[carloglock19]

My dad took me to the range for the 1st time at age 10 with an old .22! He always kept it and a shotgun mounted on the wall, I learned gun safety and how to clean them from him he is an Army vet. He had handguns but I didnt see those until I was in my older teens. I started my son with a BB gun at 9 this year he turned 12 and I bought him a .22 rifle we live in the city so the range is the only place we can shoot! I started teaching him safety 1st a few months prior to going to the range he has been to the range 6 times with me and loves it I'm big on safety but I also make it fun for him we spend a lot of quality time together doing this.

[Tackleberry1]

C3's has expanded perfectly on my earlier post. I neglected to say that my boy's 10/22 came with a second used stock that we cut down, sanded, and refinished together. That was as much fun as taking him shooting.

[TheDaggle]

All terrific responses! I think starting him on bb guns to get him used to the safety basics is a great idea. Thank you, everybody, for your advice, it is all very helpful.

[Mr. Bluesky]

If they can hold on to the gun when it recoils, they're old enough.

[UnderFire]

Teach them young and teach them right!!

[TheDaggle]

Originally Posted by Mr. Bluesky

If they can hold on to the gun when it recoils, they're old enough.

I'm tempted to agree with you, but thats a qualification you can only try by fire. My dad took that approach with me when I was 3 and had me shoot his .38 ankle gun. Scared the bejesis outta me. Admittedly, after that he could leave his guns on his dresser or in the glove box and I wanted nothing to do with them, knowing EXACTLY what they were capable of.

[JeffCooper]

I was just a pup when I got my first NRA "Pro Marksman" badge - 7, I think. I was taught by a pro and I stuck with it all the way through grade school.

Now Jeffrey Junior here... he's 8. He wants an airsoft ar-15 and a pistol. Andrea is more than a little concerned, but I would love to teach the little guy and send him off to the local range. I'm not even sure they have training for kids, but I know my wife would be happier if he were taught by a genuine NRA instructor.

It amazes me that my friends and I have eyeballs. My mom was convinced that we were all gonna put each others eyes out. Frankly, my Crossman 760 with about 400 pumps and a good wad of vaseline on the seals would blow yer head clean off. :-) Had real wood furniture too. I wonder what ever happened to that thing?

[winds-of-change]

I have a 5 year old granddaughter and when she comes over sometimes I take out my revolver and show it to her. I teach her how to check to see if it's loaded or empty, I tell her to point it away from people and pets. I tell her to never pick one up if she finds one at someone else's house (mine are always locked in a safe). I let her hold it to see how heavy it is. I let her try to open the cylinder though she's not really strong enough yet. I've begun to teach her the parts of the gun such as the grip, the barrel, the cylinder, the hammer. So, we just kind of explore the gun together and learn a few things about it. Once she helped me clean it. For my granddaughter, I think she is too young to permit her to shoot. The gun would be too heavy and she would not be able to handle it properly yet.

[rifleman1]

my son got his first bb gun when he was four he is now nine and has his hunting license.he has a 20 gauge a 30-30 and a 22.cal rifle.in my opinion as soon as they understand what you are telling them is when you begin gun saftey training, and taking the forbidden fruit affect,i have to many people tell me those guns should be hidden away from your kids, when my son asks to see the guns i pull them out its a perfect time too go over saftey.so really its never too early.

[rlewis1449]

I have taught my children, from the time they could walk, gun safety showing and explaining that it is not a toy, is the ticket. I have seen over the years hiding something from a child, only adds to the interest of finding it. Yes I do have a safe for my guns but also my children also know what a gun can do and that it is off limits without an adult present. I would love to see it be a requirement, of our school systems, that all students before they graduate pass a gun safety class. I know, I would have all the bleeding hearted liberalist writing me hate mail, but it could save someones life if everyone knew how to propery handle a firearm. Teach, preach and lead by example because guns don't kill people, ignorance does.