Husband bought 4 year old a gun

[Wife]

My husband bought our 4 year old son a little .22 rifle from walmart behind my back after we discussed it. Not looking for a debate as I know most of you will advocate teaching him young and I know my son and he isn't ready. If makes you feel better I agreed to TRY it when he is 6.

I know you can't return guns or craigslist them. What is the best way to get rid of it?

 

[tarosean]

Yikes.. Someones in trouble...


Look for local gun forums / classifieds.

If your in TX we have a gun trader. http://texasguntrader.com/
might be one in your state?

You could also scroll to the bottom of this forum to the classifieds and post an ad, following the rules.

also there is a gun "ebay" gunbroker.com

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Just hang onto it a couple of years.

 

[NOLAEMT]

If you agree that he might try it when he is older, why not hold on to it? You can keep it locked up somewhere (does your family own other guns, perhaps a gun safe? or have friends who do?)

If not, you can sell it back to the gunshop or to another person depending on the state you live in.

 

[SEE IT LIKE A NATIVE]

Don't get rid of it ! Just lock it up and put it on the top shelf of your closet until he is old enough ! What would you do if you had a family heirloom you that was destined to be given to your child ? You wouldn't let them have it until they were of an appropriate age would you ? Treat the gun in the manor ! Now as to your husband ? I am not going near that one ! Kevin

 

[USAF_Vet]

I'm not going to get into the marital aspect of your given situation, but there are several ways to sell a gun.

You can sell it at any local gun store. You'll take a heavy loss on the sale, but it will be out of the house.
There are various websites where you can list the gun for sale. Armslist.com is one I have used with varying degrees of success. There is also a 'for sale' sub forum right here on THR.
Another thought to consider is keeping it, if the plan was to get your son shooting in a couple years anyway. I assume it is probably a single shot or a bolt action type, which can be easily deactivated and stored long term.

If you are adamant about not keeping it in the home, perhaps a relative in the state could store it for you, if they were willing.

Do you have other firearms in the house? If you have a gun safe, what would it hurt to sit there a couple years until he is ready for it?

 

[Wife]

Yes we have a safe but I need to keep it from my husband as well as my son.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

What is the reason that you need to keep it from the husband?

 

[Wife]

So he doesn't let our son shoot it.

 

[Impureclient]

You should ground him if he disobeys your orders.

 

[captain awesome]

Hey, just my two cents, but if your husband wants to let your son shoot, there won't be any stopping him. If it's not that 22 it will be something else. If I were you I would just focus on making it SAFE. Make sure you are there, and all the proper safety procedures and rules are strictly adhered to. If you feel so strongly about it, just don't let the boy handle it on his own. Let him sit on your, or your husbands lap to do it or something to that effect, so you or your husband can maintain control of the rifle at all times. It is plain that your husband feels differently than you do about it, and is going to disregard you entirely if you say "NO". We can infer this from his actions of buying it behind your back.
So, make the best of a bad situation, and over see it. If he really isn't ready for it, you (and your husband) will know very quickly. You might not think he is ready but kids can surprise you sometimes. My daughter does it to me all the time.

That's just what I would do. Good luck!

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Just put it up until you're ready...


Properly supervised plinking is great "quality time"...he's 4 in this pic (going on 6 now)



This photo isn't what it looks like...he had just gotten the rifle for Christmas, if you look close you can see that its broken down...he's checking to see if its loaded (its not by the way)...its just like the rifle pictured above, which belongs to his big brother (pictured at the bottom, with my uncle)





Boys will be boys ma'am...don't be too hard on your husband, odds are he's just doing his best to be a good Dad to a young son, I believe part of that is teaching children everything you know. If I couldn't teach my kids about guns and shooting then I couldn't teach them much at all....its about all I know besides truck driving, and I sure as heck don't want either of them to go down that path (truck driving)

 

[Shuler13]

I say give it away. Friend. Family. Stranger. Teach him not to waste money.

 

[cheeze]

Could be a touchy subject, but I agree that getting rid of the gun may not solve the issue. If he's hard headed and stubborn like me (and I assume so, since he got the gun anyway), then getting rid of it might make it worse, since he may then view this as a challenge or battle of the wills, and that means the boy will be shooting "something" soon and probably without your knowledge or supervision. I'm not going to guess what needs to be done, but I'm sure it involves coming to an agreement between the two of you and trust.

 

[Deus Machina]

I do have to agree and say to lock it up. If it's that important, tell him that you won't let him teach the boy yet, but agree to later. Hang onto the gun; they won't be any cheaper two years from now.

If you will not leave it, find a friend with a kid they're teaching to shoot. Let them have the gun, on the condition they return it in two years and buy their kid his own rifle sized appropriately for a growing boy.

 

[Centurian22]

I have to agree with most of the above statements that it should be kept for the two years, and that getting rid of it could start a stubbornness war. However if you are determined to sell it, I enjoy .22's and have a boy of age to be teaching, send me a personal message with details if you'd be interested in selling it to me.

Best of luck.

 

[mnrivrat]

Buy your own trigger lock and lock it up - hide the key .

Sounds like the real solution needs to be coming to agreement with your spouse, but that's a different forum .

 

[Doc3402]

I tend to agree with you. Four years old is too young. I have a 7 year old granddaughter that is physically capable of handling a firearm but I have misgivings about her mental outlook. Safety is the prime consideration, and I am not convinced she is responsible enough to deal with a deadly weapon. When I feel that she is ready, I will take her to the range but not before then.

Lock up or disable the gun. There is no sense taking the financial hit you would be sure to take on a used gun.

 

[TAKtical]

Busted! lol. He probably thought, "What is she gonna do? sell it?" Maybe you could start your boy off with an airsoft gun. Its fun to knock over cans, you can teach him basic safety, and no one will get hurt. Plus if he accidentally shoots your husband, you can play the "I told you so" card. About your actual gun, if its a ruger 10/22 someone will buy it quick. I would.

 

[Doc3402]

Maybe you could start your boy off with an airsoft gun. Its fun to knock over cans, you can teach him basic safety

That is a darn good idea. It also helped me figure out what to get my granddaughter for Christmas. Now I need to clear it with her mother.

 

[Hacker15E]

If you feel like you need to sell a firearm to keep your husband from teaching your son to use it (ergo, your domineering him like a mother, and him acting like a child by 'disobeying' you), then you both need to have a serious conversation -- mostly with each other, but also perhaps with a professional relationship counselor or therapist -- about personal boundaries, about your marriage 'contract', and about personal responsibility.

How to sell that rifle is the least of your worries as a family. It is just a thing. Your respect for each other in a marriage is much more important and valuable.

 

[Doc3402]

If you feel like you need to sell a firearm to keep your husband from teaching your son to use it (ergo, your domineering him like a mother, and him acting like a child by 'disobeying' you), then you both need to have a serious conversation -- mostly with each other, but also perhaps with a professional relationship counselor or therapist -- about personal boundaries, about your marriage 'contract', and about personal responsibility.

How to sell that rifle is the least of your worries as a family. It is just a thing. Your respect for each other in a marriage is much more important and valuable.

Do you have any idea how much I wish this forum had a 'Like' button? That is one of the best posts I have seen in a long time. You hit that one right on the money.

 

[Sav .250]

It`s a man thing. Sure hope he doesn`t cave under your pressure.

 

[wgaynor]

I think there are issues at play here that we are unable to correctly address, but agree with the other postings. I wouldn't sell it. I'd put it away. Perhaps, buy a BB Gun and tell him that you think this would be a good way to start him off with learning how to shoot

Support him in his desires by not making them seem silly. Make the idea of starting with a BB Gun his and you will have no problems.

 

[armarsh]

If you feel like you need to sell a firearm to keep your husband from teaching your son to use it (ergo, your domineering him like a mother, and him acting like a child by 'disobeying' you), then you both need to have a serious conversation -- mostly with each other, but also perhaps with a professional relationship counselor or therapist -- about personal boundaries, about your marriage 'contract', and about personal responsibility.

How to sell that rifle is the least of your worries as a family. It is just a thing. Your respect for each other in a marriage is much more important and valuable.

You said it before I could. I have suspicions the post is not 100% legit. But, if it is it is, the OP needs to sell the 22. Go to a gun store that will give you 60% of it's value. Keep half the money and give half to your husband. It will be good practice for when you go through divorce.