When you think they're ready. And I'd suggest starting them with a BB and or pellet gun. Then when you feel they safely and responsibly handle those, then move to a .22 rifle. I wouldn't suggest a handgun until you're sure and even the the first should be a revolver, again, in .22. Be smart about it.
Also, make it an empty BB or pellet gun for the first time or 2 or 3. To make sure they know where to always point/be pointing the muzzle and quiz them on what is what. What is and or where is the muzzle? Where is the safety. Which position is the safety in when it's on? Off? stuff like that.
__________________ "My next door neighbors two dogs have created more shovel ready jobs then Obama has." - Gary Johnson
My dad taught me with a Red Ryder around the age of 5 or 6. Supervised only for a good while. When that bit the dust, he put it in his shop for decoration and I got my first multi-pump pellet gun. Got my first shotgun (20 ga NEF) when I was about 12 or 13. That being said, my dad taught me safe gun handling before I even got a Red Ryder.
As Glock said when you think they are ready. I started my kids out before they were 10. My daughter owned her first gun (22) when she was 9.
I agree with what my dad taught me when I was younger (mad at him at the time) that if you are old enough for a BB gun you are old enough for a 22. I grew up on a ranch (wide open area) so this also makes a big difference on when your kid might be ready for shooting.
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"Decaffeinated coffee is kind of like kissing your sister" ~ Bob Irwin
Started my son at 6yrs. Had some help from a Cub Scout camp we went to. BB gun with them for a couple of years and then 22. With me we went to the 22 when he was about 8. Also started letting him shoot a 9mm a little. Now at 17 he is talking about buying his "first" rifle for graduation. He already has a SKS that I got him for a b-day presant.
Started the munchkin at 5 on Bow & Arrow. Heavy supervision for the first two years. Teaches ballistics on a level which can't be seen with pellets/bb's
His mother is resistant to anything past Nerf...but understands that it's better to teach him safety & proper use than let his friends teach him about guns. So I used the NERF Longshot to teach him the basics of barrel control, aiming (it's got a scope), and safety safety safety.
If it weren't for the fact that he's a bit of a tattletail, I'd have started him on .22's last year...but I don't want any hassle out of the Ex
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I started my children shooting at 6 years old. I first let them shoot BB guns and then we worked up to 22's and then 410's. Now they have some really nice soft air guns that you can teach children to shoot with. Safety is always the most important factor. Having your children shoot with you is great. You will always have a live-in shooting buddy.
__________________ USAF SSgt 80-86 IN GOD WE TRUST NRA MEMBER
my daughters started about 5-6 years old. they used a pellet gun until I found a single shot .22. I cut down the stock and we spent hours in the back yard shooting plastic army men with cb caps. by 11 each had killed her first deer with her own mini 14.
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peace through superior firepower
I think 12 is a good age to start introducing guns to young people. At twelve they have the ability to understand the consequences of their actions and the strength to handle a gun.
i started my 3 boy out shooting bows as soon as they could pull those cheap 1's back and they started shooting bb's and got toshoot their first .22 befor they were 10. when they were 12 i got them into a jr. rifle program.. now all 3 will out shoot me and its real interesting on the ride home from a shoot.... who had what score and who was going to win the next match..
but what was bad is when i would take them to a match and pay for their round and they won money !!! think they would pay dad back???? NO WAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!
I started both of my girls shooting at age 6. Granted, first with a pellet rifle, then when they learned the basics, I moved them up to my 223. I only let them shoot it off my bench, the rifle is way too heavy for either of them to hold up anyway. Taught them how to pull the trigger and when to do so(breathing and heart beat), and how to hold the rifle for bench shooting. They both have kept me busy reloading bullets for them to shoot for several years now. They both have their own hunting rifles now, and know exactly how to shoot them with confidence. The oldest has taken 2 deer with drop in their track shots from a 243. I get as excited as they do to see them make shots that a lot of men that I know can't beat.
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One hole groups are as easy as pulling the trigger, until you pull it the second time.
i started on a BB gun around 5 or 6. im only 19 and dont have any kids, but i wouldnt let my kids handle a gun until they show me that i can trust them even with a BB gun
Like some others, my two sons started out shooting bows, recurve. At 7 and 9 I started them out on .22s. Now at 9 & 11 they both shoot .22 pistol, .22 rifle and 20ga and 410 ga shotguns. The 9 yr old actually hit 4 trap targets with his 410 last weekend. At these ages it is all about the parent teaching and mentoring.
My theory is that I want them shooting with me so I can teach them just how important it is to use these things responsibly, and not learning about guns somewhere else. I let them shoot as much as they want so they get their fill of it and not have the need to go behind my back. We have taken various things out and shot them so they see just how destructive guns are (fruit, coconut, waterjugs etc...).
There is a lot to be said about shooting sports for young people, they teach practice, patience, safety, responsibility, judgement and removes the mystery and cool factor of guns. They learn what they are and what they are used for. They learn that they are not toys.
I started at 9. I went to a YMCA summer campin 1952 near Louisville, KY. They had certified firearms instructors that trained us very similar to what my Army instructors did in basic training.
My son shot his first shot gun at 4. I reloaded the 12 gage with just enough powder to get the wads out of the barrel. No shot. His real training started about 6.
Several years back he asked me about a memory of shooting a gun in our back yard before he started kindergarten, we lived in the country.
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"for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Jesus! Acts 4:12
Last edited by 15AcreWoods; 03-01-2009 at 11:48 AM.
my little girl is almost two and on her first birthday she got a little .22 cricket i have been working with her since that day she has not shot the rifle yet butt ltalk k to her about it and she watches me shoot all the time. she is very smart with guns i tought her she cant touch unless i say its ok. i would put the gun down and walk away and she would just look at it never touches it till i tell her it ok. i dont think im doing it to young you just have to take it slow and safe. i think she will love me for it in the end. plus watching my daughter is a pretty sight in my eyes. i dont think she will shoot for a couple of years yet but when she does i think the early learning will make her a better shooter and more responsable.
I shot my first pellet gun, pump style at age 5 or 6 maybe? Dad took us down to the creek. I shot my first rifle at age 9 maybe. My parents used to have a condo down on the ozarks in a private cove. The snapping turtles down there got mean and there was an incident where one of them bit a person that lived in the same condos my parents did. It was like a series of condos around a private cove.
The turtle was surfacing about 60 yards out, and I was about 50 to 60 feet above the ground on the top level deck. I shot that snapper 3 times in a row from the deck. My father loaded each round (it was a .22 pump) and handed me the gun and then watched with his spot scope. My dad still talks about that today when I shot a turtle three times. All three shots hit and the turtle actually may have lived for all I know. He was pretty big, and not sure how effective a .22 rifle is against a big old snapper.
I think it just depends on the age and maturity. My brother didn't get to shoot any guns until he was way older. He was a hyper active child though, I was quiet and I didn't run circles around everyone all the time every day like my brother did.
My Pop started my older brother and I out on .22's, ages 7 and 8 respectively. We joined an Junior NRA shooting group, learned to shoot at targets and advanced through lower levels up to sharpshooter. This was a very, very worthwhile organization, skills learned there, helped us later in life and through many years of hunting and shooting times together as a family. We started with a single shot Win. rifle, target type rear sights, sling and the whole ball of wax. A lot of very good memories thru this training in our younger years.
