How did you start/train you kids in gun safety?

[springfield40]

With the recent events of gun tragedy's it has brought me to think about how I did as a parent to train my kids as well as others who had spent time with us shooting or hunting. The lessons of gun safety should never end in our lives, but it all started somewhere. So the question arises.

How did you start/train you kids in gun safety?

I like most here started my kids with shooting my own guns with me of course. Then at the age of 7 got their own Red Rider BB guns. I set up a dirt berm in the back yard and only let them shoot (with me present) one at a time. (I have twins sons) After they showed me that they could handle the BB gun correctly, and own it responsibly I graduated them to their own 20 gauge shot guns. I did this at about 12 years old. I chose the shotgun for two reasons. 1) the shotgun has very limited range over the .22 and errant shots don't go far. 2) I hunt duck primarily over anything else so it also made sense to train them in the shotgun first.

On their first day out with their own guns to learn how to use them. I took along a few learning tools

*  2 gallon jugs of water
*  A half sheet of 1/4" plywood
*  A couple of 2" x 4"

Before we started I asked them to try to break the 2 x 4's and of course they did their best to no avail. I then asked them, is the board stronger than your legs? To which they said yes. So at about 5 yards away I had them shoot the boards, and we all know what happened next. And I asked them what would happen if you shot your brother in the leg with that gun? (Clear message)

I did the same with the plywood and used it as an example of skin....same action and result their eyes were wide open when they saw the ragged hole.

I then used the gallons of water with the explanation that the plastic is very much like our skin, and that we are mostly made of water. After they shot the jugs the message was very clear to them what they had in their hands.

After that it was a great day of clay target shooting, and a entirely fun filled day. They are 21 now and still remember that lesson, and I hear them from time to time tell their friends about that lesson too.

Reflecting back now wished I used water melons instead of the jugs of water....it would have been a little more dramatic.



Frank

[unfy]

Q: is the gun loaded ?

A: no

Response: thwack them over the head.

Q: is the gun loaded ?

A: ..... no ?? ...

Response: thwack them over the head again

Q: is the gun loaded ?

A: .... i dunno ...

Response: thwack them over the head yet again

Q: is the gun loaded ?

A: ... yes ...

Response: good boy.

Remove all magazines, leave the bolt / etc open....

Q: is the gun loaded ?

A: (an affirmative) NO!

Response: thwack them over the head

.... repeat.


Followed up with the standard tenants of gun safety.

And then names of the 3 or 4 'critical parts' of the gun (barrel, trigger, etc).


Demonstrating a 22 vs a piece of fruit can do pretty good. 

A rifle or high powered handgun vs a fryin' chicken can also do good.

[GreyGeek]

I took my  boy shooting when he was able to hold my Sheridan Bluestreak steady enough to take an aim.  I still had to do the pumping.  IIRC, he was about 7 or 8.  He shot some cans.  The holes impressed him.  Then we went over to the pig barn and he shot some birds and rats.  The blood and the dead birds impressed him even more.  All the while I kept showing him his mistakes in the use of the safety, sweep of the muzzle, etc., always pointing out what it would feel like if the pellets hit him or me instead of the rats.   Later he graduated to a .22 rifle and handled it well.  The first time he fired a 12 gauge it knocked him down because I didn't tell  him how to lean into it with a foot forward, and to keep the butt tight against his shoulder.  The next time he fired it he stayed on his feet and the recoil didn't hurt as much, but he didn't have a raging desire to shoot it after that.   In fact, from then our hunting trips were with the Bluestreak or a .22, to hunt raccoons.

[bbauman]

When about time to start shooting a BB gun gun apart a shotgun shell, show them the bb's. Talk about the differences and similarities between the shotgun, rifle and bb gun.

Have them carry a full pop can to where you can shoot.
Set it about 15 yards away.
Talk again about the similarity again.
Shoot it.
Have them carry back what you can find of the can.
Seems like they spend most of the time looking at the 1/3 of a can left and it sticks with them.

Will they still point the bb gun in an unsafe manner? Yes, but they will be harder on themselves because of what they saw and respect.

$0.02.

Oh and make sure to shoot at that distance without the young audience to make sure you know where the gun is going to hit. I missed with the second kid and much of the poignancy was lost in the pointing and laughing. 

[JimP]

When I taught 4-H shooting sports (.22 silhouette and archery) ...... I departed from the suggested curriculum (NRA's 10 Commandments) when I found kids 8-10 years of age could not remember them, let alone follow them ...... too long and wordy.

The Four Rules worked much better: "Always/Never, Keep and Know."

Add in The Golden Rule of Tool Use ("If you don't know what you are doing, DON'T....... ask someone who does.") and a lecture about Discipline and Consequences ..... the kids pretty much able to police each other .......

I started the first few meetings off with mandatory recitations of the The Four Rules ...... once everyone had them down, I brought in news stories of firearm accidents and had them point out the violations of The Four in each......... our "Don't Be THAT Guy" segment for the month.......

We had a great time ......and I taught 4 kids to shoot (3 of which earned medals at a competition) .......