Too young to shoot, but when to start discussing firearms?

[Navy joe]

I started yesterday, 2 years and 9 month's old.

"This is Daddy's gun."

"What's this?"

Daddy's gun uh, uh I got water guns in the pool!!

"Those are toys, this isn't Daddy's gun, no touch!"

"What do you do with daddy's gun?"

Shoot people (thinking of water guns no doubt)

"No!, what do you do?"

No touch

I went on to beat into her sweet little head about running away from people with guns and getting a "big person" if she saw a gun.

I reinforce, show her my gun ask her the questions.

Took her outside and exploded an apple with one shot to make her averse to the idea of noisy gun and to show the terminal effect.

I will keep following up. May have to undo some of the scare training later when it is time to shoot, but I'd rather have her alive with a flinch than not.

[camonympho]

As a mom to an 18 yr old son,14 yr old daughter and 8 mo old son, I have raised the older two to appreciate guns respect them and they both love hunting and fishing. I started them out young, boy was out hunting with me by age 2, he watched, he walked along and he learned real fast that guns can kill, he also learned dead is dead. theres no coming back from it. I raised my daughter same way , by time she was 2 she would go along deer hunting while her brother was in kindergarden. Some would say I am nuts because a kid that young dont understand, but my kids grew up playing with toy guns and going hunting with me, they understood the difference between play guns and guns. They understand that guns are nothing to be played with, my son has hunted since age of 10 with a rifle, so far he has not had any minor accidents, i know alot of hunters have shot trucks, had accidental discharges and whatnot. But I feel with the training he got from me from age 2 and on has given him a respect and appreciation of guns and the true value of life. This weekend my kids (all three of them) are going fishing, never too young to get them out in the woods.

[rainbowbob]

...he walked along and he learned real fast that guns can kill, he also learned dead is dead. there's no coming back from it...

...This weekend my kids (all three of them) are going fishing, never too young to get them out in the woods.

It sounds to me, Ma'am, that your children are blessed with a very fine Mother.

[Officers'Wife]

This spring my husband and I had a rather serious argument on this subject. He wanted to start teaching our daughter (age 5) to shoot a 'youth model' 22. While even now I still have reservations, they had a wonderful time. At the risk of bragging, she managed to hit 5 plastic 12 oz soda bottles using eight rounds @ 40 meters at the end of the lesson.

Later I had a serious talk with her and had my Dad have a serious talk with him. I just feel five is far too young to operate a dangerous machine.

[catspa]

Teach her to drive a tractor, then the .22 won't seem so dangerous by comparison.

Parker

[Officers'Wife]

Teach her to drive a tractor, then the .22 won't seem so dangerous by comparison.

Uh... no. I've learned from my father's mistakes.

[pete f]

Officers wife, take them fishing, or along with hunting, and let them see death. Explain that once dead, its dead, and that things die so that others can live, by eating them.


Take that .22 outdoors and show her an example of something "hard" (I used cans of stew and hard shell melons) and rap their head a little bit with the can, and ask which is harder? When they point to the can, show them what that little .22 will do to the can. The mellons are dramatic examples of what a shotgun will do....

I did this as well with a power saw, taking a length of wood and asking them which was stronger and harder, their fingers or the wood, then I cut the wood with the saw very quickly, letting them imagine how fast their fingers would go if they messed with the saw.

Its an image that will stick with them that "gee, that would hurt me" and thats what you want. Never ever keep things as mystical. Explain the concept in terms they understand. Its like "hot" and "cold" and "sharp", until they understand the concept, it will always be a risk.

[Officers'Wife]

Officers wife, take them fishing, or along with hunting, and let them see death. Explain that once dead, its dead, and that things die so that others can live, by eating them.

After her reaction to her beloved kitten being ran over by a truck I'm not sure I would care to repeat that particular lesson. However, if not for that bit of history that would be a sound strategy. Thank you.

[pete f]

take that lesson to the lake, let them see anonymous fish being taken, cleaned and then eaten. Let them see the circle.

[AirForceShooter]

My daughter and I both have guns.
My Grand daughter who is 4 knows a few things. Don't touch unless we hand her a gun. don't tell friends we have guns.
Next year a crickett

AFS

[Officers'Wife]

take that lesson to the lake, let them see anonymous fish being taken

Remember, this is a quasi- farm kid, she knows that the fried chicken on the table was once a living breathing bird. I just don't feel she is ready for a demonstration of the butchering process yet.

Back on topic, when she was two she discovered the boot knife I keep in my purse. My husband imitated your basic training Sargent in getting her to drop it. Afterwards I started keeping knives out of her reach. Our firearms are in an area that, while not locked, has a dead bolt far higher than she could reach even standing on a chair. On top of that, she has been educated on the difference between 'little girl tools' and grown up tools. I enforce that difference to the letter.

[Harley Quinn]

This is very interesting IMHO...Thanks for the insight...

Regards

This spring my husband and I had a rather serious argument on this subject. He wanted to start teaching our daughter (age 5) to shoot a 'youth model' 22. While even now I still have reservations, they had a wonderful time. At the risk of bragging, she managed to hit 5 plastic 12 oz soda bottles using eight rounds @ 40 meters at the end of the lesson.

Later I had a serious talk with her and had my Dad have a serious talk with him. I just feel five is far too young to operate a dangerous machine.

[Officers'Wife]

This is very interesting IMHO...Thanks for the insight...

What? That I yielded to my husband's judgment, had a serious talk with my child of the dangers of some tools or that I had my father share his experience in child raising?

Despite there being 8 children on the farm (Dad's and my uncle's) all having used firearms to one degree or another, there has never been so much as a negligent discharge on the place. If asking for advice from a proven expert is a character flaw as you imply, it gives far more insight on you than anyone else.

[Harley Quinn]

Good recovery...

Regards