# Preparing the kids to shoot



## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

My 2 youngest daughters are 15 and 17. They live with their mother about 25 miles from me. They don't realize that all this gardening and canning I do has a purpose, probably because I haven't discussed "prepping" with them. Mom lives on every word that comes from Al Gore's mouth :gaah: so the idea that things could go terribly wrong doesn't enter her mind. They just like it when fruit season comes around and they get my fruit roll-ups and dried fruit rings. They have never expressed an interest in guns and hunting until this past week when I was talking to the 15 yo on the phone. She was telling me what was going on in school. It turns out that they are having an archery class right now and she really enjoyed it, except for the sore fingers part. Soooo, I just happened to have a couple of youth bows I picked up last summer at an auction for next to nothing and told her we could practice a bit here so she could get ahead of her friends at school. 
While we were shooting the bows, I got one of the .22"s out and persuaded her to try it. And it took some work. Her mom is rather anti-gun. After an overview of gun safety, I gave her the bolt action with a scope on it, put up a new target and set her up at 25 yds. She had a nice 3" group, with one at the edge of the 1" bullseye. She was ecstatic! Next came the semi .22. I let her go through the 10 rnds then I reloaded and showed her what else it could do. I unloaded it in about 3 seconds. She went banana's  and asked, *"can I do that!"* Next I got out the 12 gauge, filled a milk jug about 1/4 full of water and had her throw it out over the pasture and watch it explode when I shot it. She reluctantly accepted it when I handed it to her and gave her a stationary target at about 15 yds. She blew off the upper right-hand corner of a 2'x2' piece of plywood. Again;  Next came the 30-30. At 25 yds I put a hole through a piece of oak wood 4" thick. And finally the 357 mag. She passed on the 30-30 and 357 and I didn't push it.
But now she can't wait to get back here and shoot some more. 
Her mom is going to be livid! 

Anyone else teaching the kids to shoot?


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## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

Yes, we have taught our kids to shoot. Started them off on the single shot bolt action my Dad gave me when I was a kid. They love it.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

Glad to year your daughter is enjoying it.

My daughter (who's now 13) was into it at about the age of 8-10 but her interest has waned.

My son (8 years old) absolutely loves it. He asks daily if we can shoot either guns or archery. He started with a BB gun and now shoots a lot of .22. I picked him up a .177 pellet gun recently so I don't need to be beside him all the time.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

wow, a 12-guage can be quite a handful for a little lady, good for her! :congrat::2thumb:


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## horseman09 (Mar 2, 2010)

Good for you UncleJoe. We started our daughters off with a Daisy, then a .22at about 10 or 11, then shotguns, then some serious shooting with handguns.

Even tho they are farm kids, I also gave them some intensive highway driving training -- and particularly the skid control training has saved their skins a number of times. Well before driving age we used to play a game in the car called we called "danger". If they saw something that represented a potential threat such as a car approaching an intersection too fast, they would yell danger. Their challenge was to spot it before me. Of course, they got a real kick out of yelling danger before Dad did, then they could pick on me for the rest of the trip. 

My wife got really pi$$ed at me when I taught them how to safely run a chain saw, to weld, some carpentry and do basic maintenence things on the vehicles. But I believe there is no such thing as too much knowledge. Never know when at some time in the future, knowing such things could be a lifesaver for them.


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## jnrdesertrats (Jul 3, 2010)

Our son had a Daisey Red Rider. One day he shot 2 doves for dinner. We told him to was not enough for a meal, but I showed him how to prep them. The next time he brought it up he had about twenty in the freezer. I think he was about 10 then.


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## nj_m715 (Oct 31, 2008)

I just got my 6 yo started with a bb gun. He loves it and he's learning the rules of gun safety. He talks about getting a rabbit or a bird for dinner. We live in the suburbs, so it will be tough, but I might let him sneak a rabbit or squirrel. When my wife's not looking 

He's been able to ID several animal tracks for the last 2 years. We walk on our local nature path and I've been teaching him a few skills. 

Besides yelling for help, he also knows how to break pinky fingers, twist nuts, and push his first 2 fingers against his thumb to form a strong "poking finger" and shove it knuckle deep into an eye socket in the event that a stranger tries to drag him off. 

He loves learning a move or two, but he doesn't want to take martial arts or wrestle in school. Maybe he'll come around when he's ready. 

We also do the "what if" game as a family. It's not just for kids. Take any situation, like stopping for a red light. I try to get my wife to stop a few extra feet from the car infront of her. A good rule of thumb is to stop far enough away so you can see the rear wheel of the car in front of you touching the ground. If she pulls right up on the car, I'll say what if you look in the mirror and see a tractor trailer speeding at you or someone walks over and tries to open your door right now? If you have room you can turn the wheel and drive around the car in front, even if it means jumping a curb or crossing grass you can get away. 

What if the building you're in is on fire? what if a guy walks up from behind you? etc.

I just found out the my wife thinks it's safer to stay in a burning building rather than use a window to get onto the roof. She heard it wasn't safe because the roof might cave in. The topic came up because I just picked up an escape ladder at a yard sale for our son's room. The other two bedrooms have windows that open to a roof, but the middle bedroom drops straight down to the driveway. You can always learn something from the what if game. Most of the time there several correct answers to what ever the question may be and you can discuss the pros and cons of your different answers.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

UncleJoe said:


> Anyone else teaching the kids to shoot?


My grandson is 5 right now and we have a "toy" cross-bow for him ... ya, that little "toy" will pierce paper targets at 10 yards and he can aim that little sucker pretty good too!

Safety first is the law - teaching him how to pull the string, set the arrow, point in a safe-direction and to fire ... he likes the fire-part :dunno:


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## kyhoti (Nov 16, 2008)

My son tells me that he's not responsible enough to handle a firearm; yesn that's right, I asked him to judge his own readiness. My daughter, on the other hand, can't wait to go out bagging squirrels and bunnies for the stew pot. Unfortunately, she's not ready to shoot, but going out in the field will be good for her sense of adventure. As far as the other stuff, my kids know about "alternative living solutions"; my big challenge has been prepping my son's MIND to feel secure with SHTF-type survival. If he thinks he won't survive, then he won't. Hopefully I have a little more time to build his confidence and skill set.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

The_Blob said:


> wow, a 12-gauge can be quite a handful for a little lady, good for her! :congrat::2thumb:


She is 5'-6" and about 125#. She has been a competition swimmer since she was 6 yo so she's in good shape with a slightly muscular build. 
I was standing behind her showing her how to sight down the barrel. When she decided she understood, I just took a half step back and laid my hand lightly on her shoulder just in case it tried to push her back too hard. While it did give her a little push, she would have been OK even if I wasn't there.


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## mr_slow (Sep 24, 2010)

My two kids are all grown up, but I started them shooting when they were six years old.Both my kids own guns now and know how to use them.Shooting is a family hobby for all of us.


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## lexsurivor (Jul 5, 2010)

Im turning 15 in a couple of weeks and I just started learning to shoot (never really had time). My dads friend goes shooting twice a month so we go with him. Im going shooting again this saturday. Last time I went I shot my dad's glock 23, and an ar-15, a s&w 9mm, and a .22 just for fun. I also have been doing taekwondo for 12 years (my dad owns the training center) and jiu- jitsu for 2 years. Along with martial arts I throw knives and throwing stars. I also have taken up archery.


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## TimB (Nov 11, 2008)

Our kids are grown (son turns 29 next month, daughter is 26) but like most others, I started them out young.  Still have the little Daisy BB gun that my son learned with, then my daughter. They graduated to Red Ryders (still have those) and then a single shot .22 (of course I still have it  ). I'm proud to say both kids are better shots than Dad is. 

Tim


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## rflood (Aug 19, 2010)

The gun club I belong too has a Jr Air Rifle team that I took my kids to watch a while back before summer, sure enough, both enjoyed the shooting aspect and learned well from one of the instructors. My daughter can actually outshoot my son as far as accuracy goes which drives my son nuts but he keeps on trying. What I found was if I was helping them, they seemed to drift off but when one of the other instructors got involved they focused and stayed interested. Right now, both of them want to try the pistol, rifle and shotgun. My son isn't so much interested in the pistol but "Dads AR" with the EOTech on it and the Benelli 12ga tactical he is itching to go.


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## redneckhillbilly (Aug 28, 2010)

Started my 7 year old on learning about guns when he was 5. Brought all my guns into the kitchen and layed them out on the table, pistols, rifles, and shotguns. Unloaded and cleared all of them. Then let son point to what he wanted to check out. Showed him how to properly check and verify all the guns all the while reciting the safety rules. he eventually got over the initial thrill of them after a couple of hours. He now knows anytime he wants to look at one all he has to do is ask. No sneaking a gun to "play" with. Initially started him on a Daisy BB. He now has his own single shot changeable barrel Rossi .22/.410 combo and i have a Walther P22 that he shoots pretty well with that will probably be his. He can light up center mass @ 50' with it. Start them young and it will stay with them.


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

I was taught to shoot as a child, and I think every child should know enough about firearms to at least unload it, or take if SAFELY to an adult to handle. Unfortunately, so many folks are petrified of firearms that they have lost their social standing as 'useful tools' and have become bogey-man tools. Dittos with certain breeds of dogs, who properly trained and handled are wonderful, but misused, well...

Congrats to you daughter on the shotgun use. Many women do not like it, but once I learned to hold it firmly in the shoulder pocket (the bounce is what bruises) and rock with the recoil I immediately shot expert and it is one of my favorite shooters. And nothin' else has that pucker factor like hearing a shotgun round racked into place in the still of the night....


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## goatlady (Nov 7, 2011)

I feel I grew up on a range - both my parents were competition pistol shooters and it was my job to police the brass! Dad started me out with the always present .22 at about 8 or so. Started my own 4 with a .22 around age 8 and if they showed they were responsible, for their 10th Christmas they got their own rifle. Now they are keeping that tradition with their own kiddies and 2 of my grands bagged their first deer at age 8 a couple years ago for one and last year for the other on their first hunting trip with their dad. I LOVE family traditions.


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

our 19 yo has shot with us... 20 hasn't. And yet she's the one most likely to be around illegal firearms.


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