My5 year old's first gun

[Marlin]

Just bought my oldest boy a Mossberg Plinkster 702 for christmas. Got a great deal, 119 bucks on sale, and every 100 dollar purchase gets you a 25 dollar gift card. Just ordered 3 extra magazines and a small scope. Hopefully we can do some shooting next week,weather permitting. The gun is pretty neat, about 4lbs, all composite stock, very simple.

I wanted to get the Henry survival rifle,the barrel and bolt assembly, magazine all fit into the stock, waterproof, 2lbs, only 16inches long. But the wife said no
.

[vt_maverick]

Might better advise the parents of any kids wanting to stay over in advance...

[Marlin]

Might better advise the parents of any kids wanting to stay over in advance...

Advise them of what?

[PK]

Crazy Americans and their gun obsessions.

PK

[phines]

[Marlin]

What obsession? Having a gun does not make one obsessed.


Having a VX on the other hand...

[Triathlete]

Crazy Americans and their gun obsessions.

PK

Crazy aussies and their bat obsessions...



...oh wait, wrong ozzy!

[Marlin]

Might better advise the parents of any kids wanting to stay over in advance...

Did you mean advise them that there is a locked up small caliber rifle in the house? Should I advise them there are about 30 knives in the kitchen that are not locked up? They should probably know about all the outlets, power tools, golf clubs, hatchet, chain saw,garden poison, and my two dogs.Might as well throw in the 4000lb 80mph cannon out front as well.

[RickOKC]

Cool! I was a bit older and I'm happy I had the opportunity for my father & I to share an interest. Great memories.

Dad's (and a brother-in-law's) constant training left me with the ultimate in respect and caution for their capabilities. In our house the guns were never locked up and I knew where they were. Not in a billion years would I have ever considered even looking at them without permission.

I see some messages indicating that people don't understand that, but when educated properly you wind up thinking of a gun in the way same as any other tool. The end result is that you don't have a kid running around treating a gun (or a socket set) like a toy.

[Marlin]

Cool! I was a bit older and I'm happy I had the opportunity for my father & I to share an interest. Great memories.

Dad's (and a brother-in-law's) constant training left me with the ultimate in respect and caution for their capabilities. In our house the guns were never locked up and I knew where they were. Not in a billion years would I have ever considered even looking at them without permission.

I see some messages indicating that people don't understand that, but when educated properly you wind up thinking of a gun in the way same as any other tool. The end result is that you don't have a kid running around treating a gun (or a socket set) like a toy.

That is how I was as a kid. We live in town now, so we keep it locked up because of other children(that may not be taught about weapons). I have a CO2 pellet pistol that I started him with last year. He doesn't even care about it. We have three rules that both boys have memorized:
1.Never point at people
2.Never point at the dogs(they were obsessed with shooting the dogs early on)
3.If you find a gun out of the case, don't touch it and tell mom or dad

[Stephen Biko]

Firearms are fine, just make sure keep the kids away from the water nozzles.

[JHarris1385]

I was in shooting sports at his age. I wish I had the opportunity to have a shooting team at my school at a varsity level like my dad did. Terrible that some people can ruin things like that.

[Bob Barker]

I think I remember my first time shooting a gun. I can't remeber exact age, I just know me and dad were dove hunting and he let me shoot his 12 gauge into a hay bail to see how it felt. That damn gun left a bruise on my arm from the shoulder to the elbow!!! After that I got his hand me down 270 rifle for deer hunting. It is still a nice gun.

And now I have a couple of my own. But I will never forget shooting that damn shot gun, and trying not to cry in front of him! IT HURT!!!

[vt_maverick]

Advise them of what?

Did you mean advise them that there is a locked up small caliber rifle in the house? Should I advise them there are about 30 knives in the kitchen that are not locked up? They should probably know about all the outlets, power tools, golf clubs, hatchet, chain saw,garden poison, and my two dogs.Might as well throw in the 4000lb 80mph cannon out front as well.

Whoa there preacher, not criticizing the way you're raising your kids. Just reminding you of the sue-happy world in which you live.

[circmand]

It used to be almost every home had a gun and you hunted your food. Households without guns were a minority and no one thought it weird if the well trained kid went hunting. Now with helicopter parents putting pads on kids to go down a sliding board, and taking their kids side when they do something wrong as opposed to disciplining them as well as the rest of the PC stuff we are obsessed if any one wants to be self reliant and take responsibility for their actions.