Cajun:
Nice post. Let me guess, you use that .375 H&H
for those northern whitetails, right?
Them being bigger than the ones you may have been used to down Louisiana way
.
Daddog:
Sondog turned 13 this past summer and just yesterday he came up to me and asked, "Papa when could I own a gun?". I was kinda surprised by this because I don't go out much and do any shooting. I thought about it and told him I would expect him to take a hunter safty course and then at the local gun club they have a 6 week .22 course. I figured with those in his back pocket he could save up and get one. I told him he could keep it in his room, but the ammo would stay separate in my room locked away.
I keep a couple loaded guns near my bed side, but I am not about let any of my kids do that.
Other thoughts guys? What would be your prerequisites for your son to own a gun?
I don’t have a son, but I do have two daughters. My process would not have changed though, if one of them had been born a boy.
First, I had to be honest to my self and my child and ask "Are they really mature and stable enough, not simply old enough, to be having their own firearm?" and "Have there been any issues that, though they appear stable now, I should give them a little more time before we go to this?".
My two daughters spent five years with there real mother (away from me) in a less than ideal situation. They were drug around to do "mission work" in unsavory third world countries, left alone with people they barely knew, and we know that at least one of the girls was molested. There were emotional issues I had to help them deal with when they first came to live with me after I regained custody.
Prior to my first wife leaving and divorcing me (my girls were five and seven then), I was to have a few years of exposing them to responsible firearms handling.
As soon as my girls were able to carry on simple conversations, with understanding (about 5 y/o), I took them into the woods and –
1. I had a .22 lr revolver and a .357 mag revolver with me.
2. Placed a full, unopened soda can, an orange, and a medium water melon out as targets.
3. Gave my girls a short lesson on firearms safety (treat all guns as loaded, always point in a safe direction, don’t touch the trigger until you’re ready for it to go off, point only at appropriate targets [have to keep it simple and short – young minds don’t have a long attention span])
4. I allowed them to safely handle the firearms. Took the guns back, and covered their ears and eyes with safety gear.
5. I then used the .22 to shoot the soda can. POW, SPLAT, the can erupts and goes sailing. I then shot the orange. POW, SPLAT, the orange opens up and goes sailing.
6. I pick up the can and the remains of the orange. I first held a .22 lr cartridge next to their tummies so they can see how small the cartridge is next to them, and then I held the opened can and orange remains next to their tummies, explaining that is what would happen to them or someone else if they were to fire a gun at a person. Their eyes are wide.
7. Cover eyes and ears again. Fire the .357 at the melon. KABOOM, SPLAT, the melon erupts.
8. I pick up the largest chunk of melon and first held a .357 mag cartridge next to the tummies and then the melon chunk. Again explaining that this is what happens if someone gets shot. Eyes even wider now.
9. I explain that they may see and handle my guns in the future, but only if I or mom are with them and it is not an inappropriate time, such as when guests are over.
10. I re-enforce that I love them and want them to be safe around guns. I then grabbed them by their collars, raised them off their feet to my eye level and in a deep, but not loud, 1SG voice said “But if you ever touch a gun without my permission I’ll send you through the roof!”. I then let them down, hugged them, and reassured them that I love them and want them to be safe around guns. “If you want to see the guns, I or mom has to be there to give permission and be with you”.
This whole affair took maybe seven to ten minutes.
Safety was reinforced every time they and I and the guns were out for the many years after.
I never had any indication that they failed following my instructions.
If by the time they were twelve or so, they had wanted their own gun (they didn’t until they were 18 – they had mine available) I would have done similar deals as the one mentioned by Ghost – split ownership – and by you – training (by someone else) and I control access, up until they have shown that they can be trusted alone.
My Dad controlled access to my .22 rifle from the time of my being 12 up until I was 16, then it was mine to control. He was pretty easy with my access – I had to be with him or someone else he trusted, but he knew I had done well in firearms safety classes and on hunting excursions with friends.
Peace,
Friday nights (FSO) at 11 PM Eastern 
