What age do you think kids should start shooting?

[dkhnt]

Personally, I think that each kid is an individual and you can't say what age YOU want him/her to do something, in this case shoot a gun. some kids are ready to shoot early and other a little later and then some just flat out don't want to shoot. The kids that don't want to shoot could be turned off by the sound, recoil, sun in his eyes ... who knows but whatever the case may be it's his choice when he'll actually engage and start shooting. I think that you get your kids introduced to shooting at an early age and when it comes time for them him/her to take the next step to actually firing a gun it will be a natural progression. For me, my kids went with me quite a bit before they ever actually wanted to pull the trigger. Recoil and sound was a factor but I bought them custom hearing protection and I told them exactly what to expect in the way of recoil. When they saw that the recoil wasn't as bad as they anticipated, and less than what I warned them of, they were hooked! I think it's the relationship that you have with your kids to include the trust factor but also their maturity level. You'll definitely know when it's time for them to start but the introduction can start as soon as you have help with them at the range or in the field. Sounds like you want to be an involved dad and that's GREAT!

 

[Ronald W Schaefer]

It depends on their maturity, physicality and interest. There are some 13 y/o I wouldn't want on the range with me, let alone handling firearms. My boys both started shooting .22 LR about 6 and went hunting/shooting with me often to watch. I waited for them to get behind the stock when they really, really wanted to do it, I felt their attention span, interest was sufficient and they demonstrated understanding of the rules. We talked about safety and did a lot of dry fire and handling exercises and did the demonstrations of effect on watermelons and waterfilled filled milk jugs (IRL its not like the cartoons). They traded up to centerfire when they showed enough body size to confidently handle the little Browning A-Bolt Micro-Medallion youth rife in 7mm-08 I won at a Ducks' unlimited event. FYI they've killed over 70 head of game with it, all one shot DRT kills. I still have that rifle for the grand kids someday. We always wore ear protection and practiced shooting off the bench and the sticks. They both started off with padded vests even though the '08 was pretty recoil friendly and the muzzle blast not too obnoxious.. I think my youngest son shot his first hog sitting on my lap in the deer blind to be high enough to get a good rest...about 9ish? My oldest son shot his first deer at about 11 with me in the stand with him. We started dove hunting using 20 ga about 10 I think, after thy showed good situation awareness of handling the shot gun in the field around other hunters and dogs.

 

[blueprairiedog]

I was hunting small game at 7 setting beside my father at the base of tree if the squirrel was on my side then it was my shot.for Christmas at 8 years old I received my first gun it was a savage model 24 chambered in 22lr and 20 gage the squirrels didn't have a chance

 

[pahuntnut]

The reason why they are called children and not adults is because they act and think like children no matter how much you preach to them about safety etc. There is a reason why drivers licenses are issued at a set age, and even with that you see some of those young drivers doing unsound things with automobiles. Nothing wrong with pellet or bb guns until they are a more responsible age to handle something that can take a life.

 

[Ronald W Schaefer]

The reason why they are called children and not adults is because they act and think like children no matter how much you preach to them about safety etc. There is a reason why drivers licenses are issued at a set age, and even with that you see some of those young drivers doing unsound things with automobiles. Nothing wrong with pellet or bb guns until they are a more responsible age to handle something that can take a life.

So Pahuntnut, given your remarks, I'd be curious as to how you'd set the bar.

 

[Johnslam]

I'd say it depends on the maturity level before a certain age.

 

[Calvin45]

The reason why they are called children and not adults is because they act and think like children no matter how much you preach to them about safety etc. There is a reason why drivers licenses are issued at a set age, and even with that you see some of those young drivers doing unsound things with automobiles. Nothing wrong with pellet or bb guns until they are a more responsible age to handle something that can take a life.

I don't disagree, but would add there's a huge difference between letting kids shoot and letting kids shoot on their own, unattended.
my first firearm capable of taking a live was a single shot bolt 22lr, the kind you have to manually cock each time as well, and I fully intend to start my kids out, when the time comes, on that same platform. It teaches one to be very deliberate about what they're doing.

 

[Hueyman]

My son is only 3months old but I find myself day dreaming of the days he will start shooting with me. I don't want to start any kind of moral debate here. I'd probably start him with a pellet gun and then move on to 22lr. Of course he would learn all about proper gun safety and such. Just curious what you all think is an appropriate age?

I was too young to hold the 22lr up by my self, my dad would kneel down and I would rest the gun on his shoulder, he would talk about breathing, trigger pull and aiming. Gun safety was taught, so I grew up with that old 22 and gun safety, like most posters here age is not the point as much as understanding, boys those were some really good times

 

[DNADave]

Nerf gun is a great idea. Then a BB gun out in the middle of nowhere shooting cans and pinecones and sticks and whatever - the key is make it FUN. AND do NOT get mad or frustrated! Maybe bring a friend of theirs with their dad, too. If it's 'fun with Dad' they will want more of it Have a blast!

I'm like what I assume most of the responders to this post are. While I have two weapons that I have procured for my daughter, they are by no means in her possession until she's much older than she is now. She knows they are hers and that she gets to use them under supervision and in appropriate circumstances such as hunting or at the range. Otherwise, they're in a safe that she can't access (I'll have to monitor her ability to access as she matures). It's something she gets to go do with dad.

Now, here's the nerf gun. A single shot break open in what appears to be the dangerous game version from Nerf.

 

[montana west]

being a state shooting instructor I would say that you need to remember that one needs to understand all the function of any firearm to be safe for yourself and others.. I believe that I was shooting a 410 at the age of 10. at that age I was also driving a farm tractor and thus it was different times.. So do not rush a child to do shooting. it is exciting for them but they need to have the proper reflex and timing to do this. firearms are not disigned for young children and thus you as a parent need to understand this.. Your child will grow up quick enough anyway so enjoy them as children and for sure be safe .

 

[TraderJack]

My Dad had an entire room dedicated to his firearm collection, and growing up I was always intrigued by that strange locked room and what was in it... Then one day, I was taken into that room and stood in awe at all the rifles and shotguns standing behind locked glass cases. WOW! What the heck were these things!?

It was then that I received my very first BB gun, along with instructions on how to use it... I was about 7 years old.
I pestered my Dad to show me the rest of those strange looking weapons until he relented and gave me an 'official tour'. Many of his firearms were from the Revolutionary War era and the Civil War era... Very odd weapons too...
I'll never forget my first time shooting a 1751 French flintlock...! WOW!

I couldn't repeat that experience with my own son until he was late in his teens and by then he was rather ambivalent about weapons... But then he joined the Marines. I had high hopes for him because I knew at the heart of every Marine was a 'rifleman'... But alas it was not to be... He doesn't even own a gun!

Now, that same son has been begging me to train him in the use of deadly arms! Go figure...
So, once a month we visit the range and I put him thru my NRA Instructor course materials, hour by hour...
We're making progress, but I'm still perplexed that it's taken the boy some 40+ years to show an interest in firearms!
So there is no age limit or right age to teach and train our youth... You'll know when...

 

[ducky]

I started my daughter at 5 years old, but that's when I started dating he mother. I didn't start her with a BB/Pellet gun, I took her down to Sportsmans Warehouse and let her pick out her pink laminated Cricket rifle.

Needless to say he'd bio dad wasn't happy, but I taught her anyway. She started shooting prairie dogs about a year later with a .223. She took her first white tail doe at the age of eight with the same .223 in Oklahoma. She has added elk, pronghorn, and mule deer to the list of accomplishments since then.

 

[GTN]

As other's have said, I believe it depends on the kid. My son is 5, he didn't want to shoot a .22 crickett because of the noise so I threaded it and put my suppressor on it. He likes to shoot it now but only for a couple shots (3-8). He loves shooting a BB gun though. I try not to pressure him to do it because I don't want to ruin him.

 

[erikblank]

I wasn't going to say anything, because everyone else has already stated my feelings. However, seeing the Nerf gun above reminded me of my son. He's 11 now and very responsible around guns (he's still heavily supervised though).
I grew up around guns and my father was very strict about gun safety. To the point it almost wasn't fun going out with him. It made me very safety conscious and better for the experience. I always believed, I'd be the tough one. The one to teach my son how to handle a gun.
My son got his first Nerf gun around 3. I never thought much about it. It's just a toy. That's until I came home one night to find mama bear had laid down the law. Any and all guns Nerf, water, cap or real, were to be treated with all the with the same respect and safety. She believed that until he was old enough to tell the difference between a toy and the real thing, everything would be treated as real.
I never really thought much about it. However, I believe she was right.
A lot of my sons friends come from single parent households and their first experience with gun, is going out with my family. It's always fun watching him get out the Nerf guns and walk newbies through the rules before we go out.
Being it's mother's day this weekend let me say, "Thanks Mama Bear for making our son a better man, than I could myself".