Is it appropriate for a 12 year old boy to have a 22 rifle?

Question

He has gone to firearm safety courses and has a valid hunting license.

Answer 1

Well Slider28 has really touched some very important points, as alot of others have.
I would like to add just a few more points to think of.
Youth shooting sport are a good place for him...It will teach more than just shooting a gun. Like RESPONSIBILITY!!!
Furthermore, remember it is also your responsibility to provide guidance for him such as when, where and who with, he may use the rifle.
I'm glad to hear he has already gone through a Firearms Safty Course. That is ONLY step one. Only you as the parent know if he is really ready for it.
ALL of my childern know that unless they ask and I know the who, what, where and when they are NOT allowed to even show their weapons to friends with out my supervision and we don't really make it a habit to SHOW THEM OFF persay. Proper instruction and your son will be fine. GUN SAFTY FIRST AND AWAYS no matter what the calibur is. Always check and show clear!

If you take the time to take a kid hunting, you wont be having to spend time hunting your kid.

Check out the YOUNG GUNS page on the Website. (Zac Maines (14) SHOOTS COMPETITIVELY ON A STATE SPONSORED YOUTH TEAM IN FL.)
Alot of good info there for you and him. The how to and what fors.
Good Luck
Tim
Darkwoods Outdoors & Real Huntin'

Answer 2

People seem to have beat the "kids shouldn't have guns" and "only with parental supervision" points to death, so I will approach this question from a slightly different angle.

When you say a 22 rifle, I am assuming you are talking about a 22 LR rimfire rifle. A 22 rimfire is an excellent weapon to learn with. The low recoil of the rifle allows a person to focus on shooting technique. It is very, very helpful to have a knowledgeable person to show the boy proper shooting technique. Ammo for a 22 rimfire rifle is very cheap and shooting it is very easy on the pocket book.

As others have said, based on the young age, I would highly recommend not giving the boy free access to the rifle. A 22 rimfire is a weak round, but it can still kill pretty easily. I would only let the boy use it at a shooting range or another safe place to target shoot. It wouldn't be a bad idea to only buy enough ammo for that day. Keep the weapon locked up when not in use with a trigger lock. Keep no ammo in the house or make sure it is hidden very well (kids can find anything though, they have the time and patience to look for things when they want to). Better yet, buy a gun safe and lock both the rifle and ammo away.

The most dangerous time is when the boy graduates to a centerfire rifle. When I began shooting high powered rifles, with my immature mind, a 22 became somewhat of a "toy" to me. I didn't seem to take a 22 rifle as seriously as a 308 Win or a 25-06. I never did anything bad, but I let my gun safety skills become lazy with the 22. This is why it is always important to watch children with their guns.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

All guns should be stored in the manner defined by local law. I got my first rifle, a 22, on my 12th birthday. At that time there were guns laying all over the house and the doors were rarely locked. Things have changed since then and that 22 is in the vault. Is best to err on the side of caution when allowing the boy access to the gun. He should get to know the workings of the firearm from someone familiar with that particular model. Loading, firing, clearing jams, cleaning, and proper storage should be learned on that gun. By the time the boy has mastered these procedures under supervision, you should be able to tell what level of maturity and responsibility he will practice. I wish the boy a lifetime of pleasant experience with it.

Answer 4

Yes, but there must be rules and appropriate punishments for violations.

Adult supervision is necessary at all times when the child is allowed to handle the rifle.

Limited access to it and the ammo is a must.

Always remind him that it is not a toy. If you read the box carefully, it does say something like range 1 mile. It is still dangerous very dangerous beyond that.

If he has to show it to his friends, invite them(his friends) to the range. Of course make sure you got their parents consent.

I started handling guns at the age of 6. by 11 I had already shot an adult. Trust me I had a good reason. But still the trauma of the experience right before the shot and after was not good. He lived, but what scared me the most was that I wasn't at all scared. I grew up a lot faster than most boys my age.

Because of my action I probably saved a woman's life, but I was robbed of my naive carefree existance like any little boy should be experiencing at that age.

Parents hunting is a good sport.
.22 LR or magnum is a great rifle to start your kids on. Just guide them well.

Ciao

Answer 5

I recently gave my 10 year old son a .22. When I grew up, my father's, and grandfather's guns were always accessible to anyone in the house. (although ammunition was always locked away when we were younger). Rifles weren't treated as "forbidden", and given this sense of mistique they have today. If we wanted to see one, look at it, hold it etc, we were allowed to. We were taught how to safely handle each type of firearm. Thus, curiosity satified, I can honestly say I NEVER messed around with a firearm when I shouldn't have. One, I was terrified of consequences, and two, it wasn't that exciting. I am trying to raise my son in the same manner, although the climate of culture today is a far cry from 30 years ago when I was his age. If I open my gun safe, there isn't a firearm inside that my 10 year old can't load/unload, and check to see if it's cleared. All that being said, I purchased a .22 for his 10th birthday, bought him a gun rack and they hang in his room. The gun has a lock on it, and the key, and all .22 ammo is locked in my safe, and he has NO access to the key. I might get hammered alot for this answer, but I think the reason we have so many accidental shootings today, is because we hide them from our children. They want to "play" with them twice as badly when we don't allow them access. Teach them, spend time with them, guide with a frim hand, and I believe they will become tomorrows responsible gun owners.

Answer 6

You sure opened up a veritable Pandora's Box of wacko liberal phobias with this question! I love it!

In answer to your question, use your best judgement. As long as the kid's trained safely on the firearm, and supervised during its use, I don't see a problem.

Considering that he's already had the safety courses and has his hunting license, I'd say he's well on his way to being a responsibvle gun owner.

Answer 7

Yes, but it must be locked up and he may not have access without a parent willing to take the time to allow him to shoot it at paper targets or cans, but not live animals. Shooting 22. is a great memory I had when I was 11 and my parents didn't even bother to watch me. I'd set up cans and plink them down. As an adult, I think shooting is fine for kids, as long as a parent is there at all times and the child learns to respect the guns, respect safety and not to use animals are targets. Turn off the TV and spend some time with your kid. It can be a neat bonding experience that is very, very safe. Start with a 22., then get the child an AK-47, AR-15 or at least a 50. cal BMG Rifle. (just kidding) A 22. is fine for his age group.

Answer 8

It is completely appropriate for kids as prepaed as this to have guns. But I completely agree with the person who commented that the guns should not be accessible by the kids without an adult present.

The hunter's safety course required for a hunting license doesn't train you to have the wisdom of an adult while you are handling a gun. The course just teaches you some basic rules of thumb that any kid should already know before he ever goes on any hunting trip.

BUT, the fact that the kid has a hunting license would indicate to me that you intend to have him hunt! If he is going to hunt, he might as well feel some ownership of his firearm, learn to clean it and take care of it, and have something that is his... even if it is kept locked in a cabinet by his parents.

Also, this obviously depends on the kid. If you have observed that his is capable of listening and obeying his parents' commands, there is nothing wrong with it.

Answer 9

It depends on the maturity of the 12 year old, but probably not. I had 22 rifle's and shotguns when I was about 12 years old and for years my pal's and I wandered and hunted the fields, vineyards and orchards all around the area I lived. To my knowledge I never came close to having a hunting accident. None of my friends had accidents though a few had close calls. My crime was not caring if the game I was shooting was legal. Years later I learned from a high school classmate that people he hunted with shot at hobo's on moving trains. Depends on character and maturity. I saw more gun careless people in the military

Answer 10

YES

Let me tell you a quick story.
I gave my son a 22 at age 10 after teaching him gun safety and how to hunt.
At 18 he went to US Army. By 19 he was a Instructor for the 5th Ranger Battalion Mountain Combat / Mountain Survival.
When we went to War I slept well knowing his training started at age 10 not at 18 like most young men.
Last May I watched that same young man Graduate with his Degree from OSU.

The question you need to ask your self, is this young man responsible, and intelligent.
Most accidental shooting are kids, and from kids not taught right, and did not have a shooters safety course. Even I know of idiots that have shot them selves and some were grown men.

The world we live in is it going to get better or worse?
Could what he learns now save his life later?
Though I pray for peace I wont my son safe not just today but tomorrow with what ever this world is like.