How young is too young???

[Bigc177]

I need some opinions... How young is too young for a child to have a BB gun?

With Christmas right around the corner, my two boys (ages 7 and 5) are begging Santa for BB guns! I say yes to the 7 yr old, and maybe to the 5 yr old that the time is right to get them involved, and show them the ropes of gun ownership, but the wifey says no let's wait a couple more yrs... I would rather them have a BB gun than the other thing that they want which is one of these Nintendo DS things that will just rot their brains!

BTW, No you'll shoot your eye out jokes, I've heard that plenty of times already, thank you

 

[selinoid44]

7 Years old is okay with parental guidance only. I think 5 is still to young. Just my opinion.

 

[IndySSD]

I need some opinions... How young is too young for a child to have a BB gun?

With Christmas right around the corner, my two boys (ages 7 and 5) are begging Santa for BB guns! I say yes to the 7 yr old, and maybe to the 5 yr old that the time is right to get them involved, and show them the ropes of gun ownership, but the wifey says no let's wait a couple more yrs... I would rather them have a BB gun than the other thing that they want which is one of these Nintendo DS things that will just rot their brains!

BTW, No you'll shoot your eye out jokes, I've heard that plenty of times already, thank you

Well, I was given a slingshot at the age of 5 and was taught to shoot a .22 when I proved I was "responsible and accurate" with the slingshot a few months later. I can't remember if it was right before or right after my 6th birthday when he taught me to shoot the .22, all I remember is it was during squirrel season which starts a couple months before my Bday and ends a few months after.

 

[Bunnykid68]

5 and 7 is when my brother and I got ours. I do not remember anyone getting shot or losing an eye.

 

[MrsGungho]

We gave our son a Cricket 22LR when he was 5. With that said, there is no magical age. It really all depends on each individual child. Some are ready some are not.
Now at 8 our son has the Cricket, an M&P 15-22 and is selling his Colt Revolver (22LR) so he can get something different. It must be said though, he has no access to these firearms unless we are with him.

 

[Hanu]

At 5 or even 7, they are too young to understand the potential danger to themselves or others. That doesn't mean they are too young to shoot them; just too young to have unsupervised access to them. At a young age, my cousin's boys were shooting trap and skeet but of course they weren't allowed access to the guns on their own.

They should be made to understand that they aren't toys, aren't to be played with or pointed at any living thing, and that you would keep them in your possession when not in use. Then ask them if they still want them under those conditions.

It doesn't sound like your wife is completely opposed to the idea, just that she thinks they are a little young. Her opinion may be based on her interactions with them and her awareness of their maturity level. Something to consider.

One piece of advice; you and your wife should present a unified front to the boys, whatever you decide. Don't tell them you would let them have them, but their mom says no. Good luck to you.

 

[Mosinguy]

I got a Daisy lever action bb gun when I was about five or six. Never got hit with a ricochet or shot something that wasn't supposed to be shot.

 

[Bigc177]

Both the boys have showed interest in shooting, and have seen me break down and clean all of my firearms. The boys already have 22 LR rifles each that they don't know about, and will be passed down to them when the time is right, just like my father did w/ me. The BB guns will be locked up w/ my other firearms, and they already know that they would only be able to use them under my close eye.

Thanks for all the good opinions, keep'em coming

 

[cordex]

There is a big difference between "their" BB gun that stays in your closet except when you take them shooting, and "their" BB gun that they keep by their bed.

I would probably wait to give them unrestricted access to a BB gun at this stage, but fully supervised ownership is unquestionably okay. That said, if they are always going to be supervised, I would probably pick a .22 instead.

Edit: given those conditions, I don't see any reason not to get a couple of BB guns.

 

[warhawk77]

I got my first BB gun at about 6 yrs old and I didn't get hurt.

Here is what I would suggest. Both get one but only let them use them when your there to help. After a while you will notice your boys practicing gun safety.

 

[mshogren]

I bought a bb gun for my 4-1/2 year old son to use while supervised by me.

He has shown an interest in guns and seems to have the maturity to handle them while supervised. Now I just need to teach him how to use the sights properly...

Mark

 

[RoyalTenenbaum]

Maturity is more important than age imho

 

[superjoe76]

Both boys got one when they turned 8. Figured it was a good age.

 

[hammer24]

The key is supervision and training. A BB gun is a GUN, and they need to be taught with it so. Can't be like alot of parents who just get their kid a BB gun and turn them loose with it. As far as age, my son had a .22 cricket when he was 6, of course he always has me right by his side watching over his shoulder with it, but he is excellent with it. It really does come down to maturity, not age. I know alot of 6 year olds I would trust with a BB gun over some 18 year olds I know!

 

[ViperJock]

I got my boys BB guns when they turned 5. They did well with them. We treated them like real guns and locked em up in the safe when we were done. I made them recite the rules of gun safety before I let them load it. IMO if the kids are old enough to understand the seriousness of a weapon and obedient enough to follow safety rules the only other thing you gotta ask yourself is how long the stock should be

I plan to give them each a 10/22 when they turn 8. (Under my control of course, until they are adults). Gonna splurge and get the synthetic SS barrel and hopefully they will have rifles they can keep for life.

IMHO, the best way to prevent an accident is to train ASAP.

Good luck, whatever you decide!

 

[Mr. Habib]

Their level of maturity should determine if they are ready, not their chronological age. My youngest daughter got her first rifle for Christmas when she was 4. Shot it that day. She is now 8 and safer with a firearm then many adults I have shot with. She has graduated to pistols, an AR, and this...

 

[sbcman]

All good comments! Here's my personal way of handling it.

1. The kids must be able to memorize the four rules
2. They must be able to shoulder the rifle properly
3. They must show evidence of proper handling according to the four rules
4. Unsupervised access comes when they show they can make correct critical decisions without me.

Right now in my line-up, all my kids (ages 6, 7 and 8) meet the first criteria, two (7 and 8) of them meet the second criteria, the same two meet the third criteria, none of them meet the fourth criteria. This means that the 7 and 8 year old have rifles and can shoot with me, but cannot have access to their rifles without me. My 6 year old, though knowing the 4 rules, is not physically large enough to shoulder a rifle on her own.

It just kind of worked out in my system that the age of seven is when everything starts rolling for them. I think I was seven when I got my first BB gun and nine when I got my first 22. Every kid is different though, so no single "age" can really be applied.

Handguns come when they have mastery of the fourth principle- and when they can purchase them with their own money

 

[the1kidd03]

It depends entirely on the individual kid and their maturity,comprehension level, intelligence......has NOTHING to do with their age.............

I was 6 and my first time shooting a gun was with a 9mm and a 12ga Remington 1100......I had to have help holding the muzzle up but I was able to shoot it pretty accurately for my age.............likewise, I was handling weapons (with parental supervision) at earlier ages than that and was collecting firearms at the age of 10....saving my money and having a parent purchase...even at that age I knew how to appropriately store firearms....under lock and key

a close friend of mine's kid is 3....when he was 2 he knew not to touch a gun....when they'd come over I'd place my sidearm in the coffee table drawer, and he would go in the drawer on occassion to find old cell phones that he likes to play with....KNOWING full well what it is, he'd point to the weapon and say, "what's that"..."that's a gun"...his response was simply "oh, that's for shooting bad people, I can't touch that" he then picks his cell phone up and closes the drawer.......likewise, this same kid just two days ago and who just turned 3 years old when asking him questions, is able to tell me the model and caliber of his daddy's carry pistol AND recite WORD FOR WORD weapons safety rule #1...........HE'S 3!!!

again, my point is it is entirely on the kid...and their abilities largely depend on how much time the parent can/is willing to/does spend with them on the subject as well as discipline, etc....................age is just that and has no bearing on an individuals capabilities

 

[the1kidd03]

Their level of maturity should determine if they are ready, not their chronological age. My youngest daughter got her first rifle for Christmas when she was 4. Shot it that day. She is now 8 and safer with a firearm then many adults I have shot with. She has graduated to pistols, an AR, and this...

lmao AWESOME

 

[indytechnerd]

My son got a Red Ryder BB Gun for his 8th birthday, though he's shot my Model 60 prior to that. I found an knockdown target thing that we shoot at sitting on the back patio. I put the target 20-30ft out in the yard sitting on a stand I made for it.