Teaching kids to shoot/gun safety?

[gatorgrizz27]

My oldest son is almost 4, very smart/mature and generally listens well. His godfather gave him a BB gun on his first birthday, it’s been boxed up but yesterday we got it out and started going over safety. I explained it’s a tool not a toy, and like other tools can hurt people if we don’t use them correctly. He’s been around table saws, chain saws, etc so gets the concept of danger.

I showed him what the muzzle was and told him that’s where the bullet comes out and we don’t point it at people, dogs, cars, look down it etc. His understood and replied “yeah, but we can point it at pigs.”

Lesson number two was not to ever touch the trigger until he is ready to shoot.

We still aren’t ready to actually shoot it yet, which will be done with direct supervision, 1 shot at a time, but the gun is still quite a bit too big for him. He can hold it up fine but has to put the stock in his armpit to reach the grip, and from there can’t really reach the trigger. Putting it under his arm also means he can’t even use the sights. It’s a Daisy Buck from what I’ve seen is the smallest one made. I can make a shorter stock for it easily but not sure what to do about the trigger reach.

I might look at getting him an air soft or cap gun, but to me that’s toeing the line towards “toy guns” which is my other question. We don’t have any toy guns, but teaching him stuff like “this isn’t a toy” and “don’t ever point it at people” might get confusing if he’s playing with friends at their houses with toy guns, even nerf type stuff.

I’d appreciate any feedback from y’all on the physical issues and the gun/toy distinction.

[glen]

My kids started young shooting often. Started with a 22 Cricket. At 4 my oldest would deer hunt out of a box stand with a window cut at ground level so he could shoot prone. I sat in a recliner and just watched.

It depends on kid and how much they are around shooting. Mine have been on range since in car seats. Both shot 1000s of 22lr rounds a year. Both were shooting trap by 8 years old. If they were not shooting with me they were shooting with Mom

[TX03RUBI]

Get him a 22 with a short enough length of pull to properly learn on. It’ll be more effective than a BB gun that doesn’t fit him yet.

[ClayW]

As soon as Kayden showed interest, I let her start shooting. She started shooting the 22 and AR at 4.

IMO, let them shoot as much as possible.

[panhandlehunter]

I started my daughter at 4 with a cut down 22 Cricket. The problem with BB guns is that the triggers are terrible and hard to pull. I would skip the cricket and get a Savage Rascal. My daughter is 5.5 now and she is deadly with her 22. She has a Savage Rascal Tactical, it’s threaded for suppressor, oversized bolt knob, heavy barrel, a real sweet shooting gun. Single shot, feed ramp so it’s easy to load, Accutrigger and we shoot sub-sonics.

[TX03RUBI]

I started my daughter at 4 with a cut down 22 Cricket. The problem with BB guns is that the triggers are terrible and hard to pull. I would skip the cricket and get a Savage Rascal. My daughter is 5.5 now and she is deadly with her 22. She has a Savage Rascal Tactical, it’s threaded for suppressor, oversized bolt knob, heavy barrel, a real sweet shooting gun. Single shot, feed ramp so it’s easy to load, Accutrigger and we shoot sub-sonics.

I agree with the Rascal!

[oktx]

Lesson number 1. Sorry doesn't bring back a dead man. I enforced this with my kids. It made mine pay attention.

[gatorgrizz27]

Thanks for the tip on the Rascal. Have a Dead Air Mask and a bunch of CCI standard velocity rounds (sub sonic). It looks like it might still be too far of a reach from the grip to the trigger for his hand, I’ll have to look at one in person.

Any thoughts on interactions with toy guns at young ages?

[Geezy Rider]

My kids started young shooting often. Started with a 22 Cricket. At 4 my oldest would deer hunt out of a box stand with a window cut at ground level so he could shoot prone. I sat in a recliner and just watched.

It depends on kid and how much they are around shooting. Mine have been on range since in car seats. Both shot 1000s of 22lr rounds a year. Both were shooting trap by 8 years old. If they were not shooting with me they were shooting with Mom

This all day long.
It’s your job as a parent to evaluate your children and determine when they are ready for what stage.
Had a friend who said he would not have a problem with turning his nine year old loose with a weapon by himself. But on the other hand, he didn’t think his twelve year old could ever be trusted with a firearm even into adulthood.

[Playa]

Your kid is going to make a “toy gun” out of something be that a stick, a gun shaped object or each his grilled cheese sandwich into the shape of a gun. It’s just natural.

I’d say we all played shoot em up with cap guns as kids, it’s not beyond a kid to understand the difference between a toy gun and real

[Drycreek3189]

Most BB guns come with a stock that’s as thin as a 1x4. I traced the stock onto a 1x4 and cut it out, chopped it off, and installed it on the gun when my boy was little. When he got big enough, the factory stock went on.

[Hooverfb]

I'm torn on the toy gun thing, but it happens.... Cause guns are cool lol. Had this same tall at 4 with my son, had to just drill the difference between a toy that's meant to be a toy and a tool that can hurt people. Same as toy wrench vs real wrench.

[Capt Glenn]

Don't push it. It's not a race. They are ready when they are ready and no two kids are alike. As the parent you'll know better than anyone when that time is.

I know everyone on here will make sure their kids are safe. I have a friend who had a pellet removed from his heart from a pellet gun when he was a boy and he came very close to dying. They aren't toys and terrible accidents can happen and happen quickly.

[curtintex]

Your kid is going to make a “toy gun” out of something be that a stick, a gun shaped object or each his grilled cheese sandwich into the shape of a gun. It’s just natural.

I’d say we all played shoot em up with cap guns as kids, it’s not beyond a kid to understand the difference between a toy gun and real

This X1000. Boys have been playing with toys guns for years. We did, our dads did and our grandpas did. We keep putting all these restrictions on boys today and wonder why they can’t figure out which bathroom to use. Not a shot at the OP, just at society’s stance on these type issues in general.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Capt Glenn]

If they can't tell the difference between a toy gun and a real gun or bb gun then they aren't ready to shoot. That is pretty basic. If they can't figure out that we treat them differently and one is OK to play with and the other isn't then they don't need to be shooting yet because they also can't reason through other scenarios like potentially shooting something past what they are aiming at.