Hi Roy,


 RJT> Five year old Amanda just found out that "Grampa has a gun".  I 
 RJT> don't think she's quite ready to take out to the range yet,  not 
 RJT> that I'm going to be neglecting safety considerations.  Probably be 
 RJT> a few years before she's ready,  eh?

 RJT> Or do some of you guys out there manage to start 'em younger than 8 
 RJT> or 9 or so?

From my own memory:

I've no idea what the first "real" gun was that I fired.  I'd bet
that it is the single shot .22 that I inherited from Dad though.  
I was too young to remember, now .... probably around that age of 5 or 6.
Under close supervision, no doubt.  :)

There was never a time when guns were not there.   The country side has
grown up aound me, but we used to live in the sticks.  :)   Trying out a
rifle or shotgun simply meant stepping out the back door into the yard.

I think it was also around age 5 or 6 that I got one of those low powered
one-cock spring actuacted BBs guns.  Short little thing.... heheheh   Its
still in a closet somewhere.

At age 8, I got a high-powered air rifle.   That I remember real well!  I
was one happy/pround boy that Christmas!
Remember Benjamin air rifles? 
That thing really had some snap to it.  :)    All my friends had Crossmans,
and thought mine was some weird thing.  But I could outshoot 'em. 
Dad knew what he was doing when he got me that one.  :)
You better believe I still have it.

Dad's theory was that if you were not old enough to  use it unsupervised,
then you didn't need to have it in the first place.  Thus, those are the
ages that he felt I was ok with them.

At 12 I got my own .22.  I'd been using Dad's single shot for a few years
by then.  Mine is a semi-auto.   And yes,  I still have it too.

For shotguns, I always had to borrow one of Dad's.  I couldn't afford one
of my own until I was in my twenties.
But, whenever he went gunnin' ,  he was a rabbit hunter,  I was always along.
I don't remember at what age I was allowed to carry a gun though...  again,
I was too young to remember it now.

The point:  It depends on the child and their degree of previous exposure. 
Lots of exposure takes away all the "mystery"  and leaves room to
learn respect.... and these are Good Things.



                                            .....Joe

--- Msged/2 TE 05