Kids and Guns and whats real!

[BryanB1972]

I hear nothing but negative things in the news about this all the time and I for one am sick of it!
You get these people that never show there children whats right from wrong and teach them about the dangers in life. Its pretty scary to me!
My son is 12 going on 13 and I have been taking him shooting since he was 8. I have always preached safety to him and always do my best to show him how to do things the right and safe way. He understands that a fire arm can be very dangerous and is not a toy! Yes he plays video games and we have had the talks that what happens in a game must never happen in real life, that using a gun to harm anyone is not right!
I will teach him about self defense when he is old enough, but in the mean time he knows what he needs to for his age. He is a very smart, well adjusted and responsible young man and I am very proud of him and his ambitions.
Now I see how my son handles it and understand that my involvement has plenty to do with it as well. But I just feel you have so many parents that try to over shelter there kids, don't teach them right from wrong and don't get involved. Doing things like shooting, camping, fishing, and other outdoor activities have been great ways for us to connect! I feel that is the point so many miss! Keeping your child's interests can help you to teach them right from wrong, how to be responsible and many other of life's lessons cause you are showing them something they enjoy with you! You have there attention!
Yes some balk when they see the pics or videos of me and my son shooting things like AR15's, AK's or anything else like it, but I don't care what they think. He is a good kid and I am teaching him in the spirit of sport and that they are not tools in which to use for anything wrong or evil.
Maybe if more would use situations as tools in this sort we may not have kids using them for wrong, because they were never taught!
I understand its not for everyone, and if I seen that in my son I would not teach him about these things or how to use them, he would not have access to them either.
I guess I just wish others would listen and be involved with theres. I cant see life any other way myself!
Just my thoughts

[msspatz]

I agree with you Bryan!  I have 4 sons that I've always told them about guns and how to respect them.  I have not had a gun in my house until this last year but my dad has and when we were down there I would tell them about them same with my dad.  My husband was kind of against a gun in the house cause he wasn't brought up with them like I was.  He was in the military and loved to shoot a M16 but still was skeptical about owning one like it.  Finally after years of telling him we now have 3 guns and a 9 mm hand gun.  The kids don't touch the guns cause I taught them do not ever touch one unless I'm with you and we are out shooting cause I'm teaching you how to use one.  I did however buy a black powder gun for my oldest when he was 15 that's been about 6 years ago and my husband still wouldn't even allow that in the house.  I did it cause my oldest took interest in a shooting competition at Beecher Island in Wray, Colorado and he did very well and got the shot that is so very hard to shoot at so he's got a few trophes that he's proud of.  I do believe that teaching at a young age is very important in how young ones view guns and how they are handled.  If you can't teach your kids gun safety then parents should find someone that can cause one day a lot of them are going to want a gun or be invited to go with someone that shoots either at game or targets.  It should be manditory that all of us have some knowledge of gun safety.

As for the negative news I'm sick of it too it's scarying my boys to death that they will never be able to own a gun they think it's not right that people that are law abiding are being punished for others that are in the wrong.  My boys are ages 10, 11, and 14 the other one is out of the house now he's 21.  Guns are not scarying my kids its the government and we don't even watch the news when they are around they just know from things they hear from their radios from other people.

[CitizenClark]

My son has been a gun owner since the day of his birth, when I gave him my single-shot Remington Targetmaster. He hasn't shot it yet (he has now reached the ripe old age of eight months), but when he does it will be under my careful supervision after we have drilled on firearms safety rules, and shooting fundamentals like sight picture, breath control, and trigger control.

When he can reliably put five rounds under a dime at 50 feet, we'll think about moving up to something with a bit more "oomph." I don't expect tactical concerns to enter into things until far, far into the future. As a parent, I am primarily concerned with making sure he knows how deadly serious firearms are, how the common action types function (and therefore how to bring them into action and how to unload them), and how to hit what he is aiming at.

Of course, I set a dangerous precedent in giving my son a rifle at birth, because my wife and I just learned recently that we have another little one on the way. It looks like I need to buy another .22 rifle now!

[on the fritz]

Yep.  Same. 

My 2 boys have been shooting since they were 4 & 8 respectively.  Thry started out on 22s and moved up from there.  They have both taken at elast one deer and helped process and eat it.  They have shot some larger rounds and know what the recoil and sound is like.  They love firearms as much as I do. 

That's why I can't take them with me to a gun show or gun store; we might leave with something I hadn't intended to buy because they talked me into it.        

They (& vicariously me) have gotten compliments on their range behavior from a couple of serious gun safety guys; one of which is a good friend of mine.  This hasn't come without a few "discussions" and your done for the day outings with me when they were younger, but we have never had any negligent discharges. 

I have never understood the overprotective parenting style either, or the ones who are afraid to discuss things with their kids; even drugs, sex, politics, etc.  I may not be completely comfortable discussing some of those topics with my now 18 & (almost) 13 year old sons, but they know that those topics are not really off limits. 

Anyway, I am very certain that the gun culture gets a bad rap, and that real/good parenting has somehow been lost and might never return.  That's a real shame, danger, & reality.