Firearm Training for Children

[SeventyOne]

Is this providence or what? Just yesterday I was telling the wife it was time for her and me to get our concealed carry licenses (both former military), and that I wanted start familiarizing my children with the proper handling and safety of firearms.

For those of you with children who have already started to teach them such things, What tips would you have? Such as when to start shooting, or best guns to use while learning. Pretty much anything you've deemed useful.

My kids are 12 and 15, and there are several gun ranges around my area. I saw that one of them actually holds kids parties where they teach smaller kids gun safety then let them shoot BB-guns and .22 rifles downrange. Ain't Texas wonderful.

 

[Tallguy88]

Those ages are more than appropriate for kids to begin learning about guns and gun safety. Definitely check into it with the range. The NRA also often has youth gun safety classes and meetings. If you're in one of the more populated parts of Texas, you should be able to find something like that near you.

 

[faroukfarouk]

[.]

 

[HannahT]

The H took both of the kids to Hunter's Safety Class. It was extremely good experience for both of them!

 

[Aldebaran]

Is this providence or what? Just yesterday I was telling the wife it was time for her and me to get our concealed carry licenses (both former military), and that I wanted start familiarizing my children with the proper handling and safety of firearms.

For those of you with children who have already started to teach them such things, What tips would you have? Such as when to start shooting, or best guns to use while learning. Pretty much anything you've deemed useful.

My kids are 12 and 15, and there are several gun ranges around my area. I saw that one of them actually holds kids parties where they teach smaller kids gun safety then let them shoot BB-guns and .22 rifles downrange. Ain't Texas wonderful.

I think it would depend on a few factors. You say your kids are 12 and 15. If they've never had any firearms experience at all, then a .22 rifle or pistol would be something that wouldn't be intimidating or difficult for them to use. Not all that loud either. The individual size and physical strength of your kids would help determine if it would be a good idea to introduce them to anything larger. Recoil can be pretty scary.

 

[Darkhorse]

I learned to shoot when I was 5 years old, under close supervision of my parents and older brothers. I liked it, but not the noise, so I didn't do it much until I was older (about 10).

I taught my kids when they were around 9 years old. I think the important factor is not age, but responsibility and adherence to safety rules. Like me, they started out cautiously with a 22 rifle and pistol, but slowly expanded into larger calibers. They HAD to memorize and demonstrate the "4 gun rules" before they started, and we still review those periodically. We also discuss hypothetical situations involving guns, criminals, and law.

They are old enough now to buy their own guns and a permit to carry them, but they haven't - yet.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Is this providence or what? Just yesterday I was telling the wife it was time for her and me to get our concealed carry licenses (both former military), and that I wanted start familiarizing my children with the proper handling and safety of firearms.

For those of you with children who have already started to teach them such things, What tips would you have? Such as when to start shooting, or best guns to use while learning. Pretty much anything you've deemed useful.

My kids are 12 and 15, and there are several gun ranges around my area. I saw that one of them actually holds kids parties where they teach smaller kids gun safety then let them shoot BB-guns and .22 rifles downrange. Ain't Texas wonderful.

Not just Texas; up here in Ontario Canada, our little club is looking to buy and will accept donations of "child-size" .22s for a child/youth program. We are doing the same thing for archery as well.

 

[Aldebaran]

staff edit

Why not think about the kids who would otherwise have been frightened by firearms if they hadn't been trained in the proper use of them at an early age? Oftentimes, it's people who listen to all the negative things about firearms who grow up to fear guns as being evil because they listen to other people tell them that guns are only for killing people, gang activity, terrorism, etc., but never got the chance to see for themselves what guns are like and how to handle them properly. The way guns are depicted in the movies doesn't help either. Many more kids will have watched movies that depict guns in a negative way than will have gone to a shooting range, gotten proper instruction, and discovered the truth for themselves through personal experience.

 

[section9+1]

I grew up with guns from the time I was big enough to understand instructions. Teaching your kids is a great idea. I have a concealed carry permit and I think it is also a great idea. Enjoy! I think if you know how to handle guns just pass what you know on to your kids. They'll be fine.

 

[section9+1]

I think one mistake is don't start them out with something too small. A .22 is good. My folks got me a .410 for hunting and I couldn't bring down a darned thing with it. It got discouraging. As soon as I moved up to a 16 things got a lot better. I still use that 16 to this day.

 

[Waterwerx]

Is this providence or what? Just yesterday I was telling the wife it was time for her and me to get our concealed carry licenses (both former military), and that I wanted start familiarizing my children with the proper handling and safety of firearms.

For those of you with children who have already started to teach them such things, What tips would you have? Such as when to start shooting, or best guns to use while learning. Pretty much anything you've deemed useful.

My kids are 12 and 15, and there are several gun ranges around my area. I saw that one of them actually holds kids parties where they teach smaller kids gun safety then let them shoot BB-guns and .22 rifles downrange. Ain't Texas wonderful.

Both age and maturity/responsibility need to be factored in. General firearms safety training is a must as well as the safety relevant to the specific model of firearm(s) they will be handling. The NRA is a good place to start as I'm sure their website is loaded(no pun intended) with resources.

 

[Waterwerx]

I think one mistake is don't start them out with something too small. A .22 is good. My folks got me a .410 for hunting and I couldn't bring down a darned thing with it. It got discouraging. As soon as I moved up to a 16 things got a lot better. I still use that 16 to this day.

If you're talking shotguns, a 410 is the peashooter in that family, mostly useful for squirrels and other small game. It's a good firearm of choice for introduction to shotguns.

 

[South Bound]

Is this providence or what? Just yesterday I was telling the wife it was time for her and me to get our concealed carry licenses (both former military), and that I wanted start familiarizing my children with the proper handling and safety of firearms.

For those of you with children who have already started to teach them such things, What tips would you have? Such as when to start shooting, or best guns to use while learning. Pretty much anything you've deemed useful.

My kids are 12 and 15, and there are several gun ranges around my area. I saw that one of them actually holds kids parties where they teach smaller kids gun safety then let them shoot BB-guns and .22 rifles downrange. Ain't Texas wonderful.

Look up Project Appleseed They welcome kids and some of their camps and clinics are the best training you can get outside of the military

 

[SeventyOne]

Thanks all for the responses so far. There are some things on here I hadn't considered which I should look into.

 

[HannahT]

staff edit .

That is covered by hunter safety classes. Irresponsible adults is the problem with your horror stories. You have more kids growing up with responsible ones that never ran into that issue compared to the other. I realize that is NOT what is presented most of the time, but it's the truth nonetheless.

I grew around them, and my kids did too. I have never shot one, but they don't scare me. We also store them properly.

 

[chilehed]

I started shooting when I was eight years old, my dad got me into the NRA firearms safety class at the local gun range and we were there at least half the Sundays between then and the time I was about seventeen. It was a great experience, and set me right on issues of gun safety at a VERY early age. I remember reading about kids getting shot because they were showing off their dad's guns to their friends, and being mystified by the idea. Guns were old hat to me, it was like, I dunno, would they drag out the chain saw to show that off too? Or their mom's butcher knives? I knew where all the guns were and had easy access to them all, and yes, they were all loaded. But why the hell would I drag them out to show my friends?? Totally lame.

My first gun was a .22 single-shot rifle with open sights, and there is no better first gun for anyone. Shooting prone provides the most stable platform. Open sights force you to learn a proper sight picture. Single-shot forces you to slow down between rounds, which reinforces the process of "proper breath control, proper sight picture, proper trigger pull" which is critical to accuracy. The small caliber results in low recoil, which helps alleviate flinching which is also critical to accuracy. All of this will provide the foundation for precise groups, and in shooting nothing is more satisfying than precise groups.

For my fifteenth birthday, he gave me a S&W K-17 Masterpiece and a copy of the US Army Pistol Marksmanship Manual, both of which I still own. My best target ever with that revolver was a full box of 50 rounds placed in an area the size of my palm at fifty yards, shot single-action with a Weaver stance. I was still in my teens at the time, and there were guys at the range with rifles shooting bigger groups at half the distance. Obviously, the men I learned from knew what they were doing.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

It's not as widespread of a problem as children killing themselves or others bc of guns improperly stored in homes, but it has happened more than once. A man accidentally shot his son at a gun range. A little kid was killed at another gun range on a family vacation. A mom killed herself & her kid at a gun range.

Improper training, lack of supervision and improper use; same with motor vehicles, careless use results in tragic results.

When I was young, we had a barn rifle, it hung by it's trigger guard, from a spike in the wall, and there was always a box of shells close at hand. (predator and pest control), dad would take us out and let us shoot it with his supervision any time we asked, but we knew enough to not touch it when he was not there.

Here in Canada, all firearms must be locked up. Our range rules are very strict, and they are standardized all across Canada. All ranges must be licensed, including private where restricted weapons are going to be used. All gun owners here in Canada have had a mandatory firearms safety training course (federal), all who own restricted weapons have had an additional mandatory safety training course specific to those arms (federal). All who hunt have had an additional mandatory Hunter Safety Course (Provincial).

While I can speak for nowhere else, here in Canada you are just as safe at a shooting range as you are in Church.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

<snip> There's been far more tragedies averted by properly storing firearms out of access of children & mentally unstable people.

I agree. So do our lawmakers here in Canada; these are our nation wide requirements:

Storing, Transporting and Displaying Firearms - Royal Canadian Mounted Police

 

[Tetra]

Okay so I'm Canadian, and up here the gun laws are different.

I'm not going to offer any views on whether or when gun training for young people is suitable.

Just an observation: from up here, I note that while many religious conservative people are all in favour of introducing weapons training to teens, some religious conservatives suddenly become somewhat shrinking violets when it comes to teens receiving tattoos, even in states where state laws allow it with parental permission.

But anyway I don't claim any particular expertise about weapons, so I suppose I should not say a lot.

I'm Canadian, and when it comes to the laws on children... I don't know if there is a big distinction. In Canada, a child of any age can fire a firearm under adult supervision.

My daughter is 9 and started learning about firearms a year ago. If I go to the farm to shoot, and she joins me, she'll be shooting too. Note, I'm certainly not a religious conservative... so I don't think those are really connected.

 

[Tetra]

Improper training, lack of supervision and improper use; same with motor vehicles, careless use results in tragic results.

When I was young, we had a barn rifle, it hung by it's trigger guard, from a spike in the wall, and there was always a box of shells close at hand. (predator and pest control), dad would take us out and let us shoot it with his supervision any time we asked, but we knew enough to not touch it when he was not there.

Here in Canada, all firearms must be locked up. Our range rules are very strict, and they are standardized all across Canada. All ranges must be licensed, including private where restricted weapons are going to be used. All gun owners here in Canada have had a mandatory firearms safety training course (federal), all who own restricted weapons have had an additional mandatory safety training course specific to those arms (federal). All who hunt have had an additional mandatory Hunter Safety Course (Provincial).

While I can speak for nowhere else, here in Canada you are just as safe at a shooting range as you are in Church.

You're making this out to be WAY more than it is. To get a non-restricted licence takes a weekend, and the "testing" is honestly a joke. For restricted... the "course" is like a 1/2 day of someone telling you not to sweep people.

Firearms only have to be locked up when not it use. The purpose of this is to stop other people from stealing them. When in use, technically speaking, a non-restricted firearm can be open carried in Canada as long as it's unloaded.