Took my niece to the gunshop today

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John828

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Okay, for some of you this may be old news or non-news. No problem, but for those who are interested or experienced, help me out.

My niece is only a little more than two years old. She's a little turd, but I love her to death. She is probably going to be a true "girly girl" which is fine with me. She loves tea parties, her babies, cooking in her "kitchen," etc..

Well today was uncle-niece day since I was off and her grandmother could not keep her this morning. Trying to fill the time, I decided to head over to Ft. Thompson's (a local gun shop) to look at some scopes. When we walked in, there was a display of toy guns, so I decided to take a look. The first one I picked up had sounds effects and she was scared--she got behind me. So I put it up. Then I saw the pink ones and so did she. She loved it and had to drag it all over the store while I picked up a sling and looked through a few scopes.

I did not buy the toy gun for her though because I really want to do this right. My sister has shot a little in the distant past. She leans anti-2A if really pressed, so I really never mention it. She loves the fact that I love guns though which is kind of ironic. Anyway, I told my sister a long time ago that I was going to take my niece fishing and shooting when the time is right and she agreed. No forcing though, if she wants to, fine; if not, "fine."

BTW, my sister is a single mom, so I have become the primary father figure in her life.

When should I get her one of those cute little pink Crickets? I probably ought to go ahead and get one because who, in their right minds, doesn't like buying a gun?

Need advice from daughter-only dads, or dads who successfully (or not) introduced their daughter(s) to guns.

I do realize that it may not be her thing and that is fine, but I just have to try.
 
ya should`a seen my 2 girls shootin a 22 at baloons(with help of course), doing the happy dance at 3 & 5 yr old.
put a big grin on my face !!!!!


GP100man
 
Thanks GP100,

I assume the HappyDance is any movement associated with Barney* or that "If you're happy and you know it, clap you hand" song... and any other plethora of songs.

So, so far three and five? Seems young to me.

*Barney seems like a pedophile Grimace

But it seems like a lot of kids/parents just cannot get enough of that thing.
 
First- When her mom says it is okay to have a gun in the house.

Second- When she is ready. When she understands that guns are very dangerous and she will listen to everything and do everything that you tell her to do in a dangerous situation. This varies a bit from child to child.

Also don't confuse an eagerness to please with active listening.
 
Nice job, uncle John....hey, if you DO ever decide to get her the Crickett, then don't get a Crickett - get the product-improved Crickett - the Rogue Rifle Co. "Chipmunk":

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=85630

My understanding is the guy who started making the Chipmunk broke off from the Crickett company. The Chipmunk, though very similar, appears to be higher quality than the Crickett - for example, the Crickett uses a cheap plast bolt knob, whereas it's aluminum on the Chipmunk.
 
My daughter was four when I taught her the basics of guns and gun handling. But she was about nine when she got her Red Ryder. She moved up to my .22s more recently. No need to rush things.

I don't like those tiny rifles like Crickets. They look cute, but they aren't well designed or machined. For that sort of money you could get her a decent larger gun. I was shooting full-length .22s and shotguns in the Boy Scouts by 10, and had no problem at all handling those rifles.
 
My daughter was four when I taught her the basics of guns and gun handling. But she was about nine when she got her Red Ryder. She moved up to my .22s more recently. No need to rush things.

I don't like those tiny rifles like Crickets. They look cute, but they aren't well designed or machined. For that sort of money you could get her a decent larger gun. I was shooting full-length .22s and shotguns in the Boy Scouts by 10, and had no problem at all handling those rifles.
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Yeah, I think that's a little more reasonable. Of course it is a parent's decision when to introduce their kids to guns. When I have kids, I'll probably do the same. teach them how the guns work and some basic safety at an early age, but there is no need to rush things, like you said. I was 10 when I got a red rider, and that was fine for me. I think a little younger than that is ok, but I wouldn't want to push all of the rights of passage at once.

My little brother turns 8 in a month. I bought him a beginner archery set for christmas, because that is a good age to start learning responsible target shooting, etc. The next step is probably a swiss army knife, then a BB gun, then a BB pistol, then eventually a .22. At least that's how it was when I was growing up.
 
I just want her to be comfortable around guns as well. What is hilarious, is the difference between boys and girls. A "typical" boy will create a gun out of anything--whether it is a stick, or broom handle, or a a doll with a leg as the back stock and the arm as the pistol grip. I have seen that time and again.

What I never experienced before was the opposite. A girl just being a girl. When she ran behind me at the sound of a gun, I realized that all my thoughts for her may be wrong. She may never be a shooter unless I introduce her correctly. And I have to make sure her mom (my sister) is okay with it all.

You know what? I have plenty of time. I'll just keep slipping my sister some deer steaks and squirrel and I am sure, in a few years, I'll get some range time with my niece. After that, if she shows any interest, we'll go from there.

Also don't confuse an eagerness to please with active listening
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Yeah, and also probably try to discern eager to please vs. a personal desire.
 
I had a ton of toy guns growing up, when they were probably at their zenith.

I learned a lot of bad gun handling habits with them. They are ingrained from years of Bang Bang You're Dead. So, my kids got to play with them, too, and the older boys do the same things. I've been muzzle swept with no safety and a chambered round, had one boy cut from wrestling a knife from me, stupid stuff like that. I blame myself.

Teach her firearms handling like you'd teach her driving - at the right time with the right equipment. For me, I'd avoid the toy guns as a general play toy and use them as a trainer. Bang Bang You're Dead can be as much fun with a stick or finger - but the muscle memory and instinctive reaction needs to be built with the appropriate handling, not inappropriate goofiness.

Lot's of folks may not have the problem, but to be responsible, do the right thing, and you never regret it.
 
Tirod,

I can understand where you are coming from, yet a number of people grew up playing army, cowboys and Indians, good guys vs. bad guys, etc. and this was before the "orange cap" era; and, we turned out allright.

I definitely don't want this thread to turn into that thread we had in December about the nostalgic stuff. That was fun and all, but I need and want advice from fathers of daughters and uncles, I guess, in my shoes. I got a girly girl, which is fine, but I want a sporting chance to introduce her to firearms.
 
I'll second the "Don't buy a Cricket" comments! They are poorly made and the "safest action for teaching young shooters" wherein you have to cock the striker after you close the bolt is just a manufacturing shortcut. It is completely annoying and actually detracts from the fun and the training of shooting, and it lets crud into the bolt. Just avoid them!

However, trying to teach a youngster to shoot with a gun that's too big for them is really lousy for both the trainer and the kid. So much frustration can be avoided by starting them out with a gun that fits!

I bought my kids a Savage Cub-T. That's a very high quality rifle and I enjoy shooting it myself! (In fact, it's my go-to gun for groundhogs in the yard.) It will pretty easily zap those little steel "spinner" targets out past 75 yds with Federal bulk pack ammo. And they come with pink stocks if you want. (Ours is a pink and grey laminated thumb-hole stock, but all pink synthetic is available, too.)

Also look at the Henry Mini Bolt, and the Marlin 915Y for other high-quality youth trainers.

Just avoid the Cricket and similar cheap guns. For another $100 (or less) you could have something those kids' children will use.

-Sam
 
I never let my daughter have toy guns.

We treated her Red Ryder as a weapon just like my AK. We shot it at the range. She even wore eye protection and ear protection (the ear protection was to guard against other shooters firing without warning, but it was a good habit to learn).

In my home, guns are weapons, not playthings. Sure, they are fun to work on, to learn about and to shoot. But they are weapons axiomatically. When another parent asked me if I was anti-gun for not letting my daughter play with toy guns, I explained that she works on real guns and shoots with me at the range. At that point in her mind I went from anti-gun to gun nut, which wasn't a bad thing. Whatever.
 
Let her handle that pink cricket .22 the next time you're at wal mart and just see what she says. The fact that the mere color of pink changed her 180 degrees on that toy gun is typical and quite amazing no matter how many times you've been around girls, but since it worked, don't let it die. I get so tired of these guys who say "when she's ready, when she's ready" because that phrase has no meaning. You strike while the iron is hot or your life becomes a symphony of missed opportunities and endless pining. You act when she gives you something to work with instead of waiting around for everything to be perfect.
 
Sam, and others, point taken regarding the Cricket. I will look at it when the time is reasonable and then look at any alternatives--perhaps a full stock, cut down to the appropriate dimensions would be best. Or I could just get her a CZ 452 cut down to meet her when the time is right. I can always restock the action.

Anyway, thanks for those who have posted, BUT, I still would like to hear from father's of daughters or at least those who entered the crazy land of raising girls.
 
My daughter got to occasionally help in the reloading room, but no real shooting until she was 13... then I took her and her brothers (then 11) to the hunter safety class. She got a perfect score on the test. Then to the range!
 
Anyway, thanks for those who have posted, BUT, I still would like to hear from father's of daughters or at least those who entered the crazy land of raising girls.
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My daughter is not ... normal. She's been fiercely interested in shooting since she was about 3. She actually started with handguns (Ruger Mk II) because she just couldn't hold a rifle in any reasonable way. Obviously I never --NOT ONCE-- let her have control of a gun. But she very much enjoyed gripping them and pulling the trigger while I supported the weight and kept the direction in check with my hands over hers. Before she turned four I had given in to her requests to try the same thing with a 1911. After one round, she demanded a full mag of .45s! The noise and recoil have always been exciting and fun to her -- not at all scary. She has in similar ways "conquered" the 629 (with .44 Specials) as well as a few carbines -- AKMs, AKS-74, etc.

Now that she's a bit older, she is getting more interested in hitting something rather than just making noise. That's where the Savage Cub and Ruger Bearcat come in. They're small enough that she can adopt something like a realistic stance and get some actual sense of how to aim and steady a firearm. I'm still in control-freak mode, though, because kids are easily distracted, inattentive at times, and just can't be expected to be "responsible" enough to be in full control. My hands are almost never off the guns for a second and loading is strictly one-at-a-time. I never push a range session one second beyond her (their -- her and her younger brother now) interest and feel it's better to leave them wanting more than to bore them or let their minds start to wander.

Safety rules are a constant and ongoing lesson. If they can't focus well enough to quote the basic rules then we don't shoot. Any infraction, or near infraction of a range rule gets an instant STOP and discussion, and possible end of range time. My wife has asked me over and over, "why are they SO GOOD for you at the range and holy terrors for me at home?" ;) Guess I'm a good teacher? :rolleyes:

There are obvious safety concerns that bear repeating beyond their own actions. Eyes and ears are ALWAYS protected. Even so, we don't go in for long sessions or extensive concussion exposure (little brother doesn't care for rifle blast much anyway). They aren't allowed to visit my club's indoor range which is horribly lead contaminated, and are no longer allowed to help with reloading for the same reasons.

I know that their interest in shooting is largely (or at least began as) a chance to participate in "Daddy time" and to be involved in my interests. I've made up my mind that I'll support them in that interest and train them as well as I can, but also that I'll be just as happy with them if their interest wanes over the years and they find other hobbies. I won't push it on them ever, and if their littlest brother never develops the desire to shoot, that's fine with me, too.

Ironically, my daughter has never really been into toy guns at all. The middle kid, though, (that would be her 4 year old brother) thinks that ANYTHING is...could be...and probably SHOULD be a gun. :D So now big sister whittles sticks into "guns" for him (she's even painted them up and given them as Christmas gifts!) and he carries them everywhere. We've still never bought a toy gun but I just don't have the heart to tell him he can't play with the stick guns she makes for him. Still, all safety rules apply (within reason...it's a stick) and any pointing or "shooting" at anyone gets them taken away immediately.

Like I said. Not normal. Pretty cool, though! :cool:

-Sam
 
My brother has some stepkids...the oldest boy is 14 and I just can't see anyone ever trusting him with a gun. He's a bit of a spaz with ADHD and medication. I'd like to teach him responsible shooting but I think he just doesn't listen and gets caught up in his own playful mindset.

Kids these days seem to throw out bogus death threats to each other all the time. The youngest boy got suspended from first grade for threatening to blow the school up.
 
i am not a father but i do take care of my neice alot ( just turned 1 on sunday and thumbs up 4 you man your doing a great job) my sister is totally progun and so is her housband ( he owns 50 plus guns) he doesnt shoot much anymore except for practice with his carry piece so im kinda take the shootng duty over and slowly introducing my neice (at a very young age) i dont take her shooting but i took her spot lighting with me and she was pointing at the deer and i taught her that if she find a bullet to taek it to me, mommy or daddy ( took a week but im very proud :) and she walking all over the place at 1 year old :) super proud)

my sister step daughter who is 14 goes shooting with me all the time and i plan to take her deer hunting next year she grew up around guns and has a small fugure but can handle all of my guns well



id say wait till she is 3-4 before taking her shooting atleast ( this is the age when my step neice first fired a gun, a .22 short rifle that her dad fitted the stock for her) then slowly take her more and more as she gets older a toy gun is a good start but make sure that shje can under stand that she is not to point it at people and when she does dont be mean but give her a time out for it (not like just like 1 min or 2 mins )


btw this is what my brother in law did i asked him to tell me what to tell you and a little bit of what i did to add in
 
I started my daughter shooting a pelet rifle at 5 yrs. She really liked shooting targets that would spin around :) Now I have to insist she shoots from the same distance as I do when at the pistol range...

If I'd known about Little Sportsman back then, I'd probably have gotten them for her.

http://www.littlesportsman.com/
 
My daughter is 3 years old, coming up on 4 really fast.. She is always very interested when I'm cleaning my guns after going to the range, and likes watching.

I let her sit and watch, and when I'm finished, I'll let her "hold" the pistol (with my assistance, she doesn't quite get the no finger on the trigger yet, but getting there). I started explaining the "rules" when she was old enough to talk. She's definitely not old enough to shoot yet IMO, but I have a feeling she'll squeeze off her first rounds before she's 6.

We don't allow toy guns. Guns aren't toys. I do allow her to "practice" with my Unloaded BB gun, or my Airsoft pistol, but it's highly supervised, and I correct her whenever she breaks a "rule". She's actually getting quite good at it :) The wife and I both feel that if we gave her a "toy" gun, it would breed bad habits that would be hard to break.

I'm lucky in that my wife is just as big into shooting as I am, although she wasn't always like that, I converted her recently, and now she can't get enough :p
 
First off I think you handled things correctly.

I think it's great you and your sister can agree to disagree and still be great friends too. This is America and everyone is entitled to their opinion.

I had a similar situation with my ex-wife. She was OK with me having guns in the house and also carrying one when I was with my kids. She new I was responsible but would not ever let me take the kids shooting because she really doesn't like guns.

both kids are over 18 now and both like guns, definitely support the 2nd amendment and are strong Liberals.

BTW my daughter likes the pink pearl handles too. I'm thinking of getting her a pink-pearl handled Taurus PT25.

I love this country.
 
Had my youngest daughter shoot my sons air soft rifle when she was 4yo. She loved it so much I had to buy her one for her 5th birthday. Really fun way to safely teach your children about firearm safety. Plus she has so much fun shooting the darn thing.:D
 
My son and I stopped at the Old Town Tading Post one day to browse a few minutes. We had his 10 year old daughter with us and she started the whine right off, "Oh not HERE again. How long are we going to have to sit here now." My son looked at her and told her she could stay there or come in but she was to stop whining that it wasn't going to change things. Myself having raised a young girl realized his error there as nothing can be more miserable than a young girl told to not be miserable.

We went inside and wandered about for a while and then I noticed my grand daughter lingering around the front rown of shotguns. She was intently studying them and I got to wondering what her female mind was cooking up for punishment for us.

My son and I got into looking at the latest offerings in the handgun case when suddenly from behind us came this little voice. "Dad, I found this." Slowly we turned and found her clutching a green painted New England Firearms Youth .410.

We ended the trip shortly after that and as we loaded the new shotgun box into the back of the Bronco, my grand daughter said. "Didn't you guys want anything?" in as innocent sounding a voice as she could muster.

My son commented on the fact that the only one who complainred about going in was the only one to bring a box out.

She loves that little .410. and Daddy and Grampy were proud to be there for her first happy sojurn into the world of Sports Shops and firearms. We thought the worst and got the best day of our lives.
 
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