Kids and Guns

[Bullgrit]

Have you ever introduced a child to firearms? If so, at what age? How did it go? What was the child's reaction to shooting?

Here's my experience introducing my 7 year old:
Total Bullgrit

Bullgrit

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'm not a big fan of firearms, I don't own one and hope I never have to use one, but I do believe that a responsible gun owner can and probably should educate his kids in their safe handling.

Most of my buddies who own guns have been handling them since thier pre-teen years. I also design jewelry as a hobby, and all but one of the jewlers I work with carry on a regular basis.

OTOH, one of my buddies from HS died in a freak hunting accident the Summer after our freshman year: a propped up rifle fell over and discharged- end of story.

I hope that your kid's future with firearms is more like the vast majority of my friends'. From your link, I'd say you're well down the right path.

 

[Atanatotatos]

Isn't there anyone who fears and despises the freedom and ease with which about anyone can own firearms?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Isn't there anyone who fears and despises the freedom and ease with which about anyone can own firearms?

I don't worry so much about what happens in the US. In Germany, it doesn't seem too easy.

I think if you already own guns, it might be better to teach your kids responsible use (which mostly means: don't ever use it unless I go with you to the shooting range!). If you don't own weapons in the first place, no need to introduce your kids to them. They won't need any knowledge about them unless they go to the military or police, and maybe some kind of security corp.

 

[Bullgrit]

Isn't there anyone who fears and despises the freedom and ease with which about anyone can own firearms?

Yes, there are some people who feel that way. And some others appreciate and respect that freedom. (But I wouldn't say it's "easy" to acquire a firearm.)

Bullgrit
Total Bullgrit

 

[Bullgrit]

I do believe that a responsible gun owner can and probably should educate his kids in their safe handling.

It's not just my personally owned guns that I want to protect my children from (my guns are stored away, without ammunition), it's those owned by others.

For instance, do you still educate children on the danger of drugs even if you don't have any in your house?

Bullgrit

 

[Umbran]

Isn't there anyone who fears and despises the freedom and ease with which about anyone can own firearms?

Yes, however, for the most part they recognize that discussion of such would be considered political on these boards, and so they avoid it. I think they're correct to do so.

I have not introduced a child to firearms, but I was introduced to them as a kid in the Boy Scouts. I forget at what age.

It was as part of a rigorously controlled class setting at the camp firing range, using single-shot .22 rifles. I think this was an excellent way to go about it - so much so that I'd probably suggest individuals not to this for themselves. Take the kids to a class, with educators who really know what they are doing.

Because knowing how to use a firearm and knowing how to teach the use of firearms are not the same thing, and should not be confused.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

It's not just my personally owned guns that I want to protect my children from (my guns are stored away, without ammunition), it's those owned by others.

If you don't own or use guns, how do you want to teach your children their use? The only thing I can say then is: "Don't touch them! Be careful if other kids play around with them! Tell me if they do!"
From my perspective as a German citizen, there aren't many neighbors with guns that I would need to worry about. Maybe in the US it's different enough to make gun handling customary. It's not here.

But if I was a gun owner, I had a different relationship to guns. They would be part of our life, and the kid would recognize them and get curious about them. ("Why does Dad never let me use one of them?" "Hey, friends, Dad is out, but I know where he hides the keys to his weapons locker! Wanna try?")
I wouldn't want it to accidentally figure out how to get hold of it and use it carelessly (or just ignorantly.)
If you teach your child, and make visiting the shooting a special parent/child event, it has a different type of respect to it.

Well, at least that's my ivory tower theory on children education. I don't have any and I might be totally, utterly wrong and my children would become nightmares... We might never know...

For instance, do you still educate children on the danger of drugs even if you don't have any in your house?

Well, I certainly won't train them in drug use or teach them how to build a bong or anything. I will do what I'd do in the gun case as a non-owner. "Don't touch them." And if neccessary and approrpiate, expand on this lecture to make them understand why they shouldn't touch it.

 

[Atanatotatos]

Well, mine might indeed result a "political" comment, but I didn't mean it that way. All the more since I'm not in the US, and here (where I'm from) the only ones that have guns are police officers (and the like), those with a hunting licence, and criminals. That is, in most areas close to nobody. And I feel far safer that way.
So I too do not "worry much" about it. But I do think about it when I scroll forum discussions (not this one) and read people talking about how they tried far more than a regular hunting rifle.

About drugs, well, you know, if I had kids, I'd manage it exactly the same way as with firearms: "Stay the heck away from them".

 

[Umbran]

It's not just my personally owned guns that I want to protect my children from (my guns are stored away, without ammunition), it's those owned by others.

For instance, do you still educate children on the danger of drugs even if you don't have any in your house?

There is a major, major different between "introduce a child to" and "educate a child about", to my mind. I might introduce a child to firearms. I would never introduce a child to recreational drugs.

And, to be honest, you don't have to introduce a kid to firearms to keep them safe from other people's weapons, any more than you need to introduce them to drugs in order to keep them safe from pushers.