Should a 5 year old be introduced to and become familiar with firearms?

Question

I personally think there is no need for a child that young to become familar with weapons, much less introduced to them. Not that I haven't shot a firearm, but I'm not a child. Is this a normal belief?

Of course, children should be taught the danger of them and to never, ever touch them. And when they see one laying around, to immediately tell an adult.

When I say "become familiar" I mean that the child learns how to load, aim, and fire the weapon. I wouldn't even think it's possible for a child of that age to handle the recoil of a gun, but apparently they can.

Answer 1

Since you have answered your own question, what was the original purpose for this question. I can't say as I know of anyone who takes their 5 year olds out shooting on the weekends

Answer 2

I don't believe any child is too young to learn to keep away from firearms and tell a parent or police officer if they find one laying around.
When you say "introduced to and become familiar with" - - what exactly do you mean?
A child would be a good candidate to learn to treat firearms respectfully and as potentially dangerous things that are not toys.
I would think 5 might be a little young to join in the family's hunting trip, but perhaps a modest gun and targets is not unreasonable so long as it is handled properly and with supervision and at all times the child is taught that firearms are not toys.
If you are interested, I would look into wether the NRA offers and gun safety classes for kids.

Answer 3

Depends on the how, really.
A five year old who is introduced to firearms in a safe manner is different than handing a five year old a loaded weapon with the safety switched off and telling them, "Here ya are, partner. Have fun!"
These distinctions have to be made.
I was introduced to firearms at a very young age, and I was taught how to respect their power and potential for damage.
Oddly enough... I have yet to shoot anyone else or myself, after 30+ years being around and owning firearms.
Blind fear is no more the answer than blindly allowing children unsupervised access.

Answer 4

I think that that is a decision best left up to the parents. I don't have any kids but I think I would follow the example of my brother-in-law, who's a cop. He reads a lot of law enforcement journals, and reports (he is a cop in a police force of 9 people in a quiet town, so he doesn't see much himself), and he said that most of the incidents where kids accidentally shoot themselves or other kids, that was the first time they had held a firearm, or in many cases seen one outside of the movies. They don't really understand safe handling of the weapons, or how to tell if it is loaded, or what a bullet can really do. Kids who have been acclimatized to weapons are much less likely to have problems with them.

His daughter is 9 now, and he has been taking her out to shoot since she was probably 5 or 6. He takes her out to the field behind his house, and has gone through safty steps with her, shown her how to check if a gun is loaded or not, and has had her blow apart a few melons to see the power of the weapon. She knows what they can do and how to handle them safely. She also knows she isn't allowed to touch a gun without him there, and if she sees one or one of her friends has one, she is to immediately get an adult. I think that is a good way to do it, but it is up to you.

EDIT; My father was a career Infantry officer, and took me out shooting with a bb gun and a .22 at age 6.

Answer 5

Five year old children have no business being near or around or exposed to firearms.

A child of that age has NO reasoning skills to understand the dangers of firearms, in law enforcement we call it "qualifying". In other words, they are not able to understand "danger" or even "death" or "damage" as a 10 year old Might.

With that in mind, a child that age will "never get it" and the overall Significance of what is being taught will be as if you spoke Greek to an Irish Kid.

My recommendation isn that they never be exposed to the weapon and never leave them around, EVER.

At age 14 or thereabouts, expose them to the firearm and have them take a safety course and You then enforce and re-enforce the safety message.

This is that simple and there is NO grey area in between, never think for a moment they know the depth of "danger" when they have no expereinces in life to draw from. They may hear your words, nod "yes" and say "I will never touch it" and then you loook away and they will be grabbing it.

There was an experiment done on this, I think by Johnson-Johnson. They "taught" ten five-six yr olds not to touch a handgun and left the room for a minute; the tape showed near all went to the weapon , felt it, picked it up and some even pointed it, pulled the trigger to an empty chamber and laughed about it.

So, think about this.

Answer 6

My son was never allowed to play with toy guns, but was shown real guns and had things explained to him. Learning about something is never a bad thing, especially if it is something the child would likely come into contact with. But a 5 year old is a little small to control even a 22, letting them fire a gun would be stupid!

My children are also taught about snakes, but that doesn't mean I hand them a copperhead and let them play with it.

Answer 7

I disagree with you. If there are guns in the house, EVEN IF THEY ARE LOCKED UP, the child should indeed be familiar with the guns. The child needs to know that they are extremely dangerous. There are basic safety things the child needs to know, such as: never point a gun at a person; treat every gun as if it is loaded; leave the guns to the adults. I grew up with guns in the house. My family hunted so that we could have meat during the winter. I knew what a gun was, what it could do, and that I should respect the gun, never playing with it. I knew that before I started Kindergarten.

Answer 8

No child should be introduced to firearms at that young age. Why? Because they watch cartoons in which the bad guys always come back to life in the next episode. Small children do not know about death. If a child that age found a gun, it is likely they would use it. Especially if they are introduced to them by someone who loves their guns. It sends a bad message. Children should be taught that guns are dangerous, but I don't believe they need to see and hold one to understand this.

Answer 9

Children should be introduced to guns when they are 10. BB guns first for a couple of years then shotguns and rifles. Chances are adults who were around firearms as a kid and learned to respect and use them wont abuse them when they are adults.

Answer 10

I disagree with you. I believe introducing threatening or potentially hazardous things to children is beneficial. Introducing them to things in a controlled safe environment is better then having them learn alone later. Look at all the children who grow up as great outdoors man and hunters and do it legally with licenses. They are NOT typically the ones that grow up to shoot other people. Just my point of view.

Answer 11

If a child is going to be around firearms, then I see no reason not to explain firearm safety at that age. Unloaded of course.
They can and will inderstand and remember.