Too Young to Shoot Guns?

[J. Ascencio 1st MRB]

Hey all I was going to post this in the slope but I realized that the topics of guns can get political really quickly so i posted here for good measure. Personally I do not have a problem with young children shooting guns as long as they are taught the proper way to handle a firearm. i came across this video and thought it was pretty interesting and I was not surprised with peoples reactions at all. Some say this video is a little bias because it was done in the great free American state of Texas which is filled with patriotic red blooded Americans. A state where i can go into my local Walmart and buy a gun in less than 8 hours. Guns are sold at our Walmarts and so is ammo. I am used to seeing this type of thing all the time. I go to a range and see 12 year old boys with dad shooting their shotguns. To me shooting with dad is an American pastime older than playing catch in the park. I have never had any problems with young people learning to shoot I myself learned to shoot a .22 when i was 6 and I have been shooting ever since. I just wanted to see what you guys thought of this especially our foreign MRB members who gun laws may differ than ours.

   

Edited April 1, 2017 by J. Ascencio 1st MRB

[Marsden 1st MRB]

I believe that so long as the children are being taught properly and are being provided appropriate caliber weapons for their body type.  This Army Veteran had it spot on the head. Training a child how to safely and appropriately handle a Firearm is the best form of gun safety. The most common instances of children hurting other children with firearms is when they are not allowed near the weapons, and not taught about them. Then it is some mystical and exotic thing that needs to be shown off. Children who are taught gun safety and are around firearms from a young age view it as a tool, albeit a very dangerous one, and there is no need to show off your toolbox to the friends.

 

However on the liberal side of the fence, I feel that in the event that a parent is intending to purchase a firearm for their child that certain gun safety training requirements should be in place, outlining that you have to have passed a state certified gun safety course to be able to purchase a firearm for, or shoot a firearm with a child under 10 on a firing range... (damn having been raised by a bunch of Californian hippies...)

[I. Turner 1st MRB]

5 hours ago, Marsden 1st MRB said:

I believe that so long as the children are being taught properly and are being provided appropriate caliber weapons for their body type.  This Army Veteran had it spot on the head. Training a child how to safely and appropriately handle a Firearm is the best form of gun safety. The most common instances of children hurting other children with firearms is when they are not allowed near the weapons, and not taught about them. Then it is some mystical and exotic thing that needs to be shown off. Children who are taught gun safety and are around firearms from a young age view it as a tool, albeit a very dangerous one, and there is no need to show off your toolbox to the friends.

 

However on the liberal side of the fence, I feel that in the event that a parent is intending to purchase a firearm for their child that certain gun safety training requirements should be in place, outlining that you have to have passed a state certified gun safety course to be able to purchase a firearm for, or shoot a firearm with a child under 10 on a firing range... (damn having been raised by a bunch of Californian hippies...)

I was raised in WV and was military and I completely agree they should make the child take a gun safety course before handling or shooting a firearm. You can create a class to even teach a 5 year old how to handle one safely and the parent should have to have a class also teaching them how to properly inform and handle a firearm with a child around. No californian hippie BS thats a good idea.

[Guest]

Why the fuck would you give a child a gun? What the fuck?!

[I. Turner 1st MRB]

3 hours ago, Ripley 1st MRB said:

Why the fuck would you give a child a gun? What the fuck?!

Because we take our children hunting or out for a day on the range target shooting? I have been shooting guns since it was 5 so have my nephews and so will my children.

[Guest]

Seems ridiculous to give a child such a destructive thing. No wonder there are so many accidents.

[I. Turner 1st MRB]

13 minutes ago, Ripley 1st MRB said:

Seems ridiculous to give a child such a destructive thing. No wonder there are so many accidents.

Please explain how teaching a child how to properly handle a "destructive thing" so they dont injure themselves or others is ridiculous? There are so many accidents because people dont know how to handle them to make sure the safety is on its unloaded where to point it where not to point it etc.  They dont load themselves and pull their own trigger. You teach a child how to hunt which means your teaching them how to survive on their own, your teaching them responsibility, respect for life and the enviroment. If it wasnt for children who were given "destructive things" as a child then the militarys that protect you would not have so many individuals willing to put their life on the line for you and others and would not be so good at their job.

[Sanborne 1st MRB]

21 minutes ago, I. Turner 1st MRB said:

Please explain how teaching a child how to properly handle a "destructive thing" so they dont injure themselves or others is ridiculous? There are so many accidents because people dont know how to handle them to make sure the safety is on its unloaded where to point it where not to point it etc.  They dont load themselves and pull their own trigger. You teach a child how to hunt which means your teaching them how to survive on their own, your teaching them responsibility, respect for life and the enviroment. If it wasnt for children who were given "destructive things" as a child then the militarys that protect you would not have so many individuals willing to put their life on the line for you and others and would not be so good at their job.

to be fair, If i recall correctly Ripley's from the UK where they have much heavier gun laws, So this is something you'd never see in most places overseas like that, Americas unique in the aspect that you can go out and buy a gun for a your child like this, But for someone overseas this might be seen as "Oh my god why would you do that" Because laws differ, Cultures differ and opinions will also always differ, Growing up in Alabama I'm used to seeing kids at the Gun Range with their fathers / mothers etc, It's just something normal in most states now days, I mean yes. If a child isn't properly taught firearm safety it can be dangerous. But the pretext of this video is to say " Is it write or wrong for a father to buy his child a gun" The answer differs based on the result in my mind, If you buy the weapon but teach him nothing, Then no, you shouldn't buy him the firearm if you can't put forth the effort to teach them the proper safety with which to handle it. But most parents take the time to not only Tech their children gun-safety now days, So in the long run i agree with Turner,  and i know people in my life who would agree with Ripley, It's generally based on where they were raised or just personal views on firearms, if i recall correctly Countries like The UK, Japan etc have insanely heavy gun Laws,I Believe about six years ago the amount of gun license  in japan were like 5-10 nation wide, And those were mostly given to government officials, In the UK Most of the firearms you see are used by soldiers, or officers guarding posts that require it, Their normal run of the mill officers on the street don't even carry loaded weapons if i recall Though i could be entirely wrong on that.

 

Edit: Also.. Being taught proper gun-safety as a child doesn't really equate to the military in my eyes since they give you a more informed class on it if i recall correctly. But some of the active/former military members in the unit might know more on that, I just see it as being able to show your child that while guns are dangerous with the proper knowledge anyone can wield one safely without worry of harming themselves or another person.

Edited April 2, 2017 by Sanborne 1st MRB

[I. Turner 1st MRB]

13 minutes ago, Sanborne 1st MRB said:

 

 

Edit: Also.. Being taught proper gun-safety as a child doesn't really equate to the military in my eyes since they give you a more informed class on it if i recall correctly. But some of the active/former military members in the unit might know more on that, I just see it as being able to show your child that while guns are dangerous with the proper knowledge anyone can wield one safely without worry of harming themselves or another person.

If you read it he said why would you give a child destructive things and i said  "children who were given "destructive things" as a child then the militarys that protect you would not have so many individuals" IE Alot of military members were given and used guns as a child and I was in the military. Almost all gun safety courses are universal there was no difference between my hunter safety course and what they told us on the rifle range at bootcamp different words same message.

[Guest]

We have a military, yet we don't give children guns so they can kill, accidentally or not, themselves and other people. Having a military isn't dependent on giving children guns unless you are talking about some failed African states.

[Marsden 1st MRB]

I believe this is going to boil down to a difference in opinion. I believe this type of situation is best decided upon by the parent themselves. If a parent wishes to allow their child to handle/own firearms then the state should mandate gun safety training for parent and child. If the parent doesn't want their child handling/owning firearms, well the child is still unable to purchase a firearm until they reach the age of 18 here in the states so is a moot point.

 

However the point that Turner and I are illustrating is the child who never had weapons safety training is more likely to be the violent offender that you hear about on the news so often, even if it doesn't occur till they are an adult. Last statistic I saw on it was close to 85% of gun violence in the states is committed by individuals who have never had a gun safety course, whearas only about 12% of people who have completed a gun safety course commit a violent crime involving a firearm, accidental or otherwise.

[[tc] Basilone]

On 4/2/2017 at 3:01 PM, Ripley 1st MRB said:

We have a military, yet we don't give children guns so they can kill, accidentally or not, themselves and other people. Having a military isn't dependent on giving children guns unless you are talking about some failed African states.

The implication isn't that they are giving young kids guns to keep and handle independently.  My dad bought me a rifle when I was 13 or 14.  It wasn't mine to use whenever I wanted like a Xbox, it was just the one I used when he took me shooting.  I wouldn't trust a young kid with a handgun because they are much more dangerous as far as accidents go, but some parents living in the rural southwest probably trust their kid to carry a long gun for defense against coyotes.  Unless child abuse or neglect is going on, parents know better how to raise their kids, not the government.

Edited April 3, 2017 by [tc] Basilone

[Armstrong 1st MRB]

Canadian here.

 

I personally don't have a problem with guns and kids. I don't think you should just throw a loaded gun to a kid and expect them to understand how to use it properly, but that like anything else it can be taught proper usage.

 

I think if any accident occurs involving a child and a gun, just like anything else a child does, it falls on the responsibility of the parents, or anyone who teaches others how to use a gun. Its the parents to judge whether or not they think their kid is capable of wielding a gun and having as much respect for its capabilities as anyone else who uses a gun. 

 

Like many other things, I don't believe anything needs to be banned, just explained through. Don't be stupid, and don't be surprised that if you're lax or stupid in how you handle something that something stupid happens.

Edited April 13, 2017 by Armstrong 1st MRB

[Cookie Monster]

Canadian and a gun owner here, so I'll weigh in.

 

Personally I see no issue with teaching children to shoot at a young age (5-6, depending on maturity level), providing proper supervision is given. Keeping guns locked up when you have children in the house is important, and failure to do so leads to many of the accidents you hear about. When done properly, it can teach the child both proper respect for firearms as well as be an enriching experience. It's also a big urban/rural divide thing, having a gun when you live out in the country is like having a car... necessary.

Edited June 6, 2017 by Cookie Monster