Kids and Guns

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For a little while now, my 11 year-old stepdaughter has been expressing an interest in firearms, and has been making some noise about wanting me to take her to the range.

So, to kick off school vacation week, her mother and I took her to Manchester Firing Line this evening. We spent the afternoon "snapping in" at home, and headed off to MFL after dinner. She has never fired a weapon before, but was excited for her first range session. Not owning anything (yet) that was a good match for her, we rented a Beretta 84 Cheetah (.380 ACP), reviewed the fundamentals, and headed out to the lane.

Here she is at her position:

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Her first round hit in the X-ring, and she had a grin that will last her a week.

Here are the final results:

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I don't think she did too bad for a first time, right? I suspect she's going to be asking me for "her own" soon.

I couldn't be more proud.[smile]
 
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Wow, that's pretty darn good for an eleven year old; especially a first timer! It's nice to see that she wants to get involved in the sport.
 
My wife and I took our daughter for her first range trip last year ( she was 12 ). We now call it family range day. :) I can relate to pride of watching your daughter ( or son ) hit the target!
 
I can relate to pride of watching your daughter ( or son ) hit the target!

I've never had a better time at the range when I didn't shoot as I did watching her put rounds on target.

And, if (when?) someday she shoots better than me, I will happily swallow my pride and be glad she's got my back.
 
That's great she's a really good shot for a first timer and that young. I can't wait til my little boy gets old enough to go to the range I'm still trying to get myy wife to take the safety course. I want to make it into a family thing I want to get my entire family into learning about personal protection and how to properly protect themselves.
 
Good for you. My Son is 11 now and has been shooting for a few years. He is better than I am with iron sights but I keep telling myself it is an eyesight thing.[wink]

We shoot together regularly and there are several guns in the safe that are "his". His favorite is the M&P 15-22
 
THAT IS AWESOME!! You did more than the right thing, great parenting!! Every kid should have the opportunity to do this, in fact, if you wanted to bring down the potential for gun violence in inner cities, get kids to the range so they can understand firearm safety and the potential for what may happen when stupidity meets firearms. Kids starting off at 9, 10 or 11 and even younger is the way America should be.
Big +1 for you!!
 
Great job. You'd think it'd be EASY to get my 18 and 19-year-old sons to go to the range. What teenager wouldn't want to shoot guns? Nope. I've offered many times, and they'd rather sit in the basement shooting things in X-Box (call of duty, etc...). I don't get it.
 
sweet my kids are still a little young plus we have the bio father who is captain duche pants who i am sure will s a brick if the kids ever fire one. there 6 and 8 and my 8 year old has shown interest but he's not ready yet in my opinion. i'm looking at 10-12 for him. his 6 year old sister pays enough attention to probably be good to go now.
 
sweet my kids are still a little young plus we have the bio father who is captain duche pants who i am sure will s a brick if the kids ever fire one. there 6 and 8 and my 8 year old has shown interest but he's not ready yet in my opinion. i'm looking at 10-12 for him. his 6 year old sister pays enough attention to probably be good to go now.

i hear ya!!! i have a 6 year old step daughter and a 2 year old bio daughter. the 6 year old is actually already showing interest in shooting. i have been through the basics with her as far as basic safety and terminology, but she is still a bit young to shoot, maturity wise. her biological father is also a real "WINNER"...(multiple DUI's, unemployed, alchoholic, etc.)...but insists that he knows best with EVERYTHING and will argue about things just to feel like his opinion matters, when legally, it doesn't. but my problem is that my daughter will be 7 when my step daughter is 10, and my daughter will have permission to shoot at that point (if she wants to), but i'm not so sure that HE will allow my step daughter to shoot even then at 10 years old. so i can see this will be a problem when the time comes, but my decision for my own daughter is to get her involved and educated as early as possible. i was just watching videos of kids shooting AK's on you tube with the 6 year old this past weekend, and she was all pumped up!! and the fact is, people who don't shoot guns really have no idea the difference between a .22 and a .45, so it's not even worth going that route, to them...a gun is a gun.
 
[M]y problem is that my daughter will be 7 when my step daughter is 10, and my daughter will have permission to shoot at that point (if she wants to), but i'm not so sure that HE will allow my step daughter to shoot even then at 10 years old. so i can see this will be a problem when the time comes, but my decision for my own daughter is to get her involved and educated as early as possible.

I think this is all you CAN do. When your daughter is ready in your eyes, of course offer her the opportunity. As for your stepdaughter, I am constantly amazed at the amount of peer pressure siblings exert on each other and their parents. Who knows...if it's something that becomes important to her, maybe she can make the case to the other parent. Not to sound corny or cliched, but if she becomes interested later on, firearms are a right she is always going to have to vigilantly defend and advocate for. It's almost a good life lesson. Almost.

Hopefully it all works out I your favor.
 
I think this is all you CAN do. When your daughter is ready in your eyes, of course offer her the opportunity. As for your stepdaughter, I am constantly amazed at the amount of peer pressure siblings exert on each other and their parents. Who knows...if it's something that becomes important to her, maybe she can make the case to the other parent. Not to sound corny or cliched, but if she becomes interested later on, firearms are a right she is always going to have to vigilantly defend and advocate for. It's almost a good life lesson. Almost.

Hopefully it all works out I your favor.

i hope so as well....she already has no problem telling her father "otherwise", so maybe when the time comes she will convince him, but who knows. i fully agree that the kids should be involved, if they are interested, with handling and shooting firearms under responsible adult supervision.
 
A family that shoots together stays together - very nice that you included her into your hobby and that you are teaching her young.
Enjoy and be safe.
 
Spent Sunday at the range with my buddies and the their lil ones 7, 8 and 15 , had a great time couldn't get the youngest to put down the m&p 15/22 ( she shot clays "cheap exploding targets" like a pro at 100yards!)

sent from my truck while driving down 95 in the high speed lane doing 55
 
Spent Sunday at the range with my buddies and the their lil ones 7, 8 and 15 , had a great time couldn't get the youngest to put down the m&p 15/22 ( she shot clays "cheap exploding targets" like a pro at 100yards!

Most excellent!

Thanks all for your positive comments. I've passed many of them along to her, and she is very happy to know that the shooting community is impressed with her first efforts.
 
Most excellent!

Thanks all for your positive comments. I've passed many of them along to her, and she is very happy to know that the shooting community is impressed with her first efforts.

Now think you have a good reason now to fill the safe with more toys!

sent from my truck while driving down 95 in the high speed lane doing 55
 
I'm so jealous, icepik!

I offered my 13-yo daughter to take her to the range with me a hundred times. Nah. She has ZERO interest in firearms. "It's a guys' thing, and I'm a girl", she keeps saying, "I'd rather do ballet".
Showing her pictures of cool chicks with guns didn't work. Neither did scary stories. "What if a bad guy grabs you?" - "I'll just scream and run away".

If only Aeropostale sold guns or holsters, that could have worked as she'll wear anything with "Aeropostale" on it, but I'm not seeing anything gun-related in their catalog.

Any ideas to get her interested?
 
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