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letting your kids know you have guns?

R

roux

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From what I have read most here bring their kids up with firearms as being a normal part of life. I grew up in a anti gun family so am not really sure how to go about doing this. My kid sees the gun magizines and sees guns on the computer etc... so this is not foreign. Although he thinks I may have guns he has never seem them.

My concearn comes from the fact that I am carrying more often and am not sure where to begin educating a 4 yr old about saftey and what to say and not to say etc... I cant keep this secret forever. Any courses or books or just good advice is greatly appreciated.
 
Don't ever! I made the mistake of showing my sons once. Now I'll be damned if I can go shooting without one of them coming to shoot "their" gun. I think I still own a lonely bolt .22 in the back of the safe.
 
I posted this in another thread about what age to take your kids to the range, but I think it may help here as well. My twins are 4 as well

My twins have started the learning process at age 3 ( they are now almost 5 ) It started 1st by showing them rifles I own and explaining them, along with "who" its ok to talk about daddys firearms and whos NOT ok to talk about them with. My C&R rifles have become a family event, as my boys will assist in cleaning and identification of parts as new C&R purchases are acquired.

In addition, my boys have been to the range but not while I was shooting. During the orientation when we joined HSC my wife and I brought the boys so the could see the range and see others shooting without going all in and having them there while I was shooting....

IMHO, for our family its been more than just "taking them to the range" but more bringing them up in a "gun" family where firearms are just a part of daily life. I believe my interest and collecting of firearms is for the long term and very much hope that someday the collection Im starting will be theirs, so whats more important to me than just getting them to the range is getting them to understand and respect the sport and the hobby

I will add, that I do have a few special considerations as one of my twins is autistic ( although very high functioning )
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Ill add that I begged as a child to pursue and interest in firearms and military items, and was always denied.

In my house now, firearms are just a part of daily life and treated very matter of fact. While I do not get into discussions about "self defense" with 4 years old, explaining safety,proper handling,and parts identification are a topic of discussion all the time ( along with who we talk about guns with and who we dont )
 
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I was raised with guns around me my whole life. My father encouraged me to handle each new gun he purchased and told me the rules of what should happen if I ever come across one. Then again he started teaching me the rules back when I had cap guns.... A gun is a gun real or not. Always treat it as if it is loaded and Never point it at anything you are not ready to destroy. I would like to think that I grew up responsibly around them.
 
Do you want your child to experience the sight, feel and discharge of a firearm by themselves or you coaching them on how properly handle a firearm. I am convinced, kids will figure out how to get into anything you have locked up, even if you think you are safe. Teach them early, get it out of their system. My 5 and 9yr old kids do not get tickled anymore unless I bring something new home.
 
I tried to get my 2 nephews involved while they were very young, giving them basic safety info, you all know the drill. They grew up and had no interest whatsoever but are certainly pro gun ownership probably due to me. I never forced it on them, they knew I'd take them shooting anytime they wanted. I really dont think keeping guns in the house should be ignored but wait until they know better. The big thing was having them not tell anyone outside of the family what they saw, you know how kids like to talk.
 
If it's not a mystery to them, there's less chance of them getting into trouble with any of your guns. Hide them, be secretive, and they just gotta know what the big deal is.

Make them a part of your lives and they don't give them a second thought.
 
4 years old is a little young. They should know you have guns, but not necessarily all the details about where they are stored. You should sit them down and explain the basics with a toy gun, and play around with them to see if they can remember some basic rules.

The goal, until they are old enough to go the the range, is that they do not blow their head off if they find a loaded gun at their friend's house. they need to know to leave it alone, skeedadle home, not try to handle it or "show off". When a young kid gets hurt finding a gun, I blame his/her parent for not training the kid properly.
 
Spanz said:
4 years old is a little young. They should know you have guns, but not necessarily all the details about where they are stored. You should sit them down and explain the basics with a toy gun, and play around with them to see if they can remember some basic rules.
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Why? Why with a toy gun? Im not saying whip out your loaded CCW and have your 4 year old clear it for you, but why the secrecy and using toys????
 
**DRB** said:
Why? Why with a toy gun? Im not saying whip out your loaded CCW and have your 4 year old clear it for you, but why the secrecy and using toys????
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i was thinking of starting with a cap gun. my personal feelings are that the safety rules are the same and it will demonstrate that when the trigger is pulled the gun will go bang. when muzzle awareness is regularly demonstrated and the shock at the noise abates then i think we will be ready to try a real gun.
also, no reason to be secretive about having guns. i have been "caught" loading my carry rig many times. NBD here.
i have never been asked about shooting, but i would probably use driving as an analogy, you can do it after you have been properly trained.
 
lancecolonel said:
i was thinking of starting with a cap gun. my personal feelings are that the safety rules are the same and it will demonstrate that when the trigger is pulled the gun will go bang. when muzzle awareness is regularly demonstrated and the shock at the noise abates then i think we will be ready to try a real gun.
also, no reason to be secretive about having guns. i have been "caught" loading my carry rig many times. NBD here.
i have never been asked about shooting, but i would probably use driving as an analogy, you can do it after you have been properly trained.
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Do what you feel is right. In my house guns are guns and are no way connected with toys. It seems to me that many people tend to "talk down" to their children not realizing what an average 4 year old actually comprehends of the world around them. Just be matter of fact, and hold them to a level of responsibility appropriate for the age
 
At about Five years old I bought my son a book at Rileys called " My First Rifle " and He would read it as part of his nightly reading, It's a nice little book, and I feel it helped instill many good safe firearm rules. Every now ant then at the range He will quote a passage from the book, it is amazing what they remamber.
 
My 4 year old shot the Porsche last year. It's not too young.

My kids know about firearms and don't touch them. We don't treat them any different than a steak knife.

If you treat guns as different than any other dangerous thing in your house your kids will treat them with the same stigma you had while growing up in an anti house. Break the cycle. Teach them everything.
 
OP don't over think it..

My 6 and 4 yr old girls know how to clear a Garand, AR-15, all my bolt action rifles, and my handguns. They know the basic safety rules, how to clean them, and what to do if they come across a firearm. My 2 1/2 yr old son has seen them but he's not quite old enough to understand safety rules.

They do NOT know how to get at them without my permission, nor do they handle them without me around. They have yet to accompany me to the range.

In other words, there's nothing magical about them.

If you're stuck, start off with "hey son, do you want to see....?". And just show them. Teach them the safety rules too. You'll be doing your job as a parent, nothing more.
 
IMHO, if you have guns in the house, you should do the gun education as soon as they can comprehend your sentences. Ignorance and young curiosity is not a combination I'd try my luck.

http://corneredcat.com/ has some of the best advices about kids and guns.

My younger wasn't even 3-yr old when I brought home my first gun. They got 'the talk' on day one. They have seen 'bang, the chipmunk is dead' to know why gun safety is of paramount importance.
 
Got my daughter a cricket .22 for Christmas when she was 4 you should have seen the look on my mother in laws face, she's been shooting ever since and loves the sport.
 
Mind you this was in the 50's, early 50's. I was about 5 maybe 6. We had guns everywhere but Mom forbade us from touching one. One day Dad took me outside and got a watermelon out of the patch and set it on a stump. He said to me "Time you learned about guns". So I stood about 3 feet away from the watermelon and Dad handed me a 45 colt revolver (one of them cowboy pistols) and he said "go ahead shot the melon". I did. The damn recoil knocked me on my ass and the watermelon exploded. Dad reached down and grabbed me by my collar and pulled me to my feet. He looked at me and said "Any Questions?". I said "nope" He said "don't point it at anyone unless you intend to kill them. And if you point it at someone make sure you kill them". I said "Got it".
 
The best way to teach a kid that guns are not bad is to live a good, non-violent life while not being apologetic about owning and carrying a gun. By the time the kid is exposed to the "guns are bad" rhetoric in the government indoctrination centers masquerating as schools, they will have been exposed to years of a gun not being a bad thing. Do your job really well and the kids will eventually start to print check you and adjust your shirt if necessary when you get out of the car :).
 
Pilgrim said:
If it's not a mystery to them, there's less chance of them getting into trouble with any of your guns. Hide them, be secretive, and they just gotta know what the big deal is.

Make them a part of your lives and they don't give them a second thought.
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This!
 
What's the BFD here? Guns are a part of your life. There is no need to make a BD out of it. Treat it like that. Introduce them when they ask. They will ask! Just carry around the house and let them know you do it because you care about them. This is a no-brainer. You'll know when they are ready to shoot. That's part of your job.
 
I hate to say it, but if you create a "cookie jar syndrome", you will always have a problem.

And what is the Cookie Jar Syndrome (CJS)?

  • You have a cookie jar and it's full of cookies.
  • Your child asks for a cookie
  • In your "wisdom" you say "No" and leave it at that, without explanation.
  • Upon your immediate departure from the kitchen.....yep, little fingers have gone into the fabled cookie jar, for the sheer reason that you said "no" without telling them the "why" (desert before dinner or some such BS, but at least it's an explanation)

America is great at the cookie jar syndrome and feeding bullshit explanations to it's subjects.

Alcohol: Everywhere else in the world, it's not an issue. Yet here, morons in power have decided on the magic 21+ age rules. What do you think the teenagers are going to do with that one? [laugh]. Yet, in 99% of the rest of the world, it's a non-issue and kids regularly have a beer or a glass of wine with dinner.

Pot: [rofl2] This is great because the only BS answer the idiots in power can give are "it's a gateway" and "we can't tax it"...oh, wait. The second one is why, the first one is the nonsense CJS bullcrap the officials feed us. And what do you think created the gangs?.....simply put, CJS.

Guns: Hide what you have and play "secrets" with your kids, and eventually, they'll hit an age where "hmm, what's in that big box over there?" And like someone else said, it really doesn't matter what safe you have, eventually, they will get into it. If you started the teaching early, CJS doesn't come into play, as long as the bullcrap explanations aren't excuses and are instead reasons (kids are smart, they can tell the difference), you'll have a youngster with respect, knowledge and acceptance of guns from the beginning.

Of course, I could be completely off my rocker. I bring my 4yo daughter to the range nowadays. At 6, I'll give her the same as my father gave me: A .22 rifle and a 3-blade pocket knife. [smile]
 
I don't have children, but I'm curious to know from those who do on this thread: any worries about over-reaction from teachers (or others in some form of authority interacting with your kids) when your child casually mentions "mommy's gun"? I think I would be hyper-paranoid that some casual comment by a child who's living in a house where a gun is no more of a big deal than a power tool or a carving knife (and it shouldn't be more of a big deal than either of those) could result in various state agencies knocking at the door or calling for a "meeting" at the school. After all, we've seen examples of that in the news media.

So, anyone worried about his? Anyone take actual steps about teaching your children not just the rules of gun safety but the rules of "don't run your mouth" without it making guns into a bigger deal than they are for the child? Just curious.
 
noddaduma said:
OP don't over think it..

My 6 and 4 yr old girls know how to clear a Garand, AR-15, all my bolt action rifles, and my handguns. They know the basic safety rules, how to clean them, and what to do if they come across a firearm. My 2 1/2 yr old son has seen them but he's not quite old enough to understand safety rules.

They do NOT know how to get at them without my permission, nor do they handle them without me around. They have yet to accompany me to the range.

In other words, there's nothing magical about them.

If you're stuck, start off with "hey son, do you want to see....?". And just show them. Teach them the safety rules too. You'll be doing your job as a parent, nothing more.
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Yep, same as the lawn mower or stove. Nothing different.

Sent from my mobile device, please excuse typos and brevity.
 
roux said:
From what I have read most here bring their kids up with firearms as being a normal part of life. I grew up in a anti gun family so am not really sure how to go about doing this. My kid sees the gun magizines and sees guns on the computer etc... so this is not foreign. Although he thinks I may have guns he has never seem them.

My concearn comes from the fact that I am carrying more often and am not sure where to begin educating a 4 yr old about saftey and what to say and not to say etc... I cant keep this secret forever. Any courses or books or just good advice is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Honestly I believe that you should include your child in your shooting even at age 4. Bring him/her along and let him watch. Kids are like a sponge and absorb everything. Let him/her see what you enjoy and hopefully he/she will embrace it and carry on the torch.

I recently have got my 14 and 12 yr old girls involved and I never thought they would have any interest in shooting sports or hunting....boy was I wrong. My 14 yr old cant wait to take hunter education and go hunting with me and my 12 yr old is not far behind. I look back to when I was that age and remember how much I wanted to shoot and hunt and I will forever have the memories of those hunts with my Dad and Uncles/cousins for the rest of my life.

Bottom line is EMBRACE it and let it grow.
 
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Silversnake said:
I don't have children, but I'm curious to know from those who do on this thread: any worries about over-reaction from teachers (or others in some form of authority interacting with your kids) when your child casually mentions "mommy's gun"? I think I would be hyper-paranoid that some casual comment by a child who's living in a house where a gun is no more of a big deal than a power tool or a carving knife (and it shouldn't be more of a big deal than either of those) could result in various state agencies knocking at the door or calling for a "meeting" at the school. After all, we've seen examples of that in the news media.

So, anyone worried about his? Anyone take actual steps about teaching your children not just the rules of gun safety but the rules of "don't run your mouth" without it making guns into a bigger deal than they are for the child? Just curious.
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I have actually took the direct opposite approach. I do not much care what my kids teachers and others have to say. i am a lawful gun owning person. I do not nor will I ever hide that fact. I also wish to let my kids know that they should not be afraid to talk about shooting and hunting with Dad. I welcome a "meeting" at school at any time and will be happy to share my thoughts with anyone who thinks that I should not "teach" my children how to use firearms. In fact my daughters FB page has 4 vids of her shooting a 22 with her sister.
 
Yeah my dad didn't even hint that he had a vast collection of guns til I was about 15. It all started with BB guns... Now we are both buying up guns like it's an addiction, which it is. Kids learn about guns through movies, tv, video games, etc. Although safety is usually not in any of these, that is all up to you. Children need to know that guns are safe under safe conditions. Every child is different so it's hard to say. Start with BB guns and work your way up to the big and dangerous 22lr . [rofl2]
 

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