stessful to see a cheap Ruger clone hit the ground then a ticked out Bowen/Reeder/Clemons Black Hawk bounce. All my training guns are fully safe, fully funcional, "tool box guns" so accidents are no big deal.
BTY if you have a 12-15ft hall in you home or any space that big you can shoot those wax bullet squib loads inside safely with a packing box stuffed with newspaper and a bath towel. If you would like to know how to make the squib loads send me an email or PM and I'll tell you the procedure.
Have fun, be safe, BE VERY PATIENT.

I started all 3 of my kids at roughly the 4-5 age range. Prior to that they were going to my deer stand with me as I always built them large enough for them to sit with me. This was true quality time that I won't ever forget and I hope they won't either and I hope they do the same with my future grandchildren. I started them with a 22LR and the calibers grew as they did. Remember to keep your eyes on everything because as others have mentioned at that point they do not understand what firearm safety is and they only have very vague idea about what a firearm is. All of you will have a great time and remember to take your camera!

Doug

I think I differ on this. My own take is that my son should progress through the various out door sports and as part of that I would expect him to do some fishing before he took up a rifle/gun of any sort.

I don't want him to have all the sweets at once without realising how special they are.

I take my son stalking in a high seat on occasion. He loves it as long as the sweets last! Age 6 he is still prone to lapses in concentration. You can say don't EVER go in front of me not EVER till you're blue in the face but if he sees a cartridge case or a flower or a bee etc he'll be in front of you before you can blink. My rifle is unloaded until we are in the seat. I don't think it would be fair on him to teach him to shoot - he would make some mistake that would frighten me, I would shout at him and he would lose his interest.

Let her collect your spent cases, share your sandwiches and spit out your coffee and wait a while.

My kids have been drilled with the tenets of gun safety ever since they could talk/walk, and have been handling guns from that time. They have fired a 22 on occasion, but I think a child needs to be 6-8 before they can start becoming somewhat proficient in the use of a firearm. I started shooting a pellet gun at the age of 3 with assistance from my dad and brother, some of my fondest memories are toppling dixie cups off the woodpile.

I also agree that the structured environment of a range, and the constant noise of other people firing make it difficult to just relax, have them make a shot now and again, look at the results, and just have fun.

A bb gun or air rifle in the back yard will be just as effective for teaching the basics as a 22 on the range.

And yes, safe firearm storage is a must. I can leave a firearm out w/o fear of my children touching it, as they know that they shouldn't ever touch a firearm w/o an adult present. The key to achieving this is allowing them to handle your firearms w/ supervision as often as they show interest.

I hate toy guns and wish relatives and friends wouldn't provide them as presents. Guns are not toys, and I'd rather my kids had many real guns and new how to treat them as such.

tlfw,

My daughter is 8 and wants to go deer hunting during the youth deer season. I told her if she could consistently hit the end of a quart oil can at 50 yds she could go. She has been shooting a 22 for some time now and really likes to shoot. I have never kept my knives or guns from her and every time she asks to see them or shoot them we do. I can come in from hunting and lay a gun on the bed and she never touches one unless she asks.
I keep most of my stuff locked in the safe just to make sure. Start out right and you will have many years of happy outings.

Now, nobody jump on me, but in my opinion, there is no way that a kid will leave a gun alone -- ALWAYS. Yeah, mine go shooting with me, and have been, since they were 5. But when the shooting is done, and the cleaning is done, the guns are locked up. Every time.

I was a 10 year old, once. Me and my buddy could come up with all kinds of reasons to do incredibly stupid stuff. No matter how much we were told not too, some things were just too tempting. That's why we call them kids, and not adults. JMO, Dutch.

Dutch,

As a former kid, and one prone to ardent acts of stupidity, I holeheartedly agree with the need to lock up guns, which all of our are. My main point was to note that good firearm safety training is a must, takes time, and frequent refreshers.

My daughters, newly 3 and 2, know that only "Papa and Mama" can touch guns. This is an interesting thread, because I'm wondering what to do beyond that at this point.....

I got a .410 at about age 7, and was pretty much let loose on the farm. Not owning a farm now makes it a little tougher......

There are really 2 factions here and neither is wrong, they just work with different circumstances. The one faction is the urban one, where many neighborhood kids are often in the home necessitating that the guns are stored and locked away, the other, a minority, represented by myself and others, I am sure, is where guns are tools (as well as grown up toys) that are carried and used and seen by the kids everyday. The kids are taught from crawling age that a) they can never handle a gun without permission and b) they can always handle and shoot a gun with supervision (assuming appropriate recoil levels) if they ask first. There is no mystery to them, the kids see and understand on a frequent basis that they can kill or injure other beings. Obviously guns are never left loaded and, if other children are coming over, they are locked away. Maybe it isn't the PC way to do it, but I grew up around a farm with guns everywhere and, so far, I'm still alive and haven't even come close to shooting anyone by accident. My kids have been shooting since about age 5, the now 4 year old has been pulling the trigger on a .22 held by Daddy for about a year, because she wanted to shoot when here brother and sister were shooting off the rear deck.

I bought my first firearm when my oldest was about 2 or 2 1/2 years old. It was a nice o/u shotgun. I promised my wife I would keep it safe. A year later I brought a 257 wby home, my wife was increduluous. "You already have a gun. The kids are gonna shoot each other." I tried to explain the differance between a rifle and shotgun, but this conversation was about as useful as her explaining the finer points of womens's shoes. Anyway, I bought a safe that 3 gorillas had to deliver. It weighs around 800 pounds. I sprung for the keypad lock. After delivery, I put my two guns in the safe, closed it and then pushed the six digit combination followed by the # key. I closed the safe and repeated the procedure but the safe would not open. I tried 2 more times and left the room thinking perhaps it had a lock out period. (As it turns out it does have a lock out period after 3 unsuccessful attempts.)
After leaving the room, I hear the beeping of the key pad and as I enter the room, my 3 1/2 year old son is turning the wheel and OPENS the damn safe. He had been behind me and memorized the pattern on the key pad. (My mistake was the wheel must be turned to the counter-clockwise position before hitting the # key) My wife of course was less than pleased. I changed the combo and junior is not allowed in the room when I am opening the safe.
Those little squirts are much smarter than we give them credit for. How long would it take one of us to master a new language? Just my thoughts.

My 5 year-old son goes to the range with me as well as to the trap field. We make sure we bring things for him to do such as books to read, and so on, as he quickly gets bored. The hightlight, though is helping me clean my guns afterward. He really enjoys punching the bore out and it allows me to work on the other parts.

I figure I'll let him actually try shooting around age 8, earlier if he really shows a desire. He likes to fish and this fall I plan on letting him go scouting with me. Right now I just like having him interested in the outdoors and not sitting at the computer.

As far as locking firearms up... When my (much younger) half-brother was living with us I locked my firearms as he had no experience with them and was the pawn in a bitter custody battle. Since he has moved the hasp and lock are still on the closet, but I seldom use them.

Good Luck,
Bob

[ 05-24-2003, 18:14: Message edited by: Gunny Bob ]

I was brought up the same way. We always had guns in the house and was taught not to touch them unless a grown up was around. When I was about 11-12 I was allowed to take my gun on my own into the woods and go after squirrels, rabbits etc. Never an accident and I am the oldest of 5 and we all were shooters. My Dad taught us all about the proper use of firearms.

I was started when very young took by first game at 5 a starling off the blue bird house I started my kids on gun safety as so as they could walk. I brought them BB guns at 6, 22's at 12. Always had load guns around as a kid. My 7 brothers and sister never messed with them unless we were useing them. I always had loaded guns around with my kids. They never messed with them unless they were using them.
---------- Now by kids are 16 and 18 and own more guns then I did at that age. When they turned 18 they get a 38 and 9mm to go along with there rifles and shotguns. They know every gun is loaded. They well never used the excuse of I thought it was empty. There are very few accidently shootings most of them are done just thru. plain carelessness.

Taking a kid out on their first time shooting is a big step and not to be taken lightly. You've obviously given some thought to it, which is good, because depending on the outcome, you could have a new shooting partner or a little girl ruined to the idea of shooting and hunting. It is definently best to get them as soon as possible in order to ingrain safe gun handling and shooting practices in them, but starting them too young may have the opposite effect. Basically, it is up to the individual responsibility of the child, which only you can determine.
My brother and I each started shooting at the age of four. We grew up in a family where by that age we had become accustomed to guns and their capabilties--we saw deer hanging on the line each fall. At any rate, I was too small to hold the Winchester M63 up by myself but that didn't matter when I saw the holes in the can, I was hooked.

If your daughter sounds like she is ready, by all means, go for it.

First thing to remember is that children, like adults, are all unique. Some will want to shoot much earlier than others. My 5 and 8 year old like shooting 22's but aren't good shots at all, so we mainly use a crossman 760 BB gun that I cut the stock down on so it fits them. (sidebar- boy is the 760 a crappy gun nowadays! I mean it was crappy sorta when I bought mine in the mid 70's but at least they were built somewhat substantially then!) But it is a nice light gun to practice with and with 2 pumps can send a BB fast enough for what we need right now. For shooting one of the things that I did too was to get ear muffs in smaller sizes so they all have muffs that fit. One thing different from when I started!!!!

When they wear muffs they doen't even mind my shooting an '06 with them.

Have a slightly different experience. I married a ready made family with a son 11 and a daughter 8. Started them out in the basement with a pellet rifle then a pellet pistol. Safety was emphasized by their MOTHER (don't shoot the washer and dryer ) and me. We then used Speer plastic bullets in my larger firearms. The lessons took, thank goodness. Both are in law enforcement here in Colorado and are darned careful. My grandchildren are now learning the same lessons.

A couple of years ago I asked my parents if a memory I had as a very young child was accurate...

We lived in a town, but on the wekends in the summer would run for the cottage. Sometimes my parents would have frinds up for fun, other times it was for a 'work party'that usuallyinvolved building a dock and then drinking beer, according to the old photos..

I remebered lying on the ground, my Dad on top of me to steady the rifle, and shooting beer bottles with my Dad's .22 rifle, and having his buddies cheer when I hit one.

It was OK to shoot bottles in those days

Anyways, I asked my parents if this memory was true, as it was quite vivid. My Dad started laughing and said "I forgot about that! Yes, it happened! We had worked on the deck and then had a couple of beers and started shooting the bottles with .22's! I can't believe you remember that! You were TWO years old! Your mother had gone into town to get some groceries!"

Anyways, startyour kids off with reactive targets..Kids want to blow stuff up..

And take a few watermelons or cantalopes tot he range, and have them shoot them with .22 hollowpoints, ans make sure that they understand that the same thing can happen with a human head.

Different things can happen of course- my Mom didn't want us to have pellet guns as they 'can put out an eye.'

It was fine with her for me to practice with a bow and broadhead arrows which could easily slice through a childs chest though!

Still, I took my first deer with a bow because of that practice.

I bought my first .22 rifle at 8. I have 4 sons all of whom started shooting at 5 or 6. I never "NEVER" bought them toy guns or allowed them to play with toy guns. Guns are not toys and I wanted them to know this. I also preached and preached, treat every firearm as a loaded firearm. I think when they are young, 5 and up to 16 or 17 they are very safety aware. But as they get a little older then they become complacent, the same as most adults do. Statisically I think most accidents and fatalities occur over the ages of 18. Just use your own judgement, you know your child and can gain thier respect so as to teach them. Good Luck!

I think really young kids may have more fun with a bow and arrow than a gun.

There is the aspect of seeing the arrow fly to the target and stick there that's maybe more exciting than a little round hole. At the same time, the kid is tricked into caring about how close he is shooting to the bullseye (or whatever other aiming point).

A really little kid will need such close supervision with a gun in his hands, he might feel somewhat smothered and mad at you for not just letting him shoot.

Just something to think about. You probably already know whether your kids are old enough.

H. C.

Every parent has to make a decision that takes into consideration the nature and maturity of the child. I think 8 is about right for an introduction to firearms; on the other hand, if you're going to be supervising the shooting sessions and keeping the guns locked up the rest of the time, earlier may have only good consequences.

Tom

[ 05-27-2003, 07:20: Message edited by: TomP ]

All of these posts are great. I have a 6yr old daughter and two sons coming up behind her. The only thing I can add is this. Don't demonize guns or make them forbidden fruit. This creates an unhealthy misunderstanding of guns. They are "firearms" that we (not the guns) can then turn into weapons, hunting tools, marksmanship equipment, etc. My firearms unless in my and only my direct control are locked up (kids and I am mostly talking about the neighbors kids are not what they used to be). ANYTIME my kids want to see/touch, I comply. It is an opportunity to teach them about firearms and safety EVERY time they are interested.

Deke.

Thanks guys for all the replys and varied perspectives. I went this weekend to look for ear protection for her when she's ready. Funny thing is she told me this morning that she was going to take me deer hunting in the woods so we could get dinner. She melted my heart. She also sat in front of the t.v. this weekend and watched a sporting clays shooting show.

-tlfw