Teaching your child about fire arms

Growing up around a farm, I learned about fire arm safety and how to use a shotgun and rifle at the age of 5- my sisters did as well. My daughter just turned 5 and I would like to teach her about fire arms safety and usage now. My wife is not so sure. I taught her about fire arm safety and how to shoot while we were dating 18 years ago, it was her first ever experience around weapons of any kind. What age did you start learning about fire arms and what age would you/have you started instructing your child?
I think she is responsible and smart enough to grasp what she needs to learn.

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In my opinion you are on the right track Art. Like you, I was started early on and I started my kids early as well. My wife was not so sure but does understand the safety of teaching them rather than have them be curious to the point of being dangerous. Like everything, there is a time and place and a right way to do things. You are the best judge as to your daughter’s readiness.

Good luck and enjoy the time with your daughter.

Dave

Very personal question and I think only you need to answer the question about her ability to handle the topic and firearm.

I commend you for taking the time to teach your children about firearms.

My two boys (3 and 5) are very curious and I don’t think either one is ready – yet. Girls are often more mature

Dog

My daughters just turned 7 and 8, My 8 yr old has been shooting for a couple of years, my 7 yr old has no interest what so ever. Both of them received the same conversation about when you see a gun, but my oldest is the only one that wants to shoot them.

So I guess it really depends on the kid. But I started around 5 or 6 on talking to them about how to handle them.

My son is almost 3 and he is definitely not ready for any of it

I’m going through the same thing right now with my wife and two little girls. I didn’t grow up with guns like a lot of other folks on this site, but have come to feel comfortable with them in the last 10 years–and now that I hunt they are going to be in my house so I want everyone to be comfortable and knowledgeable with them.

I’m working on getting my wife used to the idea. Seeing firearms and knowing that guns are only dangerous when improperly used. I want to get her shooting my .22 before the summer is out. My guess is that she’ll love it.

As for my little girls (3 and 5)… The education starts long before they ever get to shoot. I occasionally let them see my shotgun or .22 before I go shoot. I explain to them it is a real thing that can really hurt someone, not make believe like in they see on TV. I tell them that if they ever see a gun at a friends house–tell an adult immediately. I’ve also taken them to a local trap range so they can watch people shoot from a distance. I don’t want them to be afraid of guns and I don’t want it to be a taboo subject either. I think my 5 year old is getting close and she might get a chance this fall to shoot a pellet gun.

Never too early to learn. I wouldn’t thrust a loaded firearm into a 5 year olds hands and expect them to shoot it but they can definitely touch and hold an empty weapon if they want and listen to you teach them.

Here is my 6 year old at the range. My oldest shot his first duck at 7. My middle son I felt wasn’t taking gun safety serious enough so he didnt start until he was 10. Every kid is different.
DT

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I taught “the class” for a few years
The one thing I learned from the kids was
it didn’t matter that you were old enough in years to take the class (DNR rules)
what I found was that they should be “mentally old enough” There were a lot of kids that were not. Most girls were, with the boys it was 50/50. There were a few that I refused to graduate and I told their parents why.
“That they screwed around too much and I would not feel safe with them in the field with a firearm”. most parents seemed insulted until I asked them “would YOU feel safe in the field with the child behind them with a LOADED firearm”
most said NO. so if you feel safe with starting your daughter down the road of
firearm/hunting safty I say go for it,be patient and enjoy the time together.

I’ve got two young-uns now (too young right now), but I agree with the sentiments expressed here. Teach safety and respect early, and introduce shooting when you think he/she is ready.

Teach them young. I can remember learning pretty early how to shoot. With a bolt action rifle.

If they get tired, go home do not make the experience long for them. Same goes for fishing and anything else. Let them learn it is fun but not everything.

After trap shooting when I was younger, we got ice cream afterwards. Worked for me.

My two girls just learned as they went. They were always around (even before they could really understand) when I was handling my firearms. I always talked to them a lot about what I was doing and such. As they got older and asked more questions, we progressed to the real teaching aspect of gun safety and gun handling.

With my two boys, I take every opportunity to show them firearms when they see me getting things ready to hunt or go to the range or gun club. IMO there are “stages” depending on the kid’s age and as Rod Man rightly points out, their level of maturity, attention, and decision-making ability.

My boys, 3 and 5, are still in what I’d call the curiosity stage. They want to see the guns and I let them hold them (with help) and explain what each one is for. We also go over the most important part, if you see anything you think is a gun, don’t touch and tell a big person about it.

I think my oldest is ready to get a BB gun when he turns 6. So that begins the next stage and I plan to continue what my father did with me, a LONG apprenticeship before he hunts or shoots with firearms.

I’m very uncomfortable with the rush-rush/push-push mentality shown increasingly in the hunting media, where kids as young as 5 are shooting game animals with high-power rifles. Target shooting is one thing, but pushing very young kids to take big game and the increasing presentation of this as “normal” is just downright weird. What’s next, teaching them to drive your truck at age 4? Give your 3 year old a Skilsaw? What’s the damn hurry?

IMO, at ANY stage the #1 safety rule for adults is locking up every gun, all the time, and locking the ammo up separately. Every time there is an incident with kids and firearms, we ALL pay a price in terms of negative publicity. As my dad always said, there is NEVER an excuse for an accident with a gun. Everything that happens with a gun is your responsibility.

Grouse

I was taught gun safety at 5. I was shooting .22 regularly by 7. I did the same with my boys. The guns were always kept under lock and key but my wife and I would take them out for inspection and proper handling upon request so they were never the forbidden fruit to be obsessed about. I had friend growing up that obsessed with guns as he was never taught about them or allowed to see or touch them until official gun safety was taken. He was always trying to break into gun safe. That is not healthy either. At minimum teach them what to do if they find a gun or see a friend have one.
Mwal

There is a difference in teaching them safety and respect, and teaching them to use them.
Safety and respect started in my house as soon as they were old enough to say “Wha Dat?”. Never too young to understand if you take the time to repeatedly show/explain things. I can easily outfit a small army and there are/will be firearms at access to my girls. I made dam sure they understood safety procedures and to respect a firearm as if it was loaded – and most important – to respect what I said.

Both Lindsey and Olivia shoot, but started at different ages. Lindsey didn’t have the desire, so she started much later – maybe 9 or 10. Olivia is the thrill seeker and started shooting by 6. Now, 11 years later, I’m so grateful that I followed my instinct and not what everyone else suggested. By having them hear the safety rules so many times and for so many years, I have the absolute confidence in them to make the right decision and execute the right actions. Very rewarding to hear your child at a range chewing someone out for a safety violation!!!!

My little guy is going on 5.5 yrs old. He’s been out goose hunting with us since he was 3 weather permitting. He’d lay in the blind with one of us while the other would shoot. He loves it. I also exposed him to guns right away…mostly when I was cleaning them. He would watch and ask questions about how this or that worked, came apart or went together which I thought was great. We always talked about how guns are dangerous and we ONLY ever point them at targets and ducks/geese. He is pretty advanced for just over 5 and “gets” stuff at his age that most kids I’m familiar with don’t so I wanted to make sure he understood what they were and that they were absolutely NOT toys.

As others have mentioned I think it really does depend on the kid, if they are curious answer their questions. I also think if you have guns in the house whether they are curious or not it’s important to explain how guns work and talk about the danger and responsibility that comes with owning a firearm so they are crystal clear that they aren’t toys.