Got my son his first BB gun

[TheAxeman]

Tell him not to shoot out the neighbors newly installed Andersen double hung low-E windows.....evidently my neighbor failed to write that rule down for his kid :glare: . That $75.00 BB gun ended up costing him close to 2K by the time he was done. But of course this kid is the same one who dumped 20 gallons of clorox into his grandmothers pool for "fun" and who lowers the running lawn mower down onto piles of rocks for kicks. :blink:

 

[DocDanDC]

Looks like you covered it very well. I still remember my Dad handing me a Hammer and telling me I had to smash my new cap gun into smitherines because I pointed it at someone when I was 5 years old. :gun: :trinibob: Some will say this is extreme but I still remember that lesson and knew he would do the same with the other guns later in life. Now that I am a Father & Dad I realize that FOLLOW THRU is the key, for Father and Son. Good post.

 

[Mooseonagoose]

The keyword being GUN:then whatever rules apply to a 375H&H apply to a BB. My Dad would never let me have a BB gun, he just told me that when I was old enuf for a gun he'd get me a real one, which he did. ...In the meantime my friends and I continued to assault one another w/ whatever type of projectiles we could manifeast, ...Whammos w/ marbles & ball bearings, slushballs left in a snowdrift to freeze overnite, David&Goliath slings w/ rocks, etc, etc......

 

[Geezer]

I am a 4H shooting sports instructor. That means that I spend a lot of time teaching youngsters the basics of handling firearms. All of the rules that people have posted are good and should be taught and reinforced, but the most important thing you can do is what TechJunkie said, spend time with the boy and teach him by example. Do not let him take his gun out alone until you are sure that he will not do anything careless with it.

 

[zenwhipper]

Well, if this is a prelude to hunting for your son- I'd like to point you to an issue we've been following up here in Seattle.

https://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/loca...5_hiker16m.html

Truly a sad story. A woman was shot in the head and killed by a 14 year old who was hunting bear with his 16 year old brother. Don't want to turn this into a discussion on guns and hunting - but there may be some good cautions that make you think from this article regarding kids and 'guns'.

FWIW

Scott

 

[ponyfool]

Well, if this is a prelude to hunting for your son- I'd like to point you to an issue we've been following up here in Seattle.
https://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/loca...5_hiker16m.html

Which would have been prevented if he followed rule #4 of the Cardinal Gun Safety Rules.

 

[FJRay]

The rule in our house was that if you shot anything alive and got caught you had to eat it. It only takes ONCE to understand that rule.

 

[NoCage]

The rule in our house was that if you shot anything alive and got caught you had to eat it. It only takes ONCE to understand that rule.

That backfired on me. My son shot and killed a dove. I handed him my knife and told him he had to clean it, cook it, then eat it. After eating the grilled bird he said, "Hey, this is pretty good." I told him he was lucky it wasn't a cat.

 

[daviddowns2000]

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.

Excellent advice, saved me the trouble of writing essentially the same thing.

 

[Geezer]

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

I can't believe that I didn't notice this sooner.

 

[ponyfool]

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

I can't believe that I didn't notice this sooner.

LMAO! That wasn't a, "quick, hide it before they see you" type rule, it was a "I don't want you shot and killed by a home owner or police officer for not putting a weapon down" type rule.