Am I in the wrong here? (kids and guns)

Oh, and before anybody asks, he was NOT shooting the handgun in the pic. He's still a few more years away from shooting those yet.

At least the guy next to you uses hi-class ammo!

Joey

That is actually my sons .22 with my Father in Law. We had enough dads and sons that day that we took up 4 stations.

I just wouldnt have posted a video on MyBook or FaceSpace or whatever. I carry a gun every day. Perhaps because of this I see guns as nothing more than a tool that I neither glorify nor demonize. A 22 can hurt or kill someone just as easily as any of the AK clones. Giving into the misinformation and hype around "assault weapons" only breeds even more fear and misinformation. This is like saying that pit bulls are vicious or that Fiats are reliable.

In reply to Marty!:

finger OFF the trigger

I've got my 8-year old learning to shoot BB's and archery at home and in Cub Scouts. My 5-year old is right there with him, in a safe and instructive environment. I see nothing wrong with shooting a .22 by 11, and by that age, if he wants to shoot something bigger, that's fine too--always assuming a safe, supervised activity.

When I was the age of your son I was already shooting in competition, so I definitely have no problem with kids and instruction in the proper handling of firearms.

As for the video, the AK and similar firearms have gotten an undeserved "bad rep" in todays society so I don't let people know I own such firearms.

IMO, posting a video of your son with an AK on Facebook was definitely a bad idea.

Marty! wrote: That is actually my sons .22 with my Father in Law. We had enough dads and sons that day that we took up 4 stations.

Its ok.. I shoot blazers all the time!

Joey

I shot my first .22 when I was about 8.

To me, it doesn't really matter what gun it is. Saying a .22 is OK for a kid to shoot but an assault rifle isn't is pretty naive. As long as the boy is taught that ANY gun can kill someone just as easily as the next one, its only about the kid's physical ability to control the weapon, and his mental capacity to understand how it operates. If he understands that there is no glory in violence then give him a cannon for all I care

My dad taught me right. Even when I have my gun completely disassembled, holding a naked barrel in my hand to clean it, I can't bring myself to look down the barrel.

"Any gun can fire at any time" my dad would say. Even if its unloaded, disassembled, and underwater. That's not actually true, but if you treat them that way its a lot safer.

Having said that, I know some 5 year olds who could both physically and mentally control a gun, while I also know some 50 year olds who couldn't.

Tell your ex to shove it up her anus.

Marty! wrote: From here on out the agreement is that he can keep shooting but no more videos/photos are to be shared. Which is good because I plan on getting a AR-15 next month. And just because I can.......

Proper ear and eye protection, sanctioned firing range, intelligent and aware kid... Kudos. I'd be very proud of that photo. The day your son shot that rifle.

I agree with Curtis. I hunt birds and bobcats often with a friend and his 10 year old son. I trust that boy with his over/under 20 gauge more than most adults that I know. We have taught him and his 8 year old brother how to use rifles and shotguns. I have the boys give the adults a safety lecture everytime we go out to shoot. Some of my adult friends take offense to it when the kids call them on an unsafe practice but their dad and I back them up, as they are usually correct.

pilotbraden wrote: I have the boys give the adults a safety lecture everytime we go out to shoot.

That's a great way to really cement those lessons in their heads. Good job sir!

Thanks Curtis! Even though Strizzo did point out a major flaw that I didn't catch (doh!). I'll have to work on that one with him.

My next step with him is to take him to a friends property to shoot. He has an old gravel quarry on his property and I want to take my son there to blow some E36M3 up. Think full milk jugs, melons and such. The reason for this is so my boy can SEE the destructive force of a gun. While he knows and understands that any gun can kill anybody I'm not sure if he sees the force that they have. Right now he pulls trigger, hears the bang and then sees a hole in a piece of paper. I want him to see what happens to a pumpkin when a .308 round hits it.

On a side note has anybody ever participated in a Appleseed shoot? I've been thinking about doing it with my son and was looking for some opinions.

http://www.appleseedinfo.org/

You should certainly be a proad father, it looks like your son is very enthusiastic and responsible in his treatment of Firearms. I was instructed about guns by age 5 and shot my first time (S&W j-frame .22) at 5 years of age. I understood imediately just how powerful it was and since I was so young the lessons I learned in proper gun safety and handling were ingrained in me for life. I have zero problem with responsible firearms instruction even at such a young age provided the parent thinks the child is ready. I agree many unfortunate accidents could be avioded with just a little proper instruction. Kudos to you for sharing a fun and safe pastime with your son.

As one of the local liberals here....

No, you are not in the wrong. Keep it up.

Learning guns and other weapons are things that I wish other liberals would do. They would be less afraid.

I was shooting a bb gun before I was 10, a much better bb gun at 10, a .22 at 12 or so, and hunter safety at 13 (the legal age for Idaho). Hunted a few times, but since I was lazy, I did my best to make a lot of noise. No way I wanted to shlep a 1200lb Elk down a hill. Love bow hunting- much ligher.

And I know I can shoot better than my gun friends- we went to a range once. I was very disturbed by their gun safety. My habit was to empty chamber and magazine (if there is one) show the open chamber/magazine to who I'm handing gun to. They just handed it to me... oops.

Shot plenty of times, and appreciate guns/hunting. Just not for me.

I see gun safety and what you are doing much like swimming. Should be taught at a young age for early understanding and skill.

alfadriver wrote: As one of the local liberals here.... No, you are not in the wrong. Keep it up. Learning guns and other weapons are things that I wish other liberals would do. They would be less afraid.

+1 big time. I'm a fairly liberal person as well, but have been around firearms since I can remember. My uncle was a hunter, grandfather and dad are just firearm enthusiasts. I was taught gun safety at a very early age. Whether it shoots .22, .308, .223, NATO... Doesnt matter, it can all be deadly when handled improperly.

I just for some reason don't understand peoples complete irrational fear of guns...

Strizzo wrote: In reply to Marty!: finger OFF the trigger

He could be resting his trigger finger on the back side of the trigger guard.

Not the best habit either, but better than most of the cops I've seen shoot.

I completely support what you'd did, I'm having the same struggles with my mom. My grandfather was real into guns, but neither of my parents are. So, now that we have all the guns, I'm the one that teaches the family gun safety and how to shoot. I've found that my family is way more open to guns and shooting after they've been shown how a gun works, how to operate it, and how to maintain it. Even Katie gets a lesson now and then, even though she hates shooting. I figure even if she won't learn to shoot a gun, she should learn proper respect for them; I also taught her how to clear anything she ever comes across. I think that's a valuable skill everybody should know, especially people with guns in the house.

I am fairly Liberal too and also have a couple of guns in the house. I think the best way to keep children safe when it comes to guns is to teach them the right way to handle them. One of the best things I have gotten out of my 16 years in the Military has been firearm safety, it is way better than some of the Cops I know.

My oldest turns 8 on Sunday and we have already been out shooting BB guns, the real thing will have to wait a couple of more years.

Marty! wrote:

Turned his head, but kept the rifle pointed downrange. He seems to know his stuff. Never, ever let him move to a .22 handgun and you are fine.

If he asks to shoot a 10 ga 3 1/2" slug gun you might need to be concerned...

Marty! wrote: ...She just wanted my approval before she did it even though I suspect that she would've done it anyway... ...I still didn't see what the issue was as we posted a video of him with his .22 the first time he shot a gun, this occasion was the same thing - just with a bigger gun.

I'm forced to wonder, did she have a problem just because it was a "bigger gun?"

Did she say it that way? Did she mean it that way, but not say it?

Rusted_Busted_Spit wrote: I am fairly Liberal too and also have a couple of guns in the house. I think the best way to keep children safe when it comes to guns is to teach them the right way to handle them. One of the best things I have gotten out of my 16 years in the Military has been firearm safety, it is way better than some of the Cops I know. My oldest turns 8 on Sunday and we have already been out shooting BB guns, the real thing will have to wait a couple of more years.

My dad has an interesting philosophy on BB guns. He started me with a real gun (.22 rifle) before letting me use a BB gun. His thinking is/was that a BB gun trains kids to handle and think of guns like they're toys. Start a kid with a real gun and train them to handle it properly. Then, every time they see a real gun or something similar, they will instinctively handle it safely. Start a kid with a BB gun and let them get used to lazy handling, and when they first pick up a real gun, they will handle it like the BB gun they're used to and not be concerned about safety.

Resulted in very obvious differences in how my (older) step brothers and I handle guns. I nearly beat one of my step brothers for pointing a gun at me that turned out to be a BB gun that was just modeled to look like a real pistol (he'd picked it up while stationed in Korea). He laughed at me trying to rack the slide and check it because "it was only a BB gun".

My own experience is remarkably similar to Salanis'. I did have BB guns, but when dad decided to move me (at 8rys old) to bigger firearms (shotguns, we were largely waterfowl hunters), he got me a .20ga instead of a .410. It dang sure did the trick..I seriously respected guns before the first time I ever touched a rifle. Additional humor content for gun folks..he also made sure it was a pump-action, instead of semi-auto. "..boy ought to have a real gun before he has a fancy one..". Love the Remington 870 to this very day.

Salanis wrote:

Rusted_Busted_Spit wrote: I am fairly Liberal too and also have a couple of guns in the house. I think the best way to keep children safe when it comes to guns is to teach them the right way to handle them. One of the best things I have gotten out of my 16 years in the Military has been firearm safety, it is way better than some of the Cops I know. My oldest turns 8 on Sunday and we have already been out shooting BB guns, the real thing will have to wait a couple of more years.

My dad has an interesting philosophy on BB guns. He started me with a real gun (.22 rifle) before letting me use a BB gun. His thinking is/was that a BB gun trains kids to handle and think of guns like they're toys. Start a kid with a real gun and train them to handle it properly. Then, every time they see a real gun or something similar, they will instinctively handle it safely. Start a kid with a BB gun and let them get used to lazy handling, and when they first pick up a real gun, they will handle it like the BB gun they're used to and not be concerned about safety. Resulted in very obvious differences in how my (older) step brothers and I handle guns. I nearly beat one of my step brothers for pointing a gun at me that turned out to be a BB gun that was just modeled to look like a real pistol (he'd picked it up while stationed in Korea). He laughed at me trying to rack the slide and check it because "it was only a BB gun".

My buddy has the same theory with bikes. If you start with a powerful 1100 or something, you will respect it more. But if you start with something small that you can whip and toss around, you might find yourself in trouble on a bigger, more powerful bike.

Joey