Guns and Kids

Guns and Kids

I was a child in the 1960's an era that began the formation of two different social paths. Depending upon how you were raised will determine your perception of the others path.

I was taught through my parents actions that having responsibility's, loving one's country, and traditional family values are what it takes to make you a better person. Life then was different, if you were told not to play with guns you generally did not. Back then we understood the meaning of : “Wait until your father gets home”.

My first gun I got at the age of seven. I don't remember whether it was a birthday or a Christmas gift but I do remember it was a Daisy Red Ryder lever action BB-gun with a 10,000 count box of BB's that mom and dad bought from the local Coast to Coast hardware store.

I tore open the box with mom, dad, my brothers, and my sister looking over me. There were the appropriate oohs then my brother spouted out “oh look he got a gun”. My dad said, “Do not shoot any body.” “If I catch you shooting at anything your not supposed to I'll break it and you'll never get another one”. Well that seamed pretty straight forward and if I wanted more freedoms, I needed to take this responsibility seriously. I had to work, to earn money if I wanted my own BB's, and it was kept in my closet right next to my bow an arrow from the previous Christmas. We lived in a rural area with plenty of room to roam and it gave me many years of enjoyment.

Now myself, when it came time to teach my preteen kids the responsibility of gun ownership I had a different perspective. For several years I worked at a local gun store and I'm very familiar with what's available for kids to learn on. Since we lived in a small town I had to take a different approach.

I bought them there own Daisy Red Ryder. When the day came to give them there first rifle I had it all planned out. The back yard was perfect for a small BB gun shooting range. With the property backed up to a hill side there were plenty of places to set up paper and tin can targets. The firing line was a piece of rope laid on the grass.

I explained the procedures of target shooting and then they got there first lesson in gun safety. It was the same four universal rules that I was taught by an NRA instructor while getting certified at a Hunters education class when I was 12.

1. Always treat a gun as if it is loaded.
2. Never point a gun at anything you don't intend to destroy.
3. Do not put your finger on the trigger until you're ready to shoot.
4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

Teaching responsibility through gun ownership is a part of the American experience. An older gentleman I knew said that in the days of the great depression a country boy with his 22 cal. rifle and six bullets had the ability to feed his family for a week. Wasting ammo just to have fun wasn't a part of the plan and if he didn't come home with two rabbits and four live shells he didn't get any more ammo. You learn to be more responsible and how to be a good shot.

Where you live and how you were raised tends to reflect the method of how you pass down the American heritage and at what age. I've seen where young hunters have grown, with the experience of there first kill. Each child develops differently and a child understands cause and effect based upon they're personnel experience.

Aside from the standard safety rules for handling guns, we as parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents need to be responsible gun owners and to take greater strides to improve the storage of our heritage. By being more responsible we can provide a safer environment for our homes and community without government legislation.

If you have kids in your home lock up your guns.

The average weight of trigger pull is 3-5 inch. Lbs.

A toddler can exert that much force.

“Be Safe, and Keep Your Powder Dry”

Terry the Gun Guy