Appropriate age to own a firearm!?

Question

A question for you hunters and the parents of little hunters . . .

What do you think is the appropriate age for a "child" to own a firearm? When I say a child, I mean someone who is younger than 18. BB gun, Pellet gun, Shotgun, Rifle, and those Airgun gun toys. And I'm talking about for a parent to purchase it and give it to a child not for a child to go out and purchase it on their own. Do you think there should be different ages for a girl or a boy? I know that there are different brands that have different strengths...Benjamin pellet guns, Daisy, etc. Christmas is around the corner and I just want to know what you think? This is my opinion below. (I have 18 for the airgun since that's what is says on the box.)

BB Pellet Shot Rifle Airgun Other
Girl 7 10 14 16 18
Boy 7 10 14 16 18

Answer 1

Really it depends on the youth that will be shooting as age should not be a major factor here.

For instance when I was 5 my parents bought me a daisy airgun and my dad mounted a real scope on it for me. When we would go hunting I'd have my air rifle (the one that just makes a bang and doesn't shoot anything). I was taught at a young age to handle firearms with care and when I was legally allowed to in my province (ripe age of 12) I took the hunter safety course and then I was allowed to shoot the .22 and other calibres. .

The key thing is that the child needs to be ready to take on the responsiblities of shooting with care. There is no specific age that is perfect as some 7 year olds are ready and others are not responsible enough til there 18. But your idea to go with a bb gun is perfect at a young age because there is little or no recoil and is great for learning the fundmentals of shooting.

I hope this helps

Answer 2

In all reality I believe that if the parent decides that they will allow their child to fire a gun they should be raised with one so this way you can teach them right from wrong from the get go and the will be far more proficient with weapons in the long run, it only says 18 on the box because of legal technicalities to protect themselves in case a child does something the parent should have prevented with training and a watchful eye, so they cannot be blamed. As far as gender differences I do not believe their is any why would it be any different for a boy than a girl, the strength of the weapon maybe but that depends on what they can control obviously I would not recommend giving a 6 year old a 30 yat 6 to fire while some could handle it it would be dangerous for most because of the kick.

Answer 3

Good question....but it's one you'll have to answer.
As a parent it's all up to you. Each child is different in more ways than one. Maturity, attention span, and a willingness to follow orders with no back talk are key requirements. Your child must understand the seriousness of the situation. You as a parent should decide based on your own knowledge of the type of weapon you decide to buy. If you plan to give the child a "harmless" BB gun and let him shoot by him or herself....you shouldn't buy one. BB guns have killed in the past, so don't intrust your child with one from the start.
In my own opinion, there should be no set age....set by the government, some guy/gal on the internet, or anyone else for that matter. We as parents will know when our children are ready, if your not sure about it....either you are your children are not ready.

Answer 4

I'm 62 years old,,,,,,things were different when I was young. I've been shooting since I was old enough to pull the trigger on my dad's weapons while he aimed them. My parents would NEVER let me have a BB gun of any kind, holding that they are dangerous toys--rather they taught me about real weapons, and respect for them. By the time I was 10 I was roaming around with a single shot .22, and by the time I was 12 I was allowed to use my dad's semiauto .22 whenever I wanted. I also used a .410 and 12 gauge by that age. Also my friends and I used to bring .22's to school and stash them just off school grounds, then we'd sneak off at recess and target practice in adjacent woods. The teachers all knew this, and it wasn't a big deal...........as I said, things are different now. The point of all this is that there may be no minimum age, it's a matter of education and respect for weapons and their capabilities.

Answer 5

Everyone is different. I bought my first rifle when I was 12 and my first handgun when I was 14. I was shooting unsupervised at 13 years of age. That was back in the days before the great liberal gun grab of 1968. And to be fair, at a much lower population density.

Isn't it interesting how we pass laws to prevent something illegal from happening again. Then do everything humanly possible to get the guilty party release on some cruel and unusual loophole.

Gotta love this country.

BTW, I never had a BB gun when I was a kid. My Dad considered them dangerous. And, with most of my life behind me, I can't say I disagree.

Answer 6

Alot of this depends on where you live and the attitude/behavior of the child. I gave my son his 1st BB gun at age 7. When camping several times a year, it kept him very busy and having fun. Then at age 13 he was given a .22 Cal. single shot rifle. He is now 17 Yrs. old, shoots a .270 Cal. winchester, and whenever we go hunting he's the first one ready and likely the best hunter of our group. I've had a great success with this combo of age and rifles, but parents/teachers are the most influentual factors in these and most of lifes situations.

Answer 7

I was six when I got my first gun. I started shooting competetively when I was maybe 12-13. I don't know if that helps, I guess it depends on the kid and the circumstances. I grew up in a "gun family" I guess you would say, I was always around them and I shot A LOT as a little kid. I lived on a farm so there was plenty of room for shooting and I rode around with my grandparents a lot, so there wasn't a blackbird or striped gopher or pop can in the county that didn't fear me. As long as you've got a place to shoot and got some time to spend with them, I say the younger you start the safer you probably get, cause then you're just used to it, don't even have to think about it, it's just instinctive.

Answer 8

My daughter is 7 and we bought her a kids .22 rifle for Christmas, called a chipmunk by Rogue, it is small and very safe with 2 different safety mechanisms.
My daughter has been shooting for a couple years already, but my .22's are big for her.
We are an avid outdoor family, we do lots of hunting and fishing.
I also taught hunters safety for 4 years, and we live in Montana.
But all these things make a difference, I do not think most 7 year olds are ready to have any type of gun.

Answer 9

It totally depends on wether the child is old enough or responsible enough to have one. If he/she is taught the dangers of these guns then could use them at an age of 8 years alone. But if the child is known to experiment or 'naughty' I wouldn't let them use it alone, beacuse some children will think its 'funny' to shoot someone or point it in the facial area. Many accidents have happened where the child was playing by pointing it at someones eyes and somehow letting the trigger off. Children should ve taught the right and wrong way of guns

Answer 10

When I was a little kid about 5 I found my dads colt python in the bedroom and took it to him with barrel pointed at him and trying my best to pull the trigger. He took the gun from me and unloaded it, handed it back to me and said go ahead son, pull the trigger. Needless to say I was not strong enough. Not long after that he bought me a pellet gun and begin my long life of shooting. I was allowed to handle all the weapons in the house and was tought when and where to shoot them.

I credit the fact that time was spent showing the guns to me instead of hidding them. I thgink this is the key to keep the kids shooting kids thing down. I was never in a wondering mode around them. I never would sneak and see if I could play with them. The guins was a part of my everyday life and I learned that the power they had was not to be played with. I think the earlyer you do this the less chance of issues coming later. I have a son now, he is 7 years old. He shoots trap with me with a 20ga shotgun I bought for him. He doesnt play with it. He can shoot it when he wants with just letting me know, and off to the range we go !

I would say around 6 or so buy them a pellet rifle just to teach the basics. Year or so later they should be ready for anything normal. Rifles, Shotguns, I would say wait until 10 or so to start the handguns, but all in all the sooner you get them started with guidance, the better off we will all be.

I believe that not keeping the guns from the kids will stop 99% of the underage shootings with dads handgun while playing. Im also thinking that it will stop most of the rage shootings with underage kids because they have alittle more understanding behind what the gun does and why they shouldnt go that dirrection at all ! Im sure there are people who say Im crazy, but if it works the so be it. I hope this helps, and I wish you a merry Christmas.