Educating Children

[fdegree]

With the recent post by Lukem about the Eddie Eagle Program in schools, I'd like to ask a question that takes this a step further.

The Eddie Eagle program teaches what to do if a child finds a gun...wonderful information, and I may just purchase the video for my 7 year old daughter to watch.

Now, the next step for gun owners...at what age, and how, do you expose your young child(ren) to guns?

I don't think making it taboo is the proper approach...this will likely heighten their curiosity and make them more apt to play with a gun unsupervised. I believe supervised exposure may be the best approach. But, how and to what extent? Also, what age is best (I know this is subjective and every child's maturity level is different...I'm looking for a generality here)?

[Piece Corps]

Heh, heh...I just posted as much in Lukem's thread. If you think the atheists made a fuss about school prayer, watch what happens if anyone suggests gun education in schools. In one instance, a child was expelled from school from drawing a gun...not out of his book-bag but with a crayon on a piece of paper.

[Scarecrow]

Originally Posted by Piece Corps

Heh, heh...I just posted as much in Lukem's thread. If you think the atheists made a fuss about school prayer, watch what happens if anyone suggests gun education in schools. In one instance, a child was expelled from school from drawing a gun...not out of his book-bag but with a crayon on a piece of paper.

my gosh that is insaine! what if the kid's father was a LEO or something and the kid was just drawing it as a tool his daddy uses on the job.. I mean who knows why.. but that is so stupid. people are morons!

[gdcleanfun]

Originally Posted by Piece Corps

Heh, heh...I just posted as much in Lukem's thread. If you think the atheists made a fuss about school prayer, watch what happens if anyone suggests gun education in schools. In one instance, a child was expelled from school from drawing a gun...not out of his book-bag but with a crayon on a piece of paper.

Expelled? That's just wrong!

[ADJ423]

I was about 4 years old when my dad took me out and made me shoot his .357 mag. I never touched any of his guns unless he took me out shooting after seeing what they could do. In my opinion that is the only way to satisfy a child's curiosity.

[crazycathed]

I bit a crossing guard when I was in kindergarten and didn't get expelled. now kids are getting booted for playing cops and robbers, bringing nail clippers to class and drawing handguns.
when I was 9 I went with my uncle who shot cans for pheasant practice.just the sound and seeing the recoil made me scared to even touch a gun.

[GabbyDP]

Speaking for myself, I didn't really have an interest until a little over a year ago..although I've always like police officers and firemen, etc My babysitter volunteered at a fire department and she would bring us there to stop in and say hi, I've always been a fan As far as guns go though, I really don't know that I had a big interested until a few years ago..the concept wasn't taboo (my dad doesn't CCW or anything along those lines so it wasn't exactly a reinforced idea..) I think I mainly picked up an interest when it came to the question of self-defense.

Schools are ridiculously strict anymore, it's unbelievable how often kids are expelled. Although that seems to apply mainly to public schools, I've spent almost all of my years at private school and they tend to lean towards the secretive aspect of things, much more important to protect the reputation

Speaking of which, did anyone hear in the news about kids being charged with possession of child pornography through 'sexting'? Here's a link: ABC News: Teens Who `Sext' Racy Photos Charged With Porn There's a big debate about this issue now because the students were underage. Seems a little ridiculous to me, personally, particularly because the pictures were only shared between a female and her boyfriend (well, involved multiple couples apparently). Just curious about other peoples thoughts It also seems interesting to me that the principal "just happened" to come across the pictures, sounds to me like he went through her phone, are they permitted to do that?

[dmciver101]

My son just turned 13 and has now been a regular shooting partner for the last 6 of those. I began taking hin to an outdoor range with me when he was 7 years old. We started him out with a BB rifle which he shot for the first year to year and a half. Next he transitioned into a 22 caliber rifle and in the last 2 years has transitioned to a 22 caliber Ruger pistol. All along the way he has been taught safety and the responsibility that comes with gun ownership. On a fairly recent trip to the range he did something that told me he clearly understood. We were shooting on a shared range and another shooter started to walk down range without calling out for a cold range. My son saw him, lowered and saftied his weapon immediately and then pointed at the individual. Seeing that he understood what was going on, the danger, and more importantly what to do made me so proud of him.

I was introduced to firearms in a similiar manner and found it worked for me so I knew it would work for my son as well. He knows what a firearms is, what it can do, and how to handle one safely. Their is no magic or allure to them.

[Jes]

Well the thread is wandering around in the wilderness...

I have already started teaching my young daugher. She is not quite 4, but very smart. She knows the difference between a magazine and a clip (pop quiz anyone?). Helps me clean my guns and learns all the pieces and parts. Has even started helping me reload. I let her pull the press with help. She understands that guns and bullets are dangerous and not to touch them without my help. I let her watch me shoot once so she knows how loud and dangerous guns can be. She also knows that I will get a gun out for her to examine anytime she asks. I think education and taking the mystery out of guns is the key. I can't wait until she is 7 (wife's rule) so she can shoot the 22 I bought her.

Little brother is 2 years behind, but I can see already that his maturity will come slower than my daughter's.

[krazyk]

my kids are 5 and 7 and they both know what to do when they see a gun,we practice it ever so often and i also set them up to find my gun (unloaded of course)my five yr old has shot my hand gun and my 7yr old wont even touch it .im trying to break her of that but the noise scares her no problem with the 22 mag she likes that one.it's never to early ,don't let it be too late