Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

Alright I'm looking for some advice.

My Fiance's little one just turned 5, and I want him to grow up with an appreciation for firearms, especially since I hadn't even held or shot one until I was 26 years old.

I'm thinking about getting him a small caliber rifle, and probably a bigger caliber rifle for me

Is 5 too young to teach to shoot?
Will he Enjoy it, or should I wait a few more years??

Any input is greatly appreciated....

I waited til mine was 10, that was 6 months ago. He is very safety concious and has no problem loading and shooting at his own table at a range. It really depends on the maturity of the child to understand the dangers and act safely.

+10^3

moss20 wrote:It really depends on the maturity of the child to understand the dangers and act safely.

As others have said. Maturity over age.

I've started my son at 7 years under supervision. He uses a Cricket single shot 22lr..

outdoormjd wrote:Alright I'm looking for some advice.

My Fiance's little one just turned 5, and I want him to grow up with an appreciation for firearms, especially since I hadn't even held or shot one until I was 26 years old.

I'm thinking about getting him a small caliber rifle, and probably a bigger caliber rifle for me

Is 5 too young to teach to shoot?
Will he Enjoy it, or should I wait a few more years??

Any input is greatly appreciated....

yeah, 5 is way to young. Guns are NOT toys. Are you freakin serious?

I don't have kids so I can't comment on when the appropriate age might be for a kid. I know that when I was in Cub/Boy Scouts, my father and I shot regularly at jamborees and so forth. Our inventory was limited to .22LR rifles (and, honestly, why would a larger caliber be needed). We had a heap of fun, and I enjoyed his "war" stories of training (he's former military).

Parents are responsible for their child's behavior. This is certainly necessary when firearms are a part of the kid's vocabulary. I'd suggest ensuring that the child is first firmly versed in the "4 Rules" and can recite them from memory at will and on demand. That was the rule for me when I was a kid looking to shoot that .22. Unless the child knows the 4 Rules, he/she has no business holding a firearm. I don't think it makes sense, from safety's perspective. Check out the NRA Eddie Eagle program, too. I'm sure they have all sorts of information on how to safely introduce children to firearms.

Certainly never leave your child unattended when firearms are readily accessible. They really only should handle them on the firing line and ammo should be "issued" by you, rather than handing them a box and saying, "Go for it, Junior, make your Pawpaw proud." (that was in good fun, not an accusation or jab)

Shooting is a safe sport and it's a great way to spend time with the kids (boys and girls alike). I know I had a great time, and my appreciation and respect for the power of firearms was firmly reinforced. I was never one of those kids you read about who picked up granddad's .38 and blasted their brother/sister/best friend "playing cops and robbers."

This goes to responsible gun ownership, then. As the adult, the burden is on you to lock them up. I don't think a house needs to have an "ready for Condition Red" firearm lying around. If it isn't on your person in your control - lock it up. Kids are curious. If you aren't ready to let the child shoot then they should still know the rules. Then they'll know not to play with it.

I started ALL of my children shooting at the age of 5 or 6 and now 4 out of 5 hunt and shoot all the time with the oldest being 42 and the youngest being 30. Two of them are Police Officers now. As stated prior it depends on the child and the quality of the instruction that you can pass on to them.
Bill

This is why I asked the question... I've heard everything from "I started when I was 4-5" to "Don't start until they are at least 15"

I don't plan on taking him out tomorrow, he's not mature enough, but I just wanted to hear when others had introduced their children to firearms...

novasig226r wrote: I don't think a house needs to have an "ready for Condition Red" firearm lying around. If it isn't on your person in your control - lock it up. Kids are curious. If you aren't ready to let the child shoot then they should still know the rules. Then they'll know not to play with it.

I have no fewer than 3 in such condition around my house at all times. Of course I have no kids and if I did things would only be slightly different. There are too many break-ins nowadays where someone knocks on your door and the next thing you know they are shoving you against a wall. Even with kids in the house you face a tough choice. Wear a gun up until bed time or keep everything locked away and risk everyone's life. I realize this scenario isnt the norm, but neither is getting rear ended on the way to work, or breaking an arm, or the furnace going TU. Bottom line is things happen and they almost never happen the way you think. It pays to be prepared for almost anything these days no matter how outlandish it may sound.

I started both my sons at age 5 on an old single 22. start them young and build good habits and it will last they a life time.

I too have 3 (4 including the better half) handguns in ready state in the house. All 4 are in GunValt safes, all the same combo, if they aren't on our person. We live out in the boondocks, and there have been 3 break-ins on our area in the last 6 weeks... One of which the occupants were bound and assaulted before the perps left.

With two deputies on duty after midnight for the entire county, I'll invest in safes and leave the firearms condition 1 in the safes.... But We digress...

It sounds like everyone has a different opinion on when kids should be introduced to shooting... I think I'll start putting my radar up for a good .22 bolt action for him, and just gauge when I think he's ready for the responsibility... Maybe we'll start with something like airsoft, treat it as real, (4 rules etc.) and move forward from there.

I appreciate everyone's input!!

zephyp wrote:

novasig226r wrote: I don't think a house needs to have an "ready for Condition Red" firearm lying around. If it isn't on your person in your control - lock it up. Kids are curious. If you aren't ready to let the child shoot then they should still know the rules. Then they'll know not to play with it.

I have no fewer than 3 in such condition around my house at all times. Of course I have no kids and if I did things would only be slightly different. There are too many break-ins nowadays where someone knocks on your door and the next thing you know they are shoving you against a wall. Even with kids in the house you face a tough choice. Wear a gun up until bed time or keep everything locked away and risk everyone's life. I realize this scenario isnt the norm, but neither is getting rear ended on the way to work, or breaking an arm, or the furnace going TU. Bottom line is things happen and they almost never happen the way you think. It pays to be prepared for almost anything these days no matter how outlandish it may sound.

Airsoft is a good way to go. my son was shooting Airsoft at 5 in the basement.

A bit of Airsoft advise. Some of the spring loaded models can be hard to chamber a pellet for a child due to lack of strength. My son didn't have the strength for the spring loaded AR15.

You may want to check out a battery powered unit. The AK he had was battery powered and worked OK but did lack velocity. It was a cheap unit so I should have expected as much. Son shot well enough in single shot mode and full auto was chaos.

I bought my grandson a Rossi .22/.410 combo gun this summer. He turned 5 this month. I was a deprived child and didn't get a .22 until I was 7.

Rumson wrote:Airsoft is a good way to go. my son was shooting Airsoft at 5 in the basement.

A bit of Airsoft advise. Some of the spring loaded models can be hard to chamber a pellet for a child due to lack of strength. My son didn't have the strength for the spring loaded AR15.

You may want to check out a battery powered unit. The AK he had was battery powered and worked OK but did lack velocity. It was a cheap unit so I should have expected as much. Son shot well enough in single shot mode and full auto was chaos.

I agree with starting out with airsoft. It was late and I was tired when I posted before, so I didn't mention that I had gotten my son a airsoft pistol kit with target and safety glasses a little over a year ago. He proved himself with the handling and safety of it that I got him a airsoft shotgun last Christmas. It is a safe way to teach them about safe handling of guns and hitting a target.

I shot first in boy scouts at age around 10, and some with my dad earlier, all 22LR type rifles. I think depending on the kid starting at any age from 5 to 10 would be fine, but the younger they are the more closely supervised they need to be. I would definitely start with a 22 rifle, probably bolt action single shot. They sell these in kid sizes so having to hold too large a rifle should not be an issue. I will say, I was allowed to shoot a '6 shooter' when I was around 10 it was a ball and cap pistol the guy only loaded one round at a time in, that was great fun.

With any new gun to the child I would start with 1 round loaded to make sure they can handle the recoil and things are safe if they can't.

My 1st gun was a Stevens single shot .410 that I got when I was around 6. I was a big kid and did listen to dad where guns were concerned and he taught me well. That gun and the 16 gage Ithaca Featherweight pump I got when I was 10 were kept in the kitchen with a full tube and an empty chamber. I did not TOUCH them without dad being there and I could reach them there on the bottom of the rack there.

BTW: That is my mom... she died when I was 13, about a year and ½ after this was taken.

My dad got his first groundhog at 8, (22 short in a single shot rifle) he was born in '26, so he knew well the era when a kid got one cartridge and was expected to bring something back when the round was fired. He started me on a Stevens Model 87A at 12 years old and I haven't put em down since. My first purchase was a Ruger Old Army at 16. I started my son around at 11 with a Crickett, now he blows through my reloads for the XD as fast as I can squeeze them together...

+1 on the individual responsibility and maturity of the kid -

If you start them out appropriately as far as recoil, blast and range, they will definitely enjoy the fellowship and camaraderie of the shooting sports.

Also helps to be on the same page as the Fiance...

I'm only 18 and I started being taught to shoot at around age 5 with a bolt action .22. I can say that with proper teaching and maturity level you shouldn't have a problem but safety MUST BE STRESSED in that situation. When I learned I had all the rules of firearm safe handling pounded into my head by my grandfather, who taught me how to shoot, before I was ever allowed to touch even a bullet or empty firearm.

Started my son at 8 with a single shot .22 and a red ryder

and when WE are not shooting them, they are both in the gun safe right next to the .30-.30 and the 12 ga.

that is the way he knows they are real firearms and not just "kids stuff"...

he is a dead eye shot within 30 ft with the red ryder!!
and i am a proud papa!!

I forgot to mention BB guns and pellet guns, and they DO count as they require the same 4 rules and show responsibility.

I got a Daisy BB gun at an age too young to remember... probably around 4 or 5. A year or 2 later, I was upgraded to a Crossman .177 Pellet gun which was like moving from a .22 to a .223!