There’s a great Op-Ed in the Dallas Morning News by a guy who is teaching his five year old daughter about guns.
My little girl is growing up. That very special change is coming in her life. She is about to blossom into a new stage of maturity. As a father, I have to face facts.
She’s 5 now; it’s time to buy her first gun.
My daughter is a month away from eight, and she’s been learning about guns since she could crawl.
First it was “Don’t Touch!” Which she has never violated.
Then we moved on to BB guns and Airsoft.
She has her own BB rifle, the classic Daisy Red Rider. We set up targets in the back yard and plink away for hours. We both love the time we spend together, and she is learning valuable life skills like patience and self discipline.
Even if you’re anti-gun, it’s important to teach your kids about gun
safety. Kids are naturally curious, and if they’re untrained they might misuse a found firearm with unfortunate consequences.
Colonel Cooper’s four rules are the basics:
1. Guns are always loaded.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not prepared to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
4. Be sure of your target. (And what’s behind it.)
Good for you and her. That’s the way to ease a new shooter into the sport and knowledge of guns. Go Dad!
This is an especially close to my heart issue. I have 3 kids, a son and 2 daughters. I took my son to the range where we both took gun safety courses. I thought it was a good idea for him and I took it also to enjoy it with him.
We went to the range afterwards since it was indoors. I learned alot too.
2 weeks later I took my daughters. Age 18 and 8 yo. They both were excited. Afterwards, my oldest said she glad to learned how to shoot but it wasn’t something she would pursue. That’s fine.
Now my youngest, wow she was a great aim. And she respected the guns. And loved it. Had a great time with all my 3 kids and the mrs. Unfortunately my wife and eldest daughter didn’t really have any feelings towards shooting any more.
Now the fun part. A few weeks later, had the in-laws over and told the story. Boy they were freaked and livid that I would teach a young child only 8 yo about guns. Knuckleheads and die hard leftist liberal fanatics. Anyway, my daughter enjoyed it, my son enjoyed it and so did I.
But through the whole training, it was always stressed that SAFETY, assume its loaded and know where its aimed is #1. And they learned that a handgun s not a toy. Its like any other piece of machinery or equipment that needs to be handled correctly and with respect.
I am not a crazy. I like target shooting. Never had and still do not have any desire to shoot another human being. And Im sad to say that once in my life I actually had to draw my weapon on someone. To this day , I can say there are 6 people alive because my handgun was out before theirs. I owed a restaurant, long story but these criminals were released for “good Behaviour”, and came in to rob us their 2nd day out of prison. One served 9 years for Homicide -Murder. Being the “good boy” in prison, they released him on parole; he showed up at my business. Luckily I didn’t have to shoot, but they went back to prison, after other circumstances to the story happened.
Hats off to those who teach their family. Because as I was told and do believe, that it will be us,
Those who fear God, believe in freedom and the 2nd amendment will be those that the “others” will depend on when we are needed.