First gun. What age?

[SKULLANDCROSSBONES65]

G'day.
What age were you when you got your first gun?
What age were your kids or others?
What type of gun was it?

 

[rantingredneck]

I was 9 when I got my first .22LR from my Grandfather.

My kids are 8 and 4 right now. I haven't given either of them their own gun yet.

 

[colostomyclown]

10. I first had a Red Ryder and a crossman american classic pellet pistol, but real firearm was a New England Arms .20 gauge single shot, it's still going strong today thousands and thousands of rounds later.

 

[allenomics]

Depending upon a child's maturity, size and parental support, a BB gun may be appropriate at about age seven or eight; a .22LR rifle around nine or 10, with real hands-on supervision. Just my .02.

 

[hogdogs]

My father handed me his old .410 bolt on my eighth birthday. Didn't get to keep the shells in my room until 9 though...
Brent

 

[chemgirlie]

12 y/o . Single shot .22 Marlin with a short stock for my t-rex length arms.

 

[grymster2007]

My answer didn't fit well in the choices given. My parents had no guns, so I made a couple at ~age 12. Crude affairs and I'm sure they were dangerous as holy hell, but I had no money and had to make them out of the materials at hand.

Got my first real gun at ~age 16. IIRC it was a Lorcin in .25 Auto.

My kids just used my guns until they were old enough to buy their own.

 

[Hawg]

I was three. Browning .22 semi auto. I was five or six before I could shoot it by myself. My daughter got a .22 lever action and a .410 when she was 12.

 

[troy_mclure]

i got a marlin .22 at 7, my dad cut 6" off the stock so i could shoot it.

 

[OttoJara]

Single shot 410, dove hunting at age 9

 

[Tucker 1371]

Age 7, .22LR chipmunk

Probably put damn near 100k rounds thru that thing

 

[milspec.45]

i recieved my marlin .22 at 10
i purchased my daughter a lovely pink "cricket" .22 at 6
she has put 600 rounds from the bench in the year and a half since i got it.
and she is the most safety minded gun owner i have ever met.
i don't regret not waiting, it has given us many many hours of memories, none will i ever forget.

my .02

 

[aaalaska]

Got my own 22 at age 12 [think thats when the folks could afford one] started with a red rider of my older brothers before I could hold it up without help , dad's 22 at age 8 or 9. The squirrel limit was 6 a day then and when I got my 22 dad would give me 6 cartridges after school,if I didn't have six squirrels when I got home he gave me a real funny look.Alex

 

[Regolith]

I got my first gun at 9. It was a Crossman 10 pump BB gun. After that, I pretty much just used my dad's guns for hunting and target shooting (except when I was using my BB gun), up until I moved away to go to college, and then I started buying my own guns.

 

[Shadi Khalil]

Well technically I got my first gun at the age of 5. My uncle bought me a .22 rifle for my birthday and my parents made him take it right back. I held it for all of ten seconds before it was torn from my clutches. My next gun wouldnt come till I was about 21 or 22, Taurus 617. It was a Bday gift from my GF at the time. A seven shot, 2inch, ported .357 magnum, not the best begineer gun. It also took a few trips to the range till I found out a .357 can also shoot .38's. Needless to say I developed a pretty bad flinch

 

[butta9999]

Skulls do you ask this from reading the papers lately. I ask you this because they had a write up in the Herald Sun this week.

The article was about how cycologists think children who hunt with their family at a young age are more barbaric towards animals. They showed a few photos of fathers and there young kids taking photos with quarry they had taken.

These critics think kids seeing animals die is not a good thing and will effect there adult behavour. I guess they want kids to think beef is produced on the shelf at Coles

It was quite an interesting read.

By the way i shot my first rabbit when i was 8, started ferreting at the age of 5. Think i got my first air gun at 12.

 

[SKULLANDCROSSBONES65]

G'day.

do you ask this from reading the papers lately.

No, I thought of it after reading the thread about the shooting in Germany. Comments about 'children' with guns.

The article was about how cycologists think....

cycologists ?
psychologists is the word I think you are looking for. I think they think the same way everybody else thinks!!?!
They will think whatever they get paid to think. What is their motivation?

These critics think kids seeing animals die is not a good thing and will effect there adult behavour.

'Life' will expose us to death and we need to learn to deal with it. What age do they think people should be exposed to death. Maybe the 'Do gooders' should be exposed to death.

 

[Rmac58]

I bought a S&W SS revolver at age 50.

 

[Sixer]

I think alot of it depends on how you were raised... I mean whether or not you grew up around guns or not.

I grew up in a household without guns. My parents are not anti-gun... just never owned them. Instead of going hunting or shooting, my dad and I would spend days on the golf course.

I was 27 when I bought my first gun. I'm mature enough now to realize that I was nowhere near mature enough to own a gun in college. I'm convinced that no good would have come from me owning a firearm in my early to mid twenties. Had I been raised around guns, and tought to respect them... that would be different.
It's kind of ironic. Now I'm the one taking my mom, dad, sisters, brother, and GF to the range and showing them how to handle different guns. It's a blast! (No pun intended)

Since I got into shooting it has spread throughout the family. My parents now exercise their 2nd amendment rights and even though my gf is not a big fan of guns... she is starting to come around

 

[longrifles Inc]

I say you introduce them to firearms as early as possible. Take the mystery out of the equation immediately so that a gun is no more mysterious or lust full than the TV remote.

I'd start teaching them how to use a gun as soon as they are old enough to follow simple instructions. It should be a one on one setting with no other distractions.