Kids and Guns...

T

The Mohican Sneak

New member
I was on another forum where the subject of women and guns was brought up. You know, the usual "what caliber gun would be best for my wife" type question. This lead to an array of answers, which lead to recoil problems, flinching, etc...

One guy made the statement "if my little girl can shoot my 9mm, a grown woman should have no problem with a .45acp". I agree with that, as I've seen numerous women actually ROCK with a .45acp - almost to the point of where I was envious. :D He went on to state "all of my guns are loaded and easily accessable - even by my kids"...

I personally know this guy and his youngest is 5 years old. He justified his statement with a "if you teach them about guns, the dangers of guns, and take them shooting, the "mystery" of the gun isn't eating at the kid no more - making it a safe to have one laying around... once they see what a gun can do to a melon, they know to not mess with it".

I disagree. We all know the maturity levels of children now-a-days differ. Scuffles amongst neighborhood kids are more prevelant, arguments over "girl/boyfriends", sleepovers, etc...

Say HIS kid has a sleepover. What's stopping his kids buddy from wanting to play with the gun? Do you agree with his reasoning? And finally, at what age do you think a kid should have access to a gun? Any gun?

------------------
>>>>>>>>------------TMS---------------->>>
 
The youngest kids I know to have UNsupervised access to guns are 12 y.o. and I have no problem with that. I think the murky line is somewhere between nine and twelve, based on what I have seen of SUPERVISED use of firearms. However, some kids (as well as some older children often confused with adults) are never safe around guns. There's a cop in my neighborhood like that.

I am taking a *guess* on your friend that he isn't really talking about his 5y.o. but more in general on the principle of his approach. I am sure he'd keep his little kid away from unsupervised use of any power tools, guns included.

------------------
Oleg "peacemonger" Volk

http://dd-b.net/RKBA
 
What worked for me and my kid might not work for others, of course...

When my kid was around six or seven, I was showing some friends my 1911. The kid was all eyes, of course. So, I demonstrated how it worked, and let him try to "make it go click". His hands were too small to readily hold the grip safety and operate the trigger, of course, but he finally succeeded.

I pointed out that the only reason he couldn't take it out and shoot it was that he was too small. When he thought he was big enough, I would be happy to take him out and let him shoot it.

Having removed the "thrill of the illicit" and taken the "magic" out of the deal, he wasn't particularly interested. I let him shoot light loads out of a Blackhawk, from time to time...But the main deal was that it was an issue of his size.

He had his own Daisy Red Ryder, about that time, and of course I taught him about gun safety. I repeated mild "lectures" from time to time, not just telling him once and then forgetting.

It's the mystery, the mystique and all that baloney about guns that causes the trouble.

My $0.02, Art
 
I agree with your friend. I have four boys.
I and my wife do how ever put the guns up if a bunch of kids are around.
My kids have a 12ga. shot gun in their rooms,unloaded and in a case. The youngest has put the cable lock on his.
Stay safe.
 
And the other side of the coin...

Every year, good kids who have hunted, grown up around guns, and had proper firearms training are killed in unsupervised gun related "accidents".

[This message has been edited by Ron Ankeny (edited May 06, 2000).]
 
Ron Ankeny: While even one is too many, note that for all ages, accidental firearms deaths total around 1,000 per year. This is somewhere around 13th down the last list I saw...The important thing to publicize is that the rate is continuing a long, long decline. Fluorescent orange, Eddie Eagle and Hunter Safety courses are making a difference.

For 14 and under, in 1996 it was around 130 or so, per the CDC.

Regards, Art
 
In America before the '70s, it was not unusual to see a kid with a .22 heading out alone into the woods. My Uncle use to ride on public transit with a cased rifle. Nobody thought a thing and the kids were taught firearms safety by an adult prior to being given access to it.

Today it's a different kettle of fish.
 
Living alone, I don't have the problem, but my nephews, ranging in age from 2 to 19 - the ones that shoot - have had the mystery removed. However, each of them is at a different level of shooting and handling. I have one that is 12 who may hunt (constantly) with a shotgun -no rifles or pistols - unsupervised, but the others of his age MUST be with an adult. We can see these differences and treat them accordingly.

I also have another 12 yo. that enjoys shooting so much, that he gets a bit too excited, so I keep a tight rein on him. However, he is the first to point out a safety violation at the range or in the house.

Kids differ. We, as their mentors, need to keep this in mind.
 
I have two daughters 16 months apart in age who are now in their mid-20s. I started teaching them about firearms about the ages of 5 and 6 shooting .22 pistols and rifles. One day when my oldest was about 9 she wanted to try my 9mm I was shooting that day so with a little help she got off about 4 rounds and thought it was fun. Kept shooting the 9mm for about 2 years and then wanted to try my 45. I tried to discourage this but after a few weeks I said OK. Surprise - Surprise! She didn't bat an eye and handled it well but after a few times she said she still liked the 9mm better and went back to it on a regular basis.

Currently carries a CHL .38 and shoots anything that she can get her hands on. She taught riflery and ballet at a girls camp for two summers when in high school. Doesn't shoot a tenth as much as I do but can beat ole dad just about everytime. :o

Younger daughter is still not real comfortable range shooting. She thinks it's too much of a macho/guy thing but still carries a CHL 9mm. Practices only when she comes home and I take her out to the range. I can beat her most of the time but not by much. :)

Different strokes for different folks. The only thing I can conclude is that dad needs to practice more or get a new prescription for my glasses or both!

RKBA!
 
I don't have kids, but my brother has three who are all now in their 20's. He kept his guns in a glass case, unlocked all the while they were growing up. They were taught what guns could do and not to touch them. When the boys came of age, he took them hunting, something the "boys" still do today. No problems. Of course, the kids were the best-behaved I've ever seen. Polite, good students. Better kids than I was ;) .

Dick
 
Art:

Yep, you are right. The hell of it is, I have had two of my students killed in handgun "accidents". One of my students accidentally killed his brother two years ago. Earlier this year, another student I know managed to shoot himself in the side with a .22 revolver.

Saturday I helped conduct the "live shoot" for our local hunter's safety class and each year I am reminded that kids and unsupervised gun use are a recipie for disaster.
 
I'll repeat this, probably causing my dad some dismay. When I was four years old I snuck into my dad's bedroom and found a loaded Charter Arms Bulldog 44 special revolver under his bed. The family cat was the only one watching me, having picked a point on top of the dresser from which to view the situation. I never did like that cat, so I lined up on him from about 8 feet away and pulled the trigger. The consequences, I scared the hell out of the cat (whom didn't seem to trust me for a long time after that), I put a big hole in the dresser and I sliced up my forehead pretty good when the barrel of the pistol came back in recoil and hit my head. Fortunately I wasn't seriously hurt, and neither was anyone else, save the family cat who suffered some mental problems after the incident. Young children are not to be trusted around guns, neither are many adults. Keep them locked up when your not around to give them supervision. We have enough problems in this country keeping guns as it is, without giving gun control advocates any more ammunition, let alone the sheer pain it would cause if somebody died due to your careless actions. My father was very careful after this incident and never denied me the chance to look at his guns when he was around, but he kept them locked away when he wasn't. When I was a little older he also taught me to shoot them and handle them safely. You don't have deny your children the fun of shooting, but you should ensure that they stay alive long enough to know it for the great sport that it is.
 
In my state it is illegal to leave a loaded handgun unsecured where a minor can get it. So I use a safe with an electronic keypad. Very fast and very secure.

What gets me is the number of folks who would NEVER have a gun in the house because their children might hurt themselves. But these same folks think nothing of letting the nine-year-old wander around by himself/herself at the shopping mall or deparment store. I'm continually amazed at how many children I see in public with no adult in sight. Don't these folks get the little missing children postcards in the mailbox? Do they look at them? Do they ever wonder HOW those children were abducted and what those poor parents might have done differently to prevent it? When I am in public my child is NEVER out of my sight. I'm all for securing loaded guns but these anti-folks seem to focus on one threat while completely ignoring another.
 
We all know kids do stuff they're not supposed to. When I was 12 or 13, I was playing at a friend's house (we were shooting his BB gun at stuff in the back yard. Yes, I'm still a tomboy at heart!). His mom went to go run some errands and he says "You want to see some real guns?". Not having any in my house, of course I said Yes. We went into his parents room, and he says "Wait there" and retrieves one .357 wheelgun and one twelve gauge pump. He carefully unloaded them both, visually and manually checked both to make sure they were empty. After examining them, and making all the requisite exclamations of "Cool!", he politely but firmly asked me to step back again, before reloading them and replacing them where he found them. That was the first time I ever held a real gun, so I remember the proceedings distinctly.

If your kids are above a certain age and your guns aren't ALL locked in a safe, your kids know where they are. They probably will handle them at least once. Make sure they know how to handle them RIGHT.

------------------
"..but never ever Fear. Fear is for the enemy. Fear and Bullets."
10mm: It's not the size of the Dawg in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog!

[This message has been edited by Tamara (edited May 08, 2000).]
 
Hi Mo,

Well gosh, when I was a little girl we had guns all over the house, a family of seven kids, and the shells were on top of the refrigerator. I got my first gun at 10, a Sears 20 ga. pump given me 3rd hand by my uncle Frank, and I was very proud of it. My mom even had a gun, and on occassion she could even hit things with it :)

It lived in the corner near the front door, and none of the other kids ever bothered it. We never had any kind of problem with guns, as we all knew what a gun could do and we knew that we were *responsible* for what they did.

I should add that we were living in a pretty remote area where everyone had guns and it was just normal. Having said that, I will say that these days and in urban areas kids are not at all educated about guns as we were, and they seem to regard them as fashion accesories, status symbols, and a quick solution to an argument.

If you are going to have guns in the house the kids need to be taught well about them, taught to respect them, taught what they can do, and taught that they are RESPONSIBLE for everything their gun does. Also, I was taught that if you can't take care of a gun, you are NOT going to have a gun.

Daddy had rules :)

Amy

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by The Mohican Sneak:
I was on another forum where the subject of women and guns was brought up. You know, the usual "what caliber gun would be best for my wife" type question. This lead to an array of answers, which lead to recoil problems, flinching, etc...

One guy made the statement "if my little girl can shoot my 9mm, a grown woman should have no problem with a .45acp". I agree with that, as I've seen numerous women actually ROCK with a .45acp - almost to the point of where I was envious. :D He went on to state "all of my guns are loaded and easily accessable - even by my kids"...

I personally know this guy and his youngest is 5 years old. He justified his statement with a "if you teach them about guns, the dangers of guns, and take them shooting, the "mystery" of the gun isn't eating at the kid no more - making it a safe to have one laying around... once they see what a gun can do to a melon, they know to not mess with it".

I disagree. We all know the maturity levels of children now-a-days differ. Scuffles amongst neighborhood kids are more prevelant, arguments over "girl/boyfriends", sleepovers, etc...

Say HIS kid has a sleepover. What's stopping his kids buddy from wanting to play with the gun? Do you agree with his reasoning? And finally, at what age do you think a kid should have access to a gun? Any gun?

[/quote]
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by The Mohican Sneak:
One guy made the statement "if my little girl can shoot my 9mm, a grown woman should have no problem with a .45acp". I agree with that, as I've seen numerous women actually ROCK with a .45acp - almost to the point of where I was envious. :D [/B][/quote]

Calibre is not necessarily a limiting factor for women. My weapons of choice are a Colt Anaconda .44 magnum w/6in. barrel, and a Bulgarian SLR-95. I treasure them both and intend never to part with them. I shoot as well as most of the cops at the range too, better than some.

Amy
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top