Parents, what do you think of this answer?
Posted: February 6th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: Questions | Tags: air gun, air rifle, baby steps, bb gun, cans, dad, fence, guns, habit, knives, little bit, little kid, mechanisms, nerf gun, Pocket knife, question index, redneck, scissors, timeline, yl | 7 Comments »I was looking at some old questions on here and came across one about teaching kids how to handle guns and knives safely. This was the best answer. It sounds hardcore redneck and kind of scary to me but it got a ton of thumbs up and no thumbs down so….do you agree or disagree with the woman?
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"I think honestly, the younger you start them, the better. Does that mean I think you should just hand a rifle to a toddler and say "There ya go, buddy, have at em"? No, you do it in baby steps, like you do everything else. When I was a toddler I had a little nerf gun – you could knock cans off the fence with it and you got a basic feel for mechanisms – barrel, trigger, etc. – but it wouldn’t hurt anyone, even if you shot them point blank with it. After I had had it for a little bit, my dad brought out an air rifle and would stand beside me and shoot the cans with me. To show me that even an air gun can be dangerous, he showed me the difference between the cans I shot with the nerf (knocked down, but unharmed) and the cans he shot with the air gun (had a hole in them). For a while, he would give me an unloaded BB gun and let me practice holding it steady, show me where the safety is and how to load it and everything. When I was 4, and had gotten completely in the habit of "never pointing at anything I wasn’t going to shoot" he let me start shooting BB’s. When I was 7, I got a .22. But he never had a set timeline on it – he went by when he thought I was ready to move up to the next step. I’ve been shooting for years and have never injured myself or anyone else.
As far as knives go, I would probably go by how safely they carried those little kid scissors. If they’re always aware it can be a weapon, and they always carried and used it safely, then I would give them a pocket knife and let them use it around me. And yes, I would teach them about safety either way."
Here you go
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AliiuWYsCa6KxwK5W9dPlebty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20091121124100AAb4LhT
I agree with her, and we fall nowhere near the category of rednecks. The manner in which she describes being introduced and taught is very sound and within reason. The child that understands the power of a gun with a respect for that power to be instilled in them isn’t the one that’s going to shoot his friend while showing off.
Side note- I thumbed you down before I had finished reading the first line of your answer.
That sounds very reasonable to me. This user is saying to wait until the child shows he or she is ready.
But then again, I’m pretty hardcore redneck.
I wouldn’t exactly say the younger the better, but my daughter got a .22 jr. rifle at age 7 and goes shooting at the range with us.
We’re not rednecks and don’t hunt, but are Libertarian hicks.
Actually found the question. I think she is right. It’s better to teach children about gun safety so they know it’s dangerous and not a play toy. How many kids shoot themselves with their parents gun because they were playing with it? Parents should also never have a loaded gun around the house with young children who don’t know any better.
@OP: Thanks for the link! But I actually went and searched for it and found it myself so I wouldn’t be a bother. Sorry!
I agree with the answer. I guess it just depends on how you want to raise your kids.
That woman is an idiot. I wouldn’t let my son anywhere near guns until he’s old enough that i can’t legally stop him.
I guaruntee the only reason i got thumbs down is because of my age.
Maybe I am not one to ask. My daughter was gifted a rifle by her great, great grandfather before he died. She was 2 years old at the time. She is 4, and is yet to shoot it, though.