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| My son with his dad spotting |
For
my children, exposure to firearms is the norm. Both of their parents
shoot. Many of our friends and family members have guns. And then
there's the fact that their father is a gunsmith. That means that
there are always a variety of firearms in the house
Once
I learned how to properly handle a gun, I had no worries about my
children doing the same. I don't want to sound like a pompous mom,
but my kids are different. My son has always been an old man. He is
very scientifically minded and immerses himself into tasks. My
daughter is a budding perfectionist who also gets lost in whatever
she is doing. I'm telling you this, because I don't believe that
every child is capable of recreational shooting. Of course, it is up
to the parents to decide this.
If
you think your child is ready, begin with examining an
unloaded gun together. Explain how a gun works while using correct
terms for the different components. Obviously, the most important
part of this is teaching them how to hold a gun without accidentally
firing. The NRA's In Sights has a great video for kids on basic safety tips. A trip to the range is a great way to show them that all
kinds of people shoot in a safe manner. Starting at a shorter 25yd
distance with a large reactive target will help your child feel
confident firing a weapon. Working on accuracy can come later.
If you think children aren't capable of shooting, check out Miko Andres, a 6-year-old competitive shooter.
Even
if you are not a gun owner, your child may encounter one in childhood
and most certainly in their lifetime. Wouldn't you rather a child
know how to safely handle a firearm? It's certainly better than the
alternative. One simply cannot rely on the “don't touch and tell an
adult” rule. Kids do stupid things. They test boundaries. They are
curious creatures.
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| My daughter safely holding her .22 |
As
a child, I had one experience with firearms. Every fall, we took to a
cabin in Allardt, Tennessee, which is a very rural area in the woods.
One year, a neighbor hit a mountain lion with their truck. Scouts
honor. Anyhoo, I found what I thought was a water gun on top of a
tall dresser. As soon as I picked it up, my mother came around the
corner and took it from me. I still don't know if it was loaded or if
the safety was on. It doesn't matter anyways; one should always
assume a firearm is locked and loaded. The point is I was plenty old
enough to know better. My parents taught us to not touch and tell an
adult. We never had guns in the house. The pistol belonged to another
adult to defend against wild animals we might encounter. There were three younger children and four
adults that weekend. That's a total of eight possible victims.
The
pistol should have been in a holster. However, you can't depend on
every single person to do the safe thing. Think about it
like defensive driving. You can't assume every driver is safe and
paying attention. You can only control your own driving habits and
train yourself to navigate around others' carelessness and
inexperience.
Emerson said, "Fear always springs from ignorance." Fear produces chaos, mistakes,
accidents. If your child knows what a gun looks like, how it works,
how to safely handle it if necessary, it could save lives.
Please
check out these websites for gun safety tips:
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