TweetI'm all for the wife shooting but me personaly would wait many many years before I would let my daughter shoot a gun. I dont even let her play with toy guns. Cool for the wife and you doing it together but I wouldnt let me dsughter shoot until she was of age

TweetShe'll be learning to shoot a rifle, strict gun etiquette, etc...when she can handle one of the small .22s made for children. If she's interested.
A gun is no more than a tool that must be operated by a human. No danger involved when you practice safety and use your head. Very simple and strict guidlines take any risk out of the picture like with any tool. Target shooting is much safer than many other recreational activities. I bet that if looked at statistically. Children and teens taught, trained, and that have practice with firearms. I bet that target shooting is one of the safest recreational activities that minors can participate in. From dirtbikes, four-wheelers, horse-back riding, to baseball, dancing, boxing, etc...
I bet that to be a statistic fact.
I know one statistic fact is that minors that aren't trained about firearms and strict gun safety are categorized in an extremeluy dangerous group of minors. Then once adults and they go out and purchase a firearm, you have an adult that doesn't even know how to hold a gun properly.
Fuzo, please don't look at a gun as anything more than a tool. That is all it is. The tool is not dangerous 1 bit. The person is. The scary thing. Through life. People leave tools in places where other people can grab them. I want my loved ones to be of the informed ones that are not dangerous, and very safe.
At this time. My daughter knows to leave the room if she sees a gun, and make who-ever she's with,(grandma...wtf ever) to call me immediately to get her. I've actually had to have a heart-to-heart with an uncle about this. My daughter doesn't even look at a gun unless I'm in the room. And a gun better not enter her presense at this point in her life. Of course, she's seen me clean my guns, and she already knows more than most children about how serious firearms are, and the possible repercussions if handled improperly. At 5yrs old. She knows that she does not have the training to even think about touching a firearm.

I understand your input Fuzo. But, as I said. I will bet that minors trained with firearms, and target shoot for hobby. I bet that it's fact that they are safer than minors participating in contact sports.

TweetNow it's a different class of tool all together with a pistol, so my child might be an adult before I'm comfortable with her training with a pistol.
Not that immaturity is acceptable with any firearm, but a pistol must be handled with the utmost safety.

TweetYour a lucky guy HP..my lady never wants to go shoot

TweetA gun to me is a dangerous weapon and kids have been killed by guns. they find them because the parent was irresponcible and didnt lock it up or put it away correctly and the kids find the gun and accidently shoots themselves or another kid. No matter how well you teach your kids to stay away from guns they are curious at there young age and sometimes will react and go pick it up anyway when the parents arent around and thats when bad things happen.But as far as a young child learning to shoot a gun or hold one I will never let me daughter even think about it.

TweetWell ALL my firearms are in a safe. My son was killing deer at age 6 and my daughter has been shooting a 22lr sinse she was 5 and now she wants the 38 snubby- she is 6 now and will be shooting her first pistol shortly. I love starting them young and I ALWAYS enforce safety 1st, but they NEVER have access to firearms unless I'm around and I'm the only one with the combo!(except for the pistol under the bed for the wife)

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Originally Posted by deepsouth

Well ALL my firearms are in a safe. My son was killing deer at age 6 and my daughter has been shooting a 22lr sinse she was 5 and now she wants the 38 snubby- she is 6 now and will be shooting her first pistol shortly. I love starting them young and I ALWAYS enforce safety 1st, but they NEVER have access to firearms unless I'm around and I'm the only one with the combo!(except for the pistol under the bed for the wife)

There is a good chance your child may find that gun and that is unsafe.
To each his own but I think it is absurd for children to want guns at such a young age. They should be thinking about toys and having fun, not guns.

Tweetthe gun under the bed is in a safe with fingerprint ID to open- and the only 2 ID's it has is my wife and mine- no-one else can open it. By safe I meant my big safe that holds all the firearms except hers which I want close to her while I work graveyards

TweetIt's amazing how different demographics, or areas of the country view guns. 'should be having fun, not guns." Target shooting is very wholesome, good, clean fun for anyone. Excellent recreation for kids. It's great discipline for them as well. It teaches them control, and it's a fun exercise that demands responsibility.

The point about leaving guns out for children is valid. Then you have children like most of us that grew up around guns hanging on the gun racks on the wall. I've had the conversation a few times over the last year or so, last was a female my age in a waiting room, but it seems everyone around here that grew up with guns in reach knew damn well we better not even think about touching those guns. That's part of good parenting. My dad didn't need a gun-safe, and neither did most of my friends, male and female. It came with strict teaching about firearms. As I said, my daughter knows damn well she better not ever think of handling a gun. And I know for a fact that she won't.
Heck, let me blow your mind some more. I don't even lock up the kitchen cutlery. It's right there on the kitchen counter. I keep a good edge on the knives too. I grew up with sharp kitchen knives right in reach. But just as we were taught at a very young age about knives, my daughter knows well not to mess with a knife. So there is no need for me to lock up the kitchen cutlery or scissors. It all comes with strict training and discipline with these critical subjects at hand. A child will learn not to even think of touching guns and knives just as serious as they learn not to run in front of moving vehicles.

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Originally Posted by horsepwr

Target shooting is very wholesome, good, clean fun for anyone. Excellent recreation for kids..

Oh sure I can see it now , "let's have juniors birthday party at the shooting range", lol!

/quote] It's great discipline for them as well. It teaches them control, and it's a fun exercise that demands responsibility.[/quote]

Any martial art will do that for a child, as well. Kids and guns just sounds scary to me.

TweetI do understand where you're coming from. A friend of mine's mother grew up with guns,(her brother's and father's) and she's still afraid of them. She has went shooting with us a few times, though, and is much more comfortable around them now. No-one ever took the time to teach her about them. It's just that [unknown] factor. Like martial arts, for instance. There are parents that think sport-fighting is cruel and inhumane, so they shield their children from anything to do with fighting. They'd never think of letting children train and practice fighting. It's just their misunderstanding.
I really appreciate the values that my upbringing with firearms taught me. And I know that anyone that appreciates what martial arts training is doing for their child would not appreciate someone ridiculing their feelings concerning martial-arts training and children.
So long as children are in responsible hands that have the child's best interest at heart, then the children getting hurt isn't a concern. A child's security is the very 1st and highest priority to me.

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Originally Posted by FUZO

I'm all for the wife shooting but me personaly would wait many many years before I would let my daughter shoot a gun. I dont even let her play with toy guns. Cool for the wife and you doing it together but I wouldnt let me dsughter shoot until she was of age

Things are different when you live in the country. When I grew up I was hunting at age 10, went through hunter/safety course at school, and owned my own rifles and shotguns from then on out. A lot of girls my age went hunting with their fathers. It was normal out there in the country. I see nothing wrong with it so long as you teach them proper gun etiquette and keep the guns locked up when at the house. People who live in the city never understand this but its because they grow up in different environments.

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Originally Posted by FUZO

A gun to me is a dangerous weapon and kids have been killed by guns. they find them because the parent was irresponcible and didnt lock it up or put it away correctly and the kids find the gun and accidently shoots themselves or another kid. No matter how well you teach your kids to stay away from guns they are curious at there young age and sometimes will react and go pick it up anyway when the parents arent around and thats when bad things happen.But as far as a young child learning to shoot a gun or hold one I will never let me daughter even think about it.

Again, different views from people who live in different environments. Guns are not dangerous, people are. As I said, I learned to hunt at a young age and target shoot just like all the other kids at my school. And I can't think of one incident amongst any of them. If you're taught how to properly respect a gun and handle it then there is nothing wrong. People fear guns so much that it behooves me that we even still have a 2nd amendment right. Sadly it will eventually be attacked in the name of dangerous weapons that kill people, when in fact guns prevent crime and violence.