Keeping Guns & Having Kids

[thepasty]

As has been said loads already, include your child from the word go rather than exclude, my son is 4 and I've never hidden anything from him (apart from the cabinet keys!), he comes shooting, picks up birds for me, helps sort pigeons for the table etc etc, if I'm cleaning a gun in the front room and he walks in he doesnt give it a second look or thought.

 

I've taught him to respect guns and quarry

 

He never mentions it too his friends or family members as its nothing out of the norm for him.

 

As for safety its no different than with an adult, no one knows were your keys are bar you.... no keys no access.

 

I've got lad number two growing up fast (4 weeks old!), I plan to do the same with him.

Edited August 19, 2013 by thepasty

[scotslad]

Think pretty much all the replies are the same there really is no safety risk (esp with fac's as all ammo locked up to)

 

I was the only shooter in family althou my grampa used to watch me and brother fire an airgun in the shed with darts, but i have had a shotgun since 14, when u have a gun esp as a youngster u have to be so much more responsible as it's a lot to use, cannae go about fighting etc. As a youngster me and mates used to go round selling my ferretted rabbits at doors for pocket money, prob only 12 when i started and as i got older learned to skin them and sell them oven ready

I also think growing up in a shooting family are far more rounded and generally know the difference between right and wrong and treat folk with respect (as parents are upstanding citezens hence gun tickets) but they also understand the circle off life and where food comes from and generally learn a lot about nature, even if they don't want to shoot.

There is a lot of respect involved in shooting and given to ur quarry, even the most hardened fox shooter/hunter willl have picures of foxes hanging on walls as a mark of respect/admiration of them

Can be a great educational tool when butchering game, a boy I shoot with has had all the neighbouring kids round while he's sticking straws into deer lungs and making them go up and down, he hangs his deer on kids swing under muslin in the middle off town.

 

I would try and take the mrs to the clays, even get her a lesson with a pro or exp shot/coach so she can actually hit a few, possibly also get a mate with a fac to take her out a give her a shot with a rimmy (.17 or 22) or possibly a 22cf, really nothing to be scared off. Wether she wants to shot game doesn't matter as long as she is not scared off the guns herself and understands all the safety drills and how that has found it's way into the ettiquitee? Yes they can be dangerous but more flolk injured playing golf than shooting

 

When u speak to coaches or folk who do corperate days they say it's amazing the ammount off people who aren't looking forward to it but come away loving it!!

1 day on a small shoot i run, had 3 guests out on same day all first time pheasant shooting (but clay shots), all shot 1st pheasant think 2 shot first flighted duck too, 1 of the guns mrs came out in morning for a look but didn't expect to like it,(she shoots clays thou) she's bringing her gun up next year when her husband comes up next time to shoot herself. Really enjoyed it and the banter between everyone

[Cottonseed]

In general my son and daughter were brought up with me fishing and shooting.

They were never excluded from what "daddy does" but more shown upwards from the gentler side of fishing and shooting to the table.

From a very young age of getting bait for fishing (worms, crabs, maggots etc) funnily enough my daughter loved playing with the rag and lugworm while they dried on newspaper from the age of 18 months , my son aged 6 wouldnt touch them.

My serious shooting started with air rifles when they were that age, we were fortunate to have a long garden which could be used for setting the guns up and both my children were taught the basics of safety, handling and responsibility around guns as they got older, they were taught never to touch the guns without supervision. At the time the guns were non FAC so no cabinet but they were gun racked and chain locked.

My son started accompanying me shooting when he was 8 and from then on I taught him field craft and got his first rifle a little later when he could walk without chattering and treading on every twig going.

They both watched and learnt how to gut a fish, rabbit and pigeon etc for the table and eat the same , my daughter handled that initially better than my son, he would do it but would rather not.

We have never hidden anything from our kids but shown them how and why at a time suitable to their age and for us there have been no problems or incidents, my son fishes and shots responsibly now in his 40's, job done.

More or less how I brought up my two--a boy and a girl. My son proved to be a good shot with a rifle and shotgun and my daughter will still take pheasants and pigeons from me and gut and pluck them. When my two were young there were no security requirements for shotguns and the guns were kept on a rack upstairs. Both of them were taught never to touch them without permission and both were taught that the first thing they did on picking up a gun was to check it was unloaded.

 

The younger they're introduced to 'gore' and guns, the better IMHO.

[johnlewis]

I was always brought up with guns coming from the country side and my wife was the same as yours and the shotguns were always kept in a safe place then when the boys left school they wanted to try out clay pigeon shooting so she just as well let them do it when they where younger as I agree with all fellow members who state it better to teach gun safety from a young age respect not fear a gun and you will not end up with any accendents. Thats my thoughts on the subject for what its worth.

[neutron619]

I just wanted to post again and say thank you to you all for your replies to my question. My wife had a read through all of your responses (and those to the same post which I put on two other forums) yesterday. She seems to be feeling better about the security / safety issues and we've talked about what we need to do to make her feel better about the "raising children" issues and the approaches you've all used (i.e. broadly: "matter-of-factness", the tool-not-weapon approach, healthy awareness of where meat comes from). On the basis of that, I think we'll do ok.

 

We're probably going to take a few extra precautions as far as security goes, for her peace-of-mind, but certainly not to the point of splitting guns into components etc. (except where required by law / best practice - i.e. rifle bolts). I'll also run through gun safety a few times with her, so that she knows what is and isn't dangerous and hopefully with that knowledge, she'll see that the risks are significant when there's neglect or a lack of attention, but that without a human to misuse or otherwise operate them, they're not much more than tubes of metal. (I'm reminded of a youtube video where a chap spends about 10 mins screaming "Fire" at his Armalite rifle - still can't get it to fire though...)

 

Thanks again,

 

Adam.

[jeffd]

Me and the missus went to a school open night when my youngest was 6 and his teacher showed us a picture he had drawn it was in the what did you do at the weekend theme I nearly died there was 2 stick figures one with what looked like a gun ( ME) and hundreds of dead birds everywhere with red crayon blood everywhere it looked like the battle of the Somme.

[kent]

I have two kids girls 8 and 14yrs, they both have received training in guns and ammo and it hold no mystique for them. Were we live they are likely to be exposed to them at friends and neighbours also so there is no hiding away from it. Making things mysterious to a child or adolescent is to invite trouble (remember when you were a kid?). Its now as a result not unknown for them to note if someone put their finger inside a trigger guard on tv etc. Stupid kids comments have been made in playgrounds and I shouldn't worry as if their dads bashed everyone else's Dad on their off springs request we should all be locked up and have some serious neighbour issues, the cops certainly shouldn't come knocking on your door and mostly a kid saying my dads got a gun, is taken like "my dads got a helicopter" by teachers and other parents. Those that know us are fully aware of facts indeed I get more requests to take them shooting when they are old enough than concerns on safety, I tend to not hand them a gun and a few rounds at the door you know!

As for game and butchery, its quite surprising my 14 yr old never grew antlers as its all the meat we ate when she was younger and this very evening has been requesting I supply various new game for her cookery (she is actually a very good rifle shot herself but doesn't hunt) although my youngest is very much the cute furry animal type she loves studying the slain and learning of its biology.If your lady is worrying about indoctrination of your ideas then take it from me kids have their own minds, my Dad was a golf nut and I cannot think of a worse way to spend a morning!

The biggest risk to our / my kids is Cars, bikes, quads etc, as every day items and unfortunately drugs and alcohol. If you look at nations were guns are more common in the home its rarely at the home of the enthusiast that disaster happens, likewise here its always the air rifle under the bed not the one locked away.

[robbiep]

As to the 'gore' aspects of it all, I've found that generally children (and a fair number of adults) are actually interested in how the food comes to be on our plates, rather than the pre-packed supermarket meat/fish that they are so used to. Selling that point to your partner may be the way to go, so that they understand where the food comes from.

[Twistedsanity]

Guns aren't dangerous, loaded guns with idiots are