I need some advice, my 12 year old nephew wants me to take him to the range. I had him over for a cookout last weekend and he brought his airsoft MG over for some backyard plinking. My problem is that after seeing the way he handled it, I am not sure I want to hand him a loaded gun. My impression is that he is too immature and unless I hold the gun, it might get pointed at something nobody wants a hole in. He did go to boyscout camp and fired a bolt action .22 but last weekend he was pointing that airsoft gun at his sisters and not aware of where the muzzle was pointing most of the time.
When I tried to teach him about proper handling of a gun and how to treat it as if it was loaded, he didnt seem to be paying attention. So I discussed it with my BIL and he said it would be OK to take him but just let him watch me shoot. Thats no fun for a kid, he will get bored in 5 minutes and that will be the end of the trip.
My question is this, is 12 years old, too young to consider this? Should I invite him to my house first and hand him an unloaded .22 and teach him how to handle it? I have to say, I would be a little nervous around him if he had a loaded firearm and I did not have my hand on it at all times. Maybe he is just too young at this point and needs to be a few years older before we do this, I dont want to turn him off to the whole sport but I need to see him have a little more respect for guns before I feel comfortable with this.
When I tried to teach him about proper handling of a gun and how to treat it as if it was loaded, he didnt seem to be paying attention. So I discussed it with my BIL and he said it would be OK to take him but just let him watch me shoot. Thats no fun for a kid, he will get bored in 5 minutes and that will be the end of the trip.
My question is this, is 12 years old, too young to consider this? Should I invite him to my house first and hand him an unloaded .22 and teach him how to handle it? I have to say, I would be a little nervous around him if he had a loaded firearm and I did not have my hand on it at all times. Maybe he is just too young at this point and needs to be a few years older before we do this, I dont want to turn him off to the whole sport but I need to see him have a little more respect for guns before I feel comfortable with this.