"Does that mean you have a gun with you?"

[Ryno300]

Had many great moments with family last week during Christmas, but I loved this interaction with my son. He's 11 and knows I have several firearms, but I CC 100% of the time and I've explained to him in the past that there is no need to talk about our guns with friends or neighbors so it doesn't come up a lot. We were staying at my mother's and I had emptied my pockets on the shelf the TV sat on in the entertainment center in our bedroom. He was in there playing his new XBox so I pointed out to him that my EDC knife was on the shelf (closed) and not to touch it because it was very sharp.

A couple of minutes later he asked me what the item on the other side of the TV was - "Does it have to do with a gun?"

I said, "That's my holster (empty). That's what I use to carry the gun in."

"Oh, like the one you put on your ankle sometimes in the morning?"

"Yes, but this goes on my belt and inside my pants so nobody sees it."

"So does that mean you have a gun here?" His voice was a little raised and I'm thinking oh boy how is this conversation going to go...has somebody been feeding him lines or what gives.

"Yes, I've had it with me all day and it's here, but put up."

Wait for it....."Oh great! I was hoping that's what you would say. I know Gram's house is safe, but I feel better knowing you have it to protect us. I'll sleep a lot better tonight knowing you've got it! Thanks Dad."

I walked out of the room smiling ear to ear...he may not be ready to go to the range, but I think we're off to a good start.

 

[THE BIG SITT]

Had many great moments with family last week during Christmas, but I loved this interaction with my son. He's 11 and knows I have several firearms, but I CC 100% of the time and I've explained to him in the past that there is no need to talk about our guns with friends or neighbors so it doesn't come up a lot. We were staying at my mother's and I had emptied my pockets on the shelf the TV sat on in the entertainment center in our bedroom. He was in there playing his new XBox so I pointed out to him that my EDC knife was on the shelf (closed) and not to touch it because it was very sharp.

A couple of minutes later he asked me what the item on the other side of the TV was - "Does it have to do with a gun?"

I said, "That's my holster (empty). That's what I use to carry the gun in."

"Oh, like the one you put on your ankle sometimes in the morning?"

"Yes, but this goes on my belt and inside my pants so nobody sees it."

"So does that mean you have a gun here?" His voice was a little raised and I'm thinking oh boy how is this conversation going to go...has somebody been feeding him lines or what gives.

"Yes, I've had it with me all day and it's here, but put up."

Wait for it....."Oh great! I was hoping that's what you would say. I know Gram's house is safe, but I feel better knowing you have it to protect us. I'll sleep a lot better tonight knowing you've got it! Thanks Dad."

I walked out of the room smiling ear to ear...he may not be ready to go to the range, but I think we're off to a good start.

The last line caught me off guard (I have a 11 month old and another due any day now). When do you think he will be ready for the range?

 

[Ryno300]

The last line caught me off guard (I have a 11 month old and another due any day now). When do you think he will be ready for the range?

I have an old 22lr that was my grandfathers that we could probably do just fine at the range with. I think he could handle it and he's mature enough to understand the rules, but he'd be a little skittish with the surrounding noise still. I'm thinking about purchasing a 22 handgun just for that purpose. I have a relative that has some acreage and I think he might do better there the first time. I didn't grow up around firearms at all so I'm still very much learning. I just want to be sure he's exposed early so he has full respect and knowledge without fear.

Congrats on your pending arrival The Big Sitt!

 

[Que]

That would be a great commercial, but we all know a child would NEVER say something like that. After all, guns are scary!

 

[KittySlayer]

The last line caught me off guard (I have a 11 month old and another due any day now). When do you think he will be ready for the range?

Two infants back to back. How do you find time to go to the range?

 

[Bill of Rights]

The last line caught me off guard (I have a 11 month old and another due any day now). When do you think he will be ready for the range?

I have an old 22lr that was my grandfathers that we could probably do just fine at the range with. I think he could handle it and he's mature enough to understand the rules, but he'd be a little skittish with the surrounding noise still. I'm thinking about purchasing a 22 handgun just for that purpose. I have a relative that has some acreage and I think he might do better there the first time. I didn't grow up around firearms at all so I'm still very much learning. I just want to be sure he's exposed early so he has full respect and knowledge without fear.

Congrats on your pending arrival The Big Sitt!

With respect, I think you're already too late for "exposed early" if he's 11. That's not meant as an insult or comment on your parenting, only saying that I've understood "early" to mean range trips (at least to watch) as soon as you can get eye and ear protection that fits them. That is solely my understanding of that term, though, and you know your kid best, so go with what works. I say all of this only for perspective's sake.

If your concern is noise, you're right to consider a .22LR. I'd like to suggest that you consider plugs and muffs (both at the same time) for him, as well as perhaps finding someone with a suppressor, to ease him into it. Depending where in the state you are, I'm sure you can find folks around who have them and would come along to allow the use of theirs solely for the pleasure of watching a young shooter enjoy learning the sport. I know I would.

I will also recommend that you seek out Appleseed (Project Appleseed Home (or click the oval in my sig)) for both of you to learn some real history and some fine marksmanship training. You may already know it, but if the only exposure he's had has been the government schools, I doubt he does.

Please feel free to contact me for more info, if I can help, and again, if you're in my area, I'd be happy to come along with you to let him use my suppressor.

Blessings,
Bill

 

[MrSmitty]

My son had a .22 at age 7 and knows gun safety..he even corrects me if I don't put a guns safety on after shooting

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I was hunting alone with a 12 gauge Stevens at that age. 11 is plenty old enough.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Like we've all said, every kid and every family is different. I was exposed early enough, but wasn't trained beyond basic safety until I expressed an interest. I trained both of my kids a little differently than my dad trained me, and they both do well. In fact, the eldest about had a caniption on christmas eve upon opening a DB .380 she'd been wanting all year. Apparently she had no idea she was going to get it. Wouldn't have been my first choice, but not my gun, I guess. Pink muddygirl camo.

 

[warthog]

I was 8 when I got my first rifle, a 22 Mossberg Palomino *still have it too). I was trusted to be shooting alone at this point. I started shooting with my Dad at 6. He's ready but he's yours so you decide. It's good he is already aware of them and respects them too. Now take him to the range, well probably be best to wait for it to get warmer, and teach him how to use them safely.

 

[dudley0]

OP send me a PM if you are close to Grant County and have a place to take the kid shooting.

 

[bigelowe]

I was around 6 or 7 when i shot my first 22. Plinking at my grandparents place under the watchful eye and control of my father and grandfather. My father was in the korean war and my grandfather was a county police officer for years. I guess they were both comfortable teaching me gun safety and marksmenship( if you consider shooting tin cans off of fence posts marksmanship, lol) a few sessions of that, then i progressed to rabbit and squirrel hunting.

 

[indiana36Bravo]

With respect, I think you're already too late for "exposed early" if he's 11. That's not meant as an insult or comment on your parenting, only saying that I've understood "early" to mean range trips (at least to watch) as soon as you can get eye and ear protection that fits them. That is solely my understanding of that term, though, and you know your kid best, so go with what works. I say all of this only for perspective's sake.

If your concern is noise, you're right to consider a .22LR. I'd like to suggest that you consider plugs and muffs (both at the same time) for him, as well as perhaps finding someone with a suppressor, to ease him into it. Depending where in the state you are, I'm sure you can find folks around who have them and would come along to allow the use of theirs solely for the pleasure of watching a young shooter enjoy learning the sport. I know I would.

I will also recommend that you seek out Appleseed (Project Appleseed Home (or click the oval in my sig)) for both of you to learn some real history and some fine marksmanship training. You may already know it, but if the only exposure he's had has been the government schools, I doubt he does.

Please feel free to contact me for more info, if I can help, and again, if you're in my area, I'd be happy to come along with you to let him use my suppressor.

Blessings,
Bill

I agree with this, like everyone said OP, your children, do what you want.

I will say I was brought around them young and loved it and still do. I also am a 4-H Shooting Sports instructor for our County and they start our program in shooting at grade 4, and most have started way before that with parents and family. Then some have never shot a gun before(trust me that can be scary) but we are always glad to teach them and we have club guns for those who don't buy their own. So don't know where you live but this is one option they can get into practices and meet some great friends and a little competition if you have this shooting sports in your county's 4-H. Feel free to ask questions or PM, we all would love to help out if info or maybe even getting together.

 

[96firephoenix]

Ryno, I'm glad you got some QT with your son!

That would be a great commercial, but we all know a child would NEVER say something like that. After all, guns are scary!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OviVV2kDq5I

no, they just take them to school to give to their teachers... stupid idiot Anti-gunner ad. I love the list of crimes committed if this scenario played out IRL.

 

[halfmileharry]

Two infants back to back. How do you find time to go to the range?

Commercial:

"Since my mommy switched to Hoppes Infant Care Wipes I have plenty of spare time to get to the range without worrying about diaper rash"

 

[rhino]

I tried to start two of my nephews at an early age with gun safety instruction and let their reaction to that be the barometer for when they were ready to go to the range. I thought they were ready when they were about 11-12. Both had just successfully explained the 4 basic rules to me in their own words to my satisfaction. As the next step, I let them hold a compact bolt action .308 (without the bolt) to examine and get a feel for a "real gun." The first did okay, but the second carelessly pointed the muzzle at my belly with his finger on the trigger. They were not ready then.

 

[halfmileharry]

I grew up in "One Hump" Tennessee and had my own gun since I was 8 yrs old. It was a little .22 single shot. It had a sleeve you twisted and pulled back to access the chamber for loading and unloading. You pulled the firing pin back to charge the bolt.
Dad bought me a new Model 37 Winchester 12 guage for my 10th birthday. I usually was given 5 .22 shells or 3 12ga shells at a time. Better come home with game for the pot. We had to make every shot account for something to eat.

 

[littletommy]

My youngest son was pretty good with an AK when he was 12, I think he first fired one a year or two before. He's 15 now, and we had a good laugh at the range yesterday when he had his first taste of Winchester super x 00 buck through my new Mossberg, bad thing is, he says his shoulder isn't sore today and mine is killing me.

 

[ModernGunner]

Yeah, I'm with Bill on this one. By the time I was 11, had already been shooting (BB, target pellet, .22LR rifle and handgun) 5 years, and had already been through multiple bullseye competitions. That's not to brag, just an observation, as that was typical of a LOT of the kids I hung around back then. Pretty much 'everybody' was used to having guns around the house, their Dad or Grandad having taught them at least the basics of gun shooting, gun safety, etc.

Most of them had their 'own' firearms, usually .22's, .410's, 20 or 12 gauge. A couple owned those 'cool' (at the time) rifle / shotgun combos. And most had them hanging on their wall, in a gun display case, or maybe in their closet in their room. Of course, ya could do that back then. Hell, folks didn't even lock the door to their home when they left, why would they need a gun safe?

So, since this young lad of Ryno300's certainly seems to have the right attitude and demeanor towards firearms, now would be a great time to get him started enjoying the shooting sports.

JMO. YMMV.

 

[MCgrease08]

I'm with the rest of the gang that says get him out there to shoot this spring.

My daughter just turned three and she already wants to come with me to the range. She cried when I told her she was too small to come, so I promised to take her to the gun shop to pick up some stocking stuffers for my Father-in-law. She had a blast just running around looking at all the guns in the display cases. She has expensive tastes too. She gravitates towards Sigs. I literally had to drag her out of the shop. She didn't want to leave.

I've also started giving her small jobs she can help me with, like handing me rounds when I load mags before range trips and sorting brass when I get home.