Serious question: When is young to young to teach a child to shoot?

Rockrivr1

Rockrivr1

NES Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2005
Messages
21,110
Likes
21,650
Location
South Central Mass
Feedback: 67 / 0 / 0
Ok, I'm a little concerned. Due to Facebook my wife Laura has reconnected with a friend she hasn't seen in years. They were like sisters and then somehow drifted apart. Yesterday my wife spent the entire day with her friend since they reconnected. During the course of conversation it somehow came up that I'm an active shooter. I don't mind that so much, but she said it in front of her friend's two young boys. From what Laura told me, the two boys went ballistic pleading for her to ask me to teach them. Wouldn't you know it that they just happen to be playing war with each other. They were carrying toy guns and wearing Unions caps.

Here's my concern. The boys are 10 and 13. I've taught a number of teenagers how to shoot, so I have the basics down and I know I'd be VERY careful with them to make sure they learn right. 13 I'm not so concerned about. 10 though, seems very young to me and I am very concerned on whether that is too young to properly teach. I told Laura I'd have to think about teaching them for a bit.

I don't know, maybe it's just me. Looking for some advise here. Is 10 to young? Anyone have some advise on how you would approach teaching someone that young?

Thanks for the help.
 
I taught my son when he was 10, but that was sitting at a bench with the rifle in a "V" style holding block and a single shot .22. He progressed to a pump .22 at 13 and could shoot sitting, prone or standing. I let him shoot my semi auto 10/22 when he was 15.

I do not think 10 is too young given the right equipment and the right coaching. Find a single shot kid size .22 and you should be good to go.
 
I am teaching my son now and he is six. He gets a lot of lecture about safety each time and he doesn't do ANYTHING without me around. I would think that age is PERFECT.
 
I learned with a BB gun at age 4, moved up to a .22 at 6 got my own rifle when I was 10.

Start with an air rifle and judge their maturity level before going any further.
 
I had my daughters shooting at 6, I don't think it's ever to early to start teaching a child gun safety. I felt it took the "mystery" of the firearm away.
 
I started shooting when I was 4 or 5. IMHO, there isn't any such thing as "too early". Why on earth some people think there is a "minimum age" to teach children something that they WILL come in contact with and could potentially save their life is beyond me.
 
Last edited:
Martlet said:
I started shooting when I was 4 or 5. IMHO, there isn't any such thing as "too early". Why on earth some people think there is a "minimum age" to teach children something that they WILL come in contact with and could potentially save their life is beyond me.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying that kids shouldn't be taught. My concern is that I've never taught anyone that young before and they are not my kids. I have no idea what the mentality of these kids are. I have no idea what to expect.
 
Rockrivr1 said:
I'm not saying that kids shouldn't be taught. My concern is that I've never taught anyone that young before and they are not my kids. I have no idea what the mentality of these kids are. I have no idea what to expect.
Click to expand...

Have the father come with you. Make him take on some of the responsibility of discipline and maintaining order. Make it clear to him what you expect.
 
Well I am 16 now. I started on a bb gun when I was eight. Then when I was 10 moved to a bolt action .22 That same year I started hunting and got a .410. I then got a 12 gauge at the age of 15. I started shooting at the pistol range with my dad when I was 15. I shot pistols that were .22 9mm .45 and .38 special. So I think 10 will be alright. It depends on the kid.
 
I was shooting a bb gun at about 6 or 7 and well into a 22 at 10. We'd shoot for hours. I now own that 22 rifle, tube feed. Too bad my step grandfather (dirtbag wife beater too) thought to remove some minor surface rust with a piece of 80 grit. Dope.

Pistols started a little later maybe 11 or 12.

Personally, I give it a little time with this new found friendship to solidify some. Then I would take the kids shooting. Perhaps their mother can go as well in order to prove to her that guns are safe when handled by knowledgeable people. Kids today need to pick up the pieces to carry on our sport safely. There are too many other people today willing to give up this right.
 
Last edited:
I would shoot bb guns at cardboard boxes with my grandfather after he would pick me up from preschool (4 years old). I was given my own BB pistol when I was 5, all the while my father would occasionally come home with a box of 22 CB caps and we'd shoot off the back deck.

I recieved my 20gauge H&R Topper shotgun for my 9th birthday, and started shooting Trap on sundays.
 
Last edited:
Rockrivr1 said:
I'm not saying that kids shouldn't be taught. My concern is that I've never taught anyone that young before and they are not my kids. I have no idea what the mentality of these kids are. I have no idea what to expect.
Click to expand...

Make it a basic informational, then. What works for me may not work for you. I'm overly cautious. When I instruct children and adults I'm not familiar with, my rule of thumb is to keep hands on. When they are holding the firearm, I always have a hand on it or them. It doesn't take too long to measure their aptitude. They don't have to be good learners, just good at listening and following instructions.
 
Troy, we had a family at the Bennington Appleseed Shoot - mom, dad and 9 year old son. His biggest problem was that the rifle was a bit big for him, but other than that? No problem. He took the safety to heart.
 
it has less to do with age, and more to do with maturity.

Granted they have to be physically able to control the gun, but they need to have the ability to be attentive, be able to comprehend and follow good gun safety practices.

There are six year olds I'd teach in a heartbeat, and 46 year olds I wouldn't give a loaded cap gun to
 
I'd say bring both parents along and begin with a basic overview of firearm safety.

Ask the kids to give examples of how they behave around other potentially harmful items: open flames on candles, kitchen implements (if they help mom cook they probably know something about handling knives). You may be able to better judge their maturity level through that discussion. Go from there.
 
Man, I was given my first rifle on my 10th birthday. 10 is not too young. I was shooting .22 pistols when I was 7.

But it is an individual thing--you have to get to know the kids and make sure they are fairly intelligent, listen to instructions, and have some basic judgement making skills. Start them off shooting something easy, like a .22 bolt acton rifle. Take them to the range a bunch of times, and try all the different positions: seated, standing, prone, etc. Start off with seated and a couple of sandbags until they can hit the bullseye. After a few sessions, evaluate how they followed instructions, and how safely they handled the rifle. After that, the sky is the limit.

The benefit is to take the thrill out of finding a gun somewhere and playing gangstah with it. If they have even just a few sessions of how to shoot safely, and some basic rules drilled into them, they are very unlikely to ever have a gun accident--for the rest of their lives.

BTW, if you are in MA, makes darned sure they do not take anything back from the range with them, like a spent shell! Believe it or not, it is against the law.
 
Glockaholic said:
it has less to do with age, and more to do with maturity.

Granted they have to be physically able to control the gun, but they need to have the ability to be attentive, be able to comprehend and follow good gun safety practices.

There are six year olds I'd teach in a heartbeat, and 46 year olds I wouldn't give a loaded cap gun to
Click to expand...

I could not agree more ,my son is 10 but a very immature 10 and would not bring him.My stepson is 11 and was ready at 9.Two different kids ready at different times.
 
i was someone took me shooting at that age. I first shot a gun at 18. Now that I own a few guns, I make sure I take everyone shooting.
 
You could just have a "show and tell" first - show them a gun, how it feels, how it looks, how it works and incorporate the safety...then take it from there.

At that age they are more' knowing" in that they have a greater imagination about it all - you can relate the difference between what is actual and what is imagined. In the end - they have an adventure with their feet on the ground.
 
As soon as they are able to understand the danger and/or use them in a safe fashion.
 
I started at age 7 with my uncle. Both of my boys started at age 5, they are now 6 and 10. I haven't had the dilemma you speak of (someone elses kids that you don't know), but it all comes down to maturity.
 
Speaking for myself, I wouldn't teach operational skills to anyone else's kids unless it was part of an organized activity (gun club, Appleseed-type event, etc.). The only kids I know well enough, for me to accept any potential liability, are my own kids and grandkids.

I would steer any 'friends' kids to an organized event or program, but only if I was confident that there'd be extensive parental involvement and oversight.
.
 
Viking Kitten said:
I'd say bring both parents along and begin with a basic overview of firearm safety.

Ask the kids to give examples of how they behave around other potentially harmful items: open flames on candles, kitchen implements (if they help mom cook they probably know something about handling knives). You may be able to better judge their maturity level through that discussion. Go from there.
Click to expand...

+1 - what I was going to say about bringing the parents along. Absolutely, no parents, no shooting. I might actually want to teach the parents first. And I know waivers really don't stand up in a court of law - but I'd have them (both) sign one anyway.

Donna
 
Glockaholic said:
it has less to do with age, and more to do with maturity.

Granted they have to be physically able to control the gun, but they need to have the ability to be attentive, be able to comprehend and follow good gun safety practices.

There are six year olds I'd teach in a heartbeat, and 46 year olds I wouldn't give a loaded cap gun to
Click to expand...

Exactly. +1 for your comments.

With two boys see if you can get a trusted friend to go along with you, that way each kid will have his own "personal instructor." Both kids can also be shooting at the same time so there won't be any down time with one of the kids feeling left out.

This might sound strange, but bring along a couple of oranges. Shoot them with a high-velocity hollowpoint and have the kids examine what's left. This will graphically illustrate to the kids what happens when a bullet hits body tissue and why safety is vitally important when handling firearms. A picture is worth a thousand words and they'll understand that it's not like what they're used to seeing on TV.

I hope this goes well for you. You have a chance to favorably influence two future voters! [smile]
 
Man, I hear where you guys are coming from. Nevertheless, it makes me weep for the older, better, days gone by!
 

Similar threads

  • Locked
You know college is a waste when your professor’s name is Topher.
Replies
2
Views
295
drgrant
drgrant
Is this a good enough reason to get a .45 GAP?
2 3
Replies
79
Views
2K
gerrycaruso
gerrycaruso
Pennsylvania Court Upholds Right of Young People to Carry Guns in Public
Replies
6
Views
277
Coyote33
Coyote33
Trying to sell my Anderson lower to a friend
Replies
27
Views
724
Asaltweapon
Asaltweapon
CANIK MC9 damage and a failure to fire issue.
Replies
27
Views
626
Broc
Broc
Back
Top Bottom