Got my son his first BB gun

[ponyfool]

I just got my son his first BB gun (a Crosman pump with scope). I wrote down a few rules that he must always obey, and wanted others' perspectives on other potential rules.

Here's what I have so far:

CARDINAL SAFETY RULES:

1- All guns are ALWAYS loaded

2- Never point any gun at anything you aren’t willing to destroy, including yourself

3- Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire

4- Always be sure of your target and what’s behind it

HOUSE RULES:

1- Safety glasses must be worn at all times by EVERYONE

2- NEVER point your gun at ANYONE (see #2 above)

3- No shooting animals (mice and insects are OK)

4- Point the gun barrel down when walking with it

5- NO playing in the street or front yard. Shooting is only allowed in the back yards

6- If the gun doesn’t fire, NEVER look down the barrel (see #2 above)

7- No shooting UP

8- If approached by an adult or police officer, immediately put the gun down

What else would you add? Reminder, I'm in a city environment, not out in the country.

 

[twowheelnut]

I didn't know you had a son named Ralphie. You got a funny table lamp too, I bet.

OK, here's my one bit of advise: Load up a pellet and shoot it off the toe of your Con's. Makes a bitchin' ricochet sound! Make sure mom is not around to witness the act, though.

 

[Neil San Diego]

The first four are the basics; can't go wrong with those. You could expand on #2 - always be aware of where the barrel is pointing even when you're not ready to fire, and never "cover" another person.

Pretty good set of rules for Ralphie. I used to hear "You can shoot it, but you'll have to eat it", but I don't think that applies in your suburban situation...

 

[Braenen]

Never point the gun at your sister/brother even if you want to destroy them.

(Sisters and brothers dont usually count as "Anyone" to children.)

Never shoot at an object that is hard. Ricochets may look cool but they hurt like hell.

Never shoot at anything until you have verified that it will stop the projectile. Having a BB hit something behind the target unexpectly usually ends badly.

Cars, Trucks, Motorcycles, Bicycles, Unicycles, Tricycles, Hypermotards, Motohypertards and Boats are not sutable targets.

NEVER EVER EVER shoot into water. Waves are unpredictable and you never know where the projectile will end up.

 

[TechJunkie]

I am an avid hunter and have gone through this stage with my boys. Your points above are really good. All I can add is that NOTHING can substitute for taking the time to not only explain these rules, but to stay with him and be sure they are demonstrated. For instance one of my rules is that the gun is to remain on "SAFE" until you are ready to fire, remove the safety and then fire. Once you have fired you immediately engage the safety. I would stand with them and we would practice this over and over as they shot. Out of the blue I would ask one of them for their gun and immediately check it to see if the safety was on. If it wasn't, all shooting would stop and we would go back over our safety rules and start again. Over time the rules became ingrained in their memories and in their habits. Another great rule my father taught me is to always assume a gun is loaded. I know it is a BB gun, but if he learns to treat it like a high powered rifle while he is young, he will have the proper respect for all firearms as he grows.

The final rule I had for my boys when they were young is all guns are locked in my gun cabinet unless I am home and I am with them. As my boys have grown I have allowed them to shoot their 22s on our shooting range, but I still insist on being home. We live in the country on 15 acres surrounded by farms. I know that young men become enamored with shooting things and only proper supervision will teach them how to do so safely. Without supervision young men tend to get a little overzealous and begin to shoot things they really shouldn't.

On a parting thought I might also suggest that you enroll your son in a Hunter's Education course. I realize he may not be interested in hunting, but the skills and safety techniques taught are very valuable. Many fathers enroll with their sons and make it a father son event. I am not sure of your son's age so this suggestion may not be valid.

Just a few thoughts from my experiences.

 

[Bustanut joker]

Never point the gun at your sister/brother even if you want to destroy them.(Sisters and brothers dont usually count as "Anyone" to children.)

Never shoot at an object that is hard. Ricochets may look cool but they hurt like hell.

Never shoot at anything until you have verified that it will stop the projectile. Having a BB hit something behind the target unexpectly usually ends badly.

Cars, Trucks, Motorcycles (except for ghey blue 05 models in Carpinteria piloted by old fuks) are not sutable targets.

NEVER EVER EVER shoot into water. Waves are unpredictable and you never know where the projectile will end up.

Slight modification was in order.....

:jester:

 

[FightOrFlight]

Ponyfool:

I think you rules are spot on. I've been around firearms my whole life (well, most of my life anyway) and I feel you have really done a solid job with rules. My son just got an air soft rifle and pistol and I have implemented the same type of rules.

The only other one, and it may not be acceptable to everyone, is this: you screw up one time with a gun - air soft or pellet - and I take it away (even if you paid for it with your allowance). Guns are a huge responsibility.

You sound like a great dad. Nice job.

 

[evil_henchman]

Stacking several bb's for a single shot makes a great scatter gun. Stacking more than one pellet will usually result in an irrepairably plugged barrel. Or so I hear

 

[ponyfool]

The only other one, and it may not be acceptable to everyone, is this: you screw up one time with a gun - air soft or pellet - and I take it away (even if you paid for it with your allowance). Guns are a huge responsibility.

There are two levels of rules with this gun. If he screws up the care/maintenance, he loses it for a week. If he screws up any of the Cardinal Rules or written house rules, he loses it forever. And yes, he actually bought it with his own money.

 

[Scab]

The only responsible thing that you can add to that list is to adequately demonstrate the devastating potential of the weapon. So, you're gonna have to shoot yourself in the foot.

Really. It's the only way. Remember pepper-spray certification?

Oh, and one more thing: Get the shot on video. As a public-service safety video, not so that we can laugh.

 

[GunMD]

Assuming that you kid is responsible for his age, you covered it.

 

[jekirby]

I don't have children, but what my father did with me (and I did not realize what he was doing until much later) was to give me my first bb gun but no bb's to go with it. After all the appropriate lectures he would watch me handle the gun around the house. When I got used to keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, without prompting, then and only then did I get to load the gun and go on to the next steps.

 

[FatNakedGuy]

aw man... I remember my first BBgun!

Got it for Christmas, must have been around 12yrs old or so... shot the SNOT outta the christmas tree bulbs, windows, and christmas bulbs around the outside of the house.. It was a thrill, and ALMOST worth the massive beating I received. Never saw that BBgun again.. too bad, it's worth a fortune to a collector now.

Recently picked up a S&W 340PD .357mag w/ Crimson Trace laser.. sweet little popgun and very easy to carry.

Clicky

 

[Fergi]

Here are the 10 Commandments of Firearm Safety from the Remington web site with an in-depth explanation for each commandment at this link:

https://www.remington.com/safety/10_command...commandment.asp

1. Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

2. Firearms should be unloaded when not actually in use.

3. Don't rely on your gun's safety.

4. Be sure of your target and what's beyond it.

5. Use proper ammunition.

6. If your gun fails to fire when the trigger is pulled, handle with care.

7. Always wear eye and ear protection when shooting.

8. Be sure the barrel is clear of obstructions before shooting.

9. Don't alter or modify your gun and have it serviced regularly.

10. Learn the mechanical and handling characteristics of the firearm you are using.

 

[Panman]

Hey Pony, sounds like your doing a good job of covering it.

When my boy my one and only was young I always took him out with the guys when we went out shooting in the woods, one day one of the guys gave him a single shot 22. One day after Halloween we took it out and started using the pumpkin's for a target and I started thinking to myself this is boring shooting targets is more fun as you can see how good your doing. Then I had a brain fart and thought that he needed to see what a gun could really do so I went in and got the 30-30 Marlin out and we had a talk about just how dangerous a gun really was. I told him how a BB gun or a 22 could kill some one or even himself if he wasn't careful! Then I shot the pumpkin we had put 25 rounds in with the 22 with the 30-30 and needless to say the pumpkin was pretty much gone. I then explained to him that the little gun could do that much damage on the inside as what the big gun did to the whole pumpkin. Well he's 24 and still has a healthy respect for gun's he still like's to shoot. So I don't know if I made sense, but let him see what a gun can really do, let him know a well placed BB can do damage for a life time. Good luck Kevin.

 

[colin]

been ages since i was little and got to go shooting with a friend's BB gun.

Good advice above. The only other thing I can think of is that if shooting at the cat, no more than 2 pumps. Unless it is somebody elses cat.

 

[airboss]

I just got my son his first BB gun (a Crosman pump with scope). I wrote down a few rules that he must always obey, and wanted others' perspectives on other potential rules.
Here's what I have so far:

CARDINAL SAFETY RULES:

1- All guns are ALWAYS loaded

2- Never point any gun at anything you aren’t willing to destroy, including yourself

3- Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire

4- Always be sure of your target and what’s behind it

HOUSE RULES:

1- Safety glasses must be worn at all times by EVERYONE

2- NEVER point your gun at ANYONE (see #2 above)

3- No shooting animals (mice and insects are OK)

4- Point the gun barrel down when walking with it

5- NO playing in the street or front yard. Shooting is only allowed in the back yards

6- If the gun doesn’t fire, NEVER look down the barrel (see #2 above)

7- No shooting UP

8- If approached by an adult or police officer, immediately put the gun down

What else would you add? Reminder, I'm in a city environment, not out in the country.

Excellent way to start, I would also recommend the NRA's young hunters camp. Sent my grandson for a week, he came back with a lot of respect for guns. Lots of hands on with all types of guns, structured classes and target shooting, and they preach safety, safety, safety.

My first BB gun I broke rules number two and four, plus Dad's "never ever loan your gun to anyone. It's your gun you are responsible" . Yep I'm the kid that got the same BB gun for Christmas three years in a row.

 

[Ari Rankum]

Got it for Christmas, must have been around 12yrs old or so... shot the SNOT outta the christmas tree bulbs, windows, and christmas bulbs around the outside of the house.. It was a thrill, and ALMOST worth the massive beating I received. Never saw that BBgun again.. too bad, it's worth a fortune to a collector now.

Hahahahahaha!!!! Thanks for that!

 

[Ari Rankum]

Without supervision young men tend to get a little overzealous and begin to shoot things they really shouldn't.

Ya think?