5 yr olds and guns

[AK103K]

Yes, I'm a stick-in-the-mud who thinks kids often do stupid things and can be difficult to control at times.

My buddy used to always say.."you plant potatoes, you get potatoes". Over the years, Ive actually found that to be very appropriate.

We, as adults, are the programmers. If they are doing stupid things, and/or are difficult to control, then we, as adults, are not doing our part. Dont try and blame it on the kids.

If I was at the range and a 5 year old was EVER given complete possession of a loaded firearm that would be a 'pack up and leave' event. If an adult was in possession of the firearm and the child was simply pulling the trigger, not so much of a problem.

Ive been around a lot more "adults" that I was nervous about, than my kids when they were 4 or 5.

Whe properly taught/trained and supervised, its really a non issue. We arent talking about sending them out into the yard to play with a gun, although these days, the way most people seem to act anymore, Ill bet most 10 year olds, and their parents would be hearing about it.

[johnwilliamson062]

Yeah, there are lots of 'pack it up and go home' triggers for me. A five year old in possession of a loaded firearm is one of them though.

[Tin Can]

A while back I read an article about a 9 year old girl being given a fully automatic weapon in Las Vegas she lost control and killed the instructor standing behind her. Now he's dead , she probably will have emotional trauma and guilt the rest of her life , the stupid parents who wanted her to fire a " FULLY AUTOMATIC" weapon cost a man his life and if he had a family what about them? Handing a 5 year old a 44 magnum is disaster waiting to happen!
The appropriate caliber size and type of weapon should be used for kids.
When I was a kid some of my best times and now memories were shooting Grandpa's Marlin 22 Lr lever action rifle. Grandpa taught me how to shoot we used " Tin Cans " for targets . And the Lord knows I sure miss him.

[j3ffr0]

My kids are young and they are afraid of guns. All they know is that guns can kill people and to run and tell an adult if they see one (especially Mom and Dad). They don't know that I have them, and they're not going to until they are old enough to at least keep semi-quite about it.

Folks are far and away most likely to be killed by someone they know. The less people who know that I carry the better. It seems silly to obtain a tactical advantage and give it up (at least partially) by letting everyone know you have it.

However, every situation is different and so are social circles. I live in the middle class burbs. It's not exactly "gun country" where it's just known that every household has ten or more guns, but it probably wound't surprise anyone either.

[JoseyWales1976]

Teaching children about gun safety and the proper utilization of these tools is a necessary element in preventing accidents. Children start learning the fundamentals of shooting at a young age without even knowing it. Every time they point at something they want, they are displaying their mastery of sight alignment and sight picture. This is when you can start teaching them the other fundamentals.

I have an eighteen-month-old daughter who already understands that she is to keep her finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard unless on target and ready to shoot. In fact, she corrects herself if she isn't following that cardinal rule. Understanding that firearms are powerful tools (NOT deadly weapons) is important too. With my daughter, I purchased a cap gun with a working trigger mechanism that will, over time, teach her trigger control (without the need of caps).

In the same way that you wouldn't hand a child your sledgehammer before buying them a Fisher Price tool set, it's important not to hand a child a loaded gun right away. Start them out simple. Slowly work them into larger, more powerful tools. Don't think that your child is ready to shoot your .45 because he knows how to pull a trigger. Go from cap guns to BB guns to a .22 rifle and onto larger calibers. Make sure that he or she understands the fundamentals of shooting and the cardinal rules as laid out by Jeff Cooper:

1) All guns are always loaded.
2) Always point the muzzle in a safe direction.
3) Keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until you are on target and ready to shoot.
4) Know your target, your backstop, and what lies beyond.

This method seems to be working for me and my daughter (and my wife). Hope this helps.

[AK103K]

Its obvious we all have had different experiences with both guns and life, and it appears many seem to have led pretty sheltered lives too.

Being older, Ive seen a lot of things change over the years, and in a way I really dont consider good. Not teaching kids young about discipline and responsibility, are a major sore spot. Its up to you to teach your kids, and not rely on others to do it for you.

We grew up in a rural/military environment and were constantly exposed to all sorts of things, including all sorts of guns and explosive things. We also were loaded up with responsibility at a very young age. I had my first "money making" job at 10.

I saw that one negative comment about a 5 year old driving and really had to wonder. Just about everyone I ever knew, grew up in our dads lap, steering the car from even before 5. My kids did the same. I learned to drive a stick driving around our neighbors farm in my dads old VW bug at 10, and was quickly driving it by myself once I had it down. I had already been driving tractors and other farm equipment before that. I taught my kids to drive a stick around the same age.

We learned to shoot around 4 or 5, just like our kids. We were lucky enough to have access to all sorts of stuff too. I shot my first SMG at 8, an M3 "Grease Gun". Shot it a lot too, and could never get enough. I was instantly hooked, and never got over it. Shot a lot of other "cool" things before I was 10 too, including belt feds. Both or boys were shooting my MP5 at 5, and by the time they were 10, had shot (and could shoot them well too) more full auto guns than most adults have ever seen.

My experience has been, "most" adults have never seen or held a full auto gun, let alone shot one. Of course, everyone is an expert on how dangerous they are in the hands of children.

I will say, that boy who let that girl shoot the UZI, was wrong, and simply because the choice of weapon was inappropriate, and his teaching skills were poor. Not because it was a machine gun. Anyone who has shot one of those type guns, UZI, MAC, etc, understands why too.

[dannyb]

My kids are now in their 30s. When the younger one was 5, I took the advice of several people at the range to which I belonged and started taking them with me when I went. It was actually a good thing for them to see - adults getting together with no alcohol, no drugs, nobody with glazed eyes, and a 25 cent fine for cursing. The range also had plenty of dummy rounds for the training classes and let me make use of some so that I could teach my boys how to unload various types of firearm. They were also taught that if one of their friends produced a gun to talk quietly, walk away, find an adult in the house or walk outside - never run, never yell.
Later that year, I took them to the firing line itself - with permission of the range officer and notice to the others that there would be kids on the range. After loading lessons with dummy rounds, each was allowed to load single rounds, aim, and fire with my arms to either side of the boy so that I could obtain instant control.
My older son did not like shooting, so he stayed home from the range trips once I was satisfied that he had the necessary knowledge. My younger son won his first competition medal at age 6. He has kept his skills up from time to time since leaving home for college.

[doofus47]

Lot's of good advice already given.

For my kids, I started early--like 5 or 6. My daughter had a curiosity about my pistols and rifles and so I would engage her help when cleaning after going to the range. I described the pieces separately and the gun as a whole and tried to keep things simple "This is the barrel; you never look down this; you never point this at another person. " "The first thing you always do with a gun is check to make sure it is unloaded." "If you find a gun, leave it, and go tell an adult." Etc. Repeat over and over...

That said, the lessons have to be constantly reinforced and you have to remember that some days all kids have the mental capacity slightly below that of a goldfish.
A story from my life:
My 9 year old daughter came into the room after I'd been cleaning guns with my 5 year old boy. Guns were not new to her; we'd been over the parts and rules for 4 years by this point. She looked at my empty, re-assembled pistol sitting on the table in front of my boy; she walked right up and pulled the trigger. No check; no request. It was her 2c of power--to be able to do something that was not allowed to her brother-and she did it, I'm sure to show off.
That day ended poorly for her, but it showed me how the dynamics of kids' thought processes change when they group together.

Be cautious: you are only allowed to make a mistake once with a gun.