Okay, now we are getting down to the nut-cutting.

All the time I am hearing shooters complain that their kids are too busy playing computer games and aren't interested in rifle shooting or other shooting sports.

And looking at the polls I've stuck up in this forum recntly, I see that 92% of all you rifle shooters began with BB guns. And most of you still remember exactly what great times your BB gun used to give you, and have never forgotten the sense of comeraderie, maturity, and responsibility it helped develop in you and your friends.

But most of all, it hooked you on a lifetime enjoyment of shooting.

Let's face it, just as pot is a gateway drug to heavier, meaner stuff, BB guns are "Gateway guns" to a life of shooting pleasure.

So, let me ask you...

Question:
How many of you have bought your kid(s) one of these?

Choices:
Their own computer, iPhone, or similar currently "cool" electronic gadget(s)
A BB gun
No BB gun, but did buy him/her their own RF rifle
No gun, but a motocross bike
Some other form of entertainment which costs as much as a BB gun and a year's supply of BBs

Question:
So who do you blame for his/her lack of interest in shooting?

Choices:
The child (or children)
The laws
Society in general
My wife
Myself

 

A Red Ryder at age 7, a Mossberg pump .410 at 10, a custom '03 Springfield 7 X 57 at age 14, a 12-gauge 870 somewhere in there, and a tang safety Ruger 77 in 7 Mag when he was 17.. He isn't into handguns, but is 26 now and loves hunting and fishing like his father does. One trip to Idaho so far, and lots of deer and hog hunts that are very fond memories.

My wife bought our 6 & 8 year old a "Wii"

Damn thing should be called a "WAAAAAAAAAAA"

That said, we restrict time on it to 30 minutes a day - and even that seems too generous.

Problem is, living in town, folks get nervous if a kid is running around with a BB gun. And the way most kids are these days, I can understand.

I can't be too hard on my wife, though...

"Some people claim that there's a woman to blame; but I know...it's my own damn fault..."

friar

I bought my son a 22 bolt rifle when he was 14. He is now 32 and an avid hunter of birds with shotguns, varmints with his AR and big game with archery equipment.
We hunt together often and it is great to see his interest in hunting/shooting.

I bought my daughter an air rifle when she was 8. She was a crack shot from the start. She is now 28. She did well with a rifle, but is cross eye dominate and she didn't have the patience to overcome that to be an effective shotgunner.

She really never cared for shooting or hunting. She didn't like or dislike. I didn;t force it on her. I now have grandchildren. She has informed me that I WILL teach them to shoot and get them outdoors and hunt with them. I guess I was successful in keeping something I care about alive.

I bought all of the grandkids their own Red Ryder BB gun with an added bonus. The man that created the character "Red Ryder" used to live here in Pagosa Springs and I had his son, who owns the RR Museum, sign them for them. Fred is a nice guy.

No BB gun, as I wanted full respect of the firearm from the start. a full can of soda and a HV HP from a .22 gets the point across. My daughter is a crackshot with anything that goes bang, and has always been an avid fisherman,hunter,animal/bird watcher. I now have a few youngsters a year I take under my wing with training and enjoy it tremendously.

I can't vote as I did buy my kids each a Red Rider and a crossman 7600(I think) as well as a Rossi matched pair, a 10/22, a parlor rifle and a parlor pistol. I also bought for them to share a bb gatling gun, a .22 double rifle , 2 9mm RF shotguns and a 30caliber RF parlor rifle.

You can tell they are spoiled with guns but that is because they actually like them and like to shoot. They will shoot Super Colibris all day long if I let them and we buy bb's at every box store we visit. I need Crossman to sell a 1,000,000 pack of bb's

So anyway, my vote is I bought them guns and they love them. Their grandparents bought them a Wii and they use it every couple weeks. Just Dance is fun.

Matthew

I have a 4,5 and 10 year old, the 10 and 5 year old have bb guns and rim fires. I can't vote because they all have an interest in shooting.

IMO, the neat thing about a BB gun is you can take a cardboard box, drape a towel over a dowel in the middle of it, put a target on tjhe side amd then set it on a table with a solid wall behind it and you've got a rifle range. Everybody can play. And you can do this night or day, good weather or bad. I don't know how many pounds of BB's the kids, my wife, and I have shot at a box. And when you run out of ammo, just tip the box up, pour out the BB's and start over.

I brought my kids each a BB gun at age 5.

For the frist year or so they could only use it with my supervison. After they showed responsibility with they could use it in there own.

I found that parents who don't take the time or find it to "hard" to take their kids hunting shooting ect the main reason for kids not picking it up.

It is much easier to let them play video games,watch tv ect then take them shooting.

I seen a lot of parents get their kids into ball sports spend hrs taking them to and from.

Hardly taking them shooting or hunting then wonder why they don't want to go.

Or if their kids whine a little bit about going they don't follow through with it.

It is very easy to not do it when A kid says no not to take them.

But I found that once you get them hunting shooting they enjoy.

One has to make it fun and not to long at frist. Nothing turns a kid of faster then getting to cold ect.

Shooting full pop cans and other things that blow up makes it fun.

Taking the kids hunting for short periods at frist then letting them run around ect work well.

Not letting them watch anti hunting movies like bambi helps also. I always told them bambi bang bang good eating.

Of course they whined a bit when I took a week off of work and took them trapping at 5am every morning when they were 10 and 12. It would have been a lot easier to not listen to them whine then rolling them out of bed.

But they enjoyed it. I made them help skin and streach the catch whine abit they did. So what.

I just look at them I just don't care your doing it.

They are both adults now have there own jobs no drug or drinking problems. Own guns, have their CCWs, love to hunt, back pack, camp ect.

If I would have let them whine and gave into it who know they might have become anti's.

I seen it happen in very strong hunting familys because you know you can't make a kid do anything. But I sure make them get to the ball game.

I couldn't accurately answer the poll questions.
Yes I've bought my kids BB guns and rimfires and center fire rifles.
They don't have any lack in shooting interests whatsoever.
My kids love to shoot and we shoot frequently.
Video games are very restricted at my house.
We also sit down and eat dinner together as a family more than 90% of the time without phone interruptions.
We are strange I know but its working.

My oldest son is only 3 and a half years old at the moment but he already owns his own 22 cricket. His Uncle Brian, my best buddy, bought it for him when he was about 2 months old. It has been sitting in the box since the day he delivered it until the time it right.

I've discussed with my wife about getting him a BB gun for this 4th birthday. He has been showing interest in hunting and watching a few hunting shows with dad within the last 6-8 months.

He has a few deer, elk and turkey toys that we play hunting with at the moment. We always turn them into something. A turkey sandwich to eat, meat for the freezer with the deer and elk, etc. Although he hasn't started shooting, we've started the process of getting him involved.

I bought my daughter a Hot Pink Cricket about the time she was six. She now shoots a .22 WMR and is working on the .223. I never bought her a BB gun, just like my parents never bought me one. When I wanted to learn to shoot Dad took me out with a .22 LR and taught me, I guess I never missed not having a BB gun so I didn't think my daughter would either. Besides every other kid I knew was getting shot by BB guns playing around, my dad made it very clear a .22 LR wasn’t a toy early on.

She loves to shoot and has a great time doing it. I bought her the rifle because she was always interested in what I was doing with my rifles. I'd rather satisfy her curiosity than have her try to do it when I'm not around. Since there isn't a good place for her to use a BB gun in our neighborhood, might as well get her something to use when I go to the range.

Right now she has a deal worked out with me to get her first pistol. It all hinges on her earning it by getting good grades and doing her chores. She is nine now and very responsible with firearm safety and focused at the range. So I figure I’ll be adding another Sig Sauer Mosquito to the safe at the end of the school year.

No Kids



Just taught my nephew how to shoot last month...he has already fired a .22LR, BB Guns, .357 Lever Rifle, .223 Single Shot Rifle.

He is very accurate shooting the .223, surprisingly. 9 years old.



My other nephew who is 4, shows interest in the shooting sports but he has as much fun shooting toy guns as much as bb guns. When he gets older he will surely learn to love the centerfire and rimfire rifles.

One thing folks need to remember, a BB gun IS NOT a toy. A kid shooting a BB gun needs the same supervision that a kid shooting a .22 does.

In the UK you now cannot buy anyone under the age of 18 a BB or airgun

My eldest son is 14 so has applied and been granted a Firearms certificate which allows him to use a 243 2x 25-06, 270 & 300wsm unsupervised however he still has to wait 4 years to use a BB gun without supervision

Can't take the survey. I bought a Red Ryder for my grandson and an identical rifle with a pink stock for my granddaughters to share when they visit "papa".

Clarence

A subject near and dear to me. My 15 year old daughter has hunted with me for some time and enjoys being in the outdoors. At age 10 I purchased her a Browning semi-auto 22LR for her birthday. Many small game animals have met their maker at the end of the 22LR. At 12 I purchased a Rem mod Seven in .243 and the deer slaying began. Turkey season that year she put down her first gobblers (2) with her Benelli 20 gauge. Deer season when she was 13 found her poking whitetail with her Rem 5R in .308 Win. She also began hunting whitetail with her bow at this time. The summer of her 13th year she was chasing animals in Africa with her Dakota .375 H&H. She is also loves to hunt with her pistols (Ruger New Vaquero .357, S&W 22LR).
BTW: she is also a great fan of the iPad and the iPhone. Everything in moderation. Get 'em into the outdoors and introduce to technology. Makes for well rounded kids IMHO.