How early is too early?

[wheelchairshooting]

How early did you or will you teach your kids to shoot? Do you have a set age in mind or just when you feel they can understand and respect a gun? I shot my first bb gun around 4 first .22 rifle around 6 but i feel i was "mature" for my age.

 

[level0]

I hunted with my dad and granddad when I was big enough to keep up (squirrel, quail). I started carrying a single shot H&R 410 when I was 10 years old. I hunted alone for squirrel when I was 12. I got my .22 rifle when I was 13. I'm 47 now and still have both!

Now I have a 16 year old daughter and 13 year old son. Both have shot rifles, shotguns, and pistols but neither has been hunting. They are just starting to show a little interest in guns and shooting.

 

[bhowell34]

I was about 10 when I got my first bb gun. I think a .22 might be a little too much to start with. I loved shooting bb and pellet guns though

 

[philbert001]

Airsoft is a great first teaching tool. I bought a spring air M4 for my son when he was like 6, (Single shot per cycle of the charging handle, with a functional safety), and he was ready for the cricket .22 the following Christmas when he was 7! I think the age varies by the kid. I have 3 more to teach, and don't have a set age for starting to teach. I think they are ready to learn, whenever they are capable of following instructions!

 

[Excalibur]

A buddy of mine started showing his kids how to shoot when they were 6

 

[esrice]

I think it has to do more with the child's maturity and interest level. My boys are 4 and 7 and they have both shot .22 rifles so far. They are both "interested", but at this point its only because I am. As they grow older we'll see if they maintain that interest, and if they do we'll certainly continue to shoot together. And at this age they're basically just pulling a supervised trigger-- it's not like they have their own rifles that they keep in their rooms and go plinking in the woods alone.

As with any endeavor where there is some amount of risk I make sure they know and practice the safety rules. In fact they both must recite the rules each time we go shooting.

Here was our last trip out: https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...rt_shooting_with_ingos_newest_mod_roadie.html

 

[andski3]

I started my daughter with air soft and bb's at 6. When she mastered the rules and safety with the bb's we moved to a MP 15-22 @around 7 yrs. Now she is a marksman with that thing and we will be moving to a Ruger sr22 this summer for handgun training.

 

[Drakkule]

I started teaching my kids about guns from the first time they showed interest. My son and I took a handgun course when he was 9, by the time he was 10, my GP100 was/is his favorite firearm to shoot, he even gets mad when I load it with .38's instead of the .357's he likes. My daughters are going to be 6, and 7 in the next few months, and will get to shoot their first gun, a suppressed Savage .22 rifle, this year. They know the rules, and know not to touch any gun without permission, and supervision. I think you just have to gauge your kids maturity, and make your best guess as a parent, to know when to start them with shooting.

 

[jtbriles]

I was brought up around guns. My dad teaching me about firearms is one of my first memories. I stared with a break barrel pellet gun probably around five or six. By the time I was 12, I had had access to whatever I wanted, but knew my limits. I think the key was my parents teaching me and giving me the training needed to be a responsible shooter. I don't have any kids of my own yet, but I will more than likely follow the way I was brought up.

 

[cmamath13]

I think it has to do more with the child's maturity and interest level. My boys are 4 and 7 and they have both shot .22 rifles so far. They are both "interested", but at this point its only because I am. As they grow older we'll see if they maintain that interest, and if they do we'll certainly continue to shoot together. And at this age they're basically just pulling a supervised trigger-- it's not like they have their own rifles that they keep in their rooms and go plinking in the woods alone.

As with any endeavor where there is some amount of risk I make sure they know and practice the safety rules. In fact they both must recite the rules each time we go shooting.

Here was our last trip out: https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...rt_shooting_with_ingos_newest_mod_roadie.html

 

[Kirkd]

I showed my girlfriend 2 Months Ago and she's 44.

 

[rugertoter]

How early did you or will you teach your kids to shoot? Do you have a set age in mind or just when you feel they can understand and respect a gun? I shot my first bb gun around 4 first .22 rifle around 6 but i feel i was "mature" for my age.

Well, if you think your kids are mature for their age as well, then what worked for you would probably work for them.

 

[wheelchairshooting]

I agree with all of you my daughters 4 and very smart and listens very well but i think ill wait another year or so before really showing her the ropes so for now she will just continue to help me clean them she enjoys helping her dad she's a daddys girl. thanks for all the great conversation and different view points

 

[IUOE]

It's never to early. Both my kids started shooting BB guns and learning general firearm safety about 4, at 5 they started doing some occasional .22 shooting at the range with me as well at tagging along with me on some hunts. Here's a couple pic's of my 6 yr old following along on a successful bow hunt 2 years ago.

The first is us walking in to the stand, trusty Red Rider in hand.



The second is him leading the way on the blood trail.



End of the line.

 

[Pinchaser]

The first thing that needs to happen is muscular/skeletal development sufficient to handle the recoil force of a firearm. Starting kids shooting shotguns, for example, at 6-8 years old is stupidity personified. The development necessary comes to different kids at different ages. Once that's in place, the kid needs to show a legitimate interest and not one that is being forced upon him by someone else. If the kid is physically mature enough to shoot w/o being injured, and shows a real interest in learning to shoot, that's when they're ready.

 

[gvsugod]

All depends on the kids maturity and interest as i think esrice wrote earlier. I shot my first "real" gun at 5, a .22 revolver. Then I got a bb gun for xmas the following x-mas. I was mature enough, and interested. My sisters however didnt start shooting until much later, around 10. They have since lost interest. My little brother who is 12 years younger than me started about the same time I did.