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Teach your children how to shoot...

beautifullywild77

beautifullywild77

Go Penguins!!!


This is awesome. I bet she has proud parents. Both my children know their gun safety as well as how to use a firearm. This girl is amazing.
 
I use a Remington 870 tactical shotgun, a Rock River AR15, and a S&W M&P40 handgun. It really depends on the club you shoot with. It should be high capacity to avoid reloads as much as possible. Most shoot ARs but some use AKs and other carbines.
 
:)
HIT_KIDS.jpg
 
I have not made up my mind yet, so please don't jump down my throat, but are any of you worried that a person is training their child, who does not have a fully developed brain (1), how to use tools that were designed to take another animal's life?

I don't have children, nor do I plan on ever having any, so i cannot comment about the right or wrong in this situation, but something seems rather unsettling to me seeing a teenager running around skillfully using an assault weapon. I can't say why either because I'm not sure why it unsettles me.

(1) http://www.hhs.gov/opa/familylife/tech_assistance/etraining/adolescent_brain/Overview/index.html
 
I started shooting at 5. I was taught safety and respect. I have no desire to shoot another person. My two kids started when they became interested. I taught them the same way I was taught.

Also the girl in the video is NOT using an assault weapon. That is simply liberal garbage hype intended to scare the uninformed. ie make it sound dangerous and scary so it's easier to take away.
 
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I can see where you are coming from, however I think that, again, a lot of it has to do with the parents. If the parents can teach her proper responsibility with it, as they seem to have, then I see no issue. The ability to use a weapon can greatly increase her chances of survival in the case of a home break in when she is home alone.
 
My two kids started when they became interested.
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How old were they when this occured? I tried asking my in-laws how old kids are when they begin to develop their own interests, separate from their parents, but they were not sure.


I called it an assault weapon because I thought the AR stood for assault rifle.

Wikipedia has corrected me. My apologies.

What exactly does a person use an AR for? Do people hunt with them?

I'd rather ask dumb questions than assume I know the answer and be wrong (e.g. the AR/assault rifle mistake)
 
If the parents can teach her proper responsibility with it, as they seem to have, then I see no issue.
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I don't disagree with this, but I'm not sure if I agree with it either. I'm riding the fence right now.

I think if children are going to be around guns, they should be trained properly. The question I have is at what age? We limit the rights of children now as it is. Children, with out without parent supervision, are not allowed to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or drive a car until they're a certain age. So are guns any different, and if so why? What makes them unique? Are they less dangerous than say smoking or drinking a 6-pack of beer?

During a home break-in, perhaps a child knowing how to drive away to safety may be as useful as knowing how to shoot a gun. Should we be teaching children driving at at early age, just in case?

As you can see I have more questions than answers.... I think it is nice that I feel comfortable asking this community these questions. This does not seem like a work friendly topic.
 
I think that the parents have to be with them, but I am not 100% sure. I may be wrong on that. Yes, while driving away may be an option in some situations, it may not always be. Sometimes burgalers (sp?) panic when they find a person in a home and they attack them. It happened a few months ago, the family his in the attack and the man came after them. In that case, the mother had a gun and was able to injure the assailant. If the kids had been home alone in that situation it may have been a good thing for them to know how to use a gun. While I don't see the need for small children to use a gun, I think that with supervision by a responsible parent that target shooting and gun safety should be fine.
 
captainjack0000 said:
What exactly does a person use an AR for? Do people hunt with them?
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I don't know if people hunt with them or not; I guess you _could_.

ARs, and AKs, are just plain fun to target shoot with! Plus, if you have actual money (unlike me) it's apparently fun to build and customize one (or more) yourself.
 
captainjack0000 said:
I have not made up my mind yet, so please don't jump down my throat, but are any of you worried that a person is training their child, who does not have a fully developed brain (1), how to use tools that were designed to take another animal's life?
Click to expand...

I had toy guns when I was a kid, from as early as I can remember. Super-realistic revolver cap guns. They were just one of the fun things I played with along with electric trains, wood blocks, plastic horses and trolls.

My parents didn't hunt or shoot, but various relatives did. My sister's kids were raised in a hunting family, and all have grown up to get married and have kids of their own and none have become serial killers.

I didn't own a gun till I was 50, I guess. I bought a shotgun for home defense, and took gun safety and shooting training. It wasn't until some close friends decided to get concealed carry permits, and asked me for a firearms instructor reference, that I became interested and joined them. I was trained in personal defense, and bought my second gun, and went shooting at least weekly to maintain proficiency.

My friend, however, got REALLY into guns, and accumulated a large collection, and wanted to go shoot competitively at some of the events at our gun club. So I went with, and we shot in the Urban Cowboy match, and I found out that I LOVED competitive shooting and went out and bought a target pistol the next day. I shoot in two different target pistol tournaments now.

Because my friend has this super-nice gun collection, I get to shoot all kinds of different guns, and together with his wife, we shoot lots of different types, including the target shooting with handguns and rifles, and we also shoot clays at the shotgun range out at our club.

As an offshoot, a couple years ago I took an NRA Range Safety Officer course, and am now certified as an RSO.

So, shooting for fun doesn't even have to have ANYTHING to do with killing or hunting. It's a fun family activity and there are plenty of families with teenagers who shoot at my club, in the tournaments I shoot in. The club also offers various safety and shooting classes for community youths.
 
captainjack0000 said:
How old were they when this occured? I tried asking my in-laws how old kids are when they begin to develop their own interests, separate from their parents, but they were not sure.


I called it an assault weapon because I thought the AR stood for assault rifle.

Wikipedia has corrected me. My apologies.

What exactly does a person use an AR for? Do people hunt with them?

I'd rather ask dumb questions than assume I know the answer and be wrong (e.g. the AR/assault rifle mistake)
Click to expand...
My daughter didn't ask to shoot until she was 16 or so. My son started about 8 or 9.

I use my AR primarily for shooting targets and competition as depicted in the video. Yes people do hunt with them. They make very good small game rifles. Contrary to what the media says the .223/5.56 is not what I would consider a high power round. It is suitable for game under deer size. Wild pigs are a good example.

captainjack0000 said:
I don't disagree with this, but I'm not sure if I agree with it either. I'm riding the fence right now.

I think if children are going to be around guns, they should be trained properly. The question I have is at what age? We limit the rights of children now as it is. Children, with out without parent supervision, are not allowed to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or drive a car until they're a certain age. So are guns any different, and if so why? What makes them unique? Are they less dangerous than say smoking or drinking a 6-pack of beer?

During a home break-in, perhaps a child knowing how to drive away to safety may be as useful as knowing how to shoot a gun. Should we be teaching children driving at at early age, just in case?

As you can see I have more questions than answers.... I think it is nice that I feel comfortable asking this community these questions. This does not seem like a work friendly topic.
Click to expand...
Cigarettes are a proven health risk and alcohol to a lesser degree and as such would not seem to be a good analogy. As far as cars I taught both my kids driving much earlier than 16 also but only on the farm not on roads. I am confident my 14 yr old is a better safer driver than many of the drivers licensed on the roads today.

They do not go shooting unsupervised in public either and do not have access to my firearms nor their own without my presence. My son can strip, clean, assemble, load, unload, shoot and control every firearm he uses.

If used properly in a safe manner guns are safe. Take my son for instance. He is 14 and if I ask him to bring me a gun that is laying on the table he would automatically do the following without fail.
- check for a safe direction and where people are around him
- pick up the firearm with the muzzle pointed in the established safe direction
- remove the magazine (if it has one)
- safety check the firearm to ensure it is not loaded
- then proceed to bring it to me
- at all times keeping the muzzle down and away from people
- when he hands it to me he will ensure I have proper control before he lets go
From the day they were interested we practiced the safety portion verbally while they were doing until it became second nature. At points in time when learning they would correct each other if they saw a mistake just as I did.

Bottom line there are many dangers in this world. We can only do our best to make sure our children are taught to the best of our ability. I believe my kids are far safer shooting at a range or on the farm with me then they would be say riding a bike down a city street, or walking home alone from school in Chicago, or many other things the average parent feels is not dangerous.

Nanci said:
... So, shooting for fun doesn't even have to have ANYTHING to do with killing or hunting. It's a fun family activity and there are plenty of families with teenagers who shoot at my club, in the tournaments I shoot in. ...
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This!!!
 
My son started with gun safety with my dad around 8. He went through Hunter's Safety a few years ago. My daughter shows no interests in guns but I made her take Hunter's Safety anyways because we have guns in the house.

I started hunting when I was 6 or 7. Went through Hunter's Safety at around 8 and started my own hunts at the same age.

We go as a family as well to the shooting range. My husband is ex military as well, was actually a weapons troop. He even went through Hunter's Safety with my son.

I think the media makes people afraid of guns. I think when you are raised with a healthy understanding and respect for them. It isn't about the ability to kill or take a life.
 
In New Mexico, you can take Hunter's Safety at any age but it is recommended for those 8 and older. They can own a rifle at 14 I believe.
 
All three of my kids shoot guns and love it

here is my son who is 5
2012-02-26150533_zps325549e1.jpg


here is my daughter who is 8 (7 at the time of this pic)
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Here is my 10 yr old daughter
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d144/xxwounderwomenxx/078_zps178a58f4.jpg

There favorite gun to shoot is either their little 22 pistol or their fathers ar15. My son also owns his own 22 single bolt action rifle. I personally think if your child is old enough to comprehend hold the gun the right way then if they are interested in learning you should teach them. My husband and I own 11 guns total and my kids also own a few guns as well. Its our family time is to go out and shoot guns. (of coarse we do other stuff to but that is one of our favorite family outings)
 
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