When our first daughter was three years old we sat down together and read the Eddie Eagle comic book on firearms safety for children . The Eddie Eagle program is simple ; it consists of four basic rules on what to do if a child finds a gun :
Stop . Don ’ t touch it . Leave the area . Tell an adult !
The lessons from that comic book were put to the test less than a year later . My daughter and I were visiting at the home of an old friend . He had a daughter a few years older than mine . The girls were happily rummaging through the toy box in one of the bedrooms while my friend and I chatted in the living room .
My daughter came into the living room and told me , " Daddy , there ’ s a gun in the toy box ." We went and looked . Sure enough , she was right . There was an old wooden cork-and-string toy rifle in the toy box . A pop-gun . The Eddie Eagle comic worked .
When my daughter was about six , I purchased an Airsoft pistol . Airsoft guns are plastic , springpowered pistols that fire a 6mm plastic pellet at anywhere from fifty to a few hundred feet per second . This pistol was on the lower end of that range .
I used that pistol to teach my daughter the Four Rules of Firearms Safety . I taught her how to aim and operate the pistol . I also taught her to wear eye protection around firearms , even for an Airsoft toy gun . We added a Red Ryder BB gun to the collection a few years later . When she was ten , we added a single shot Crickett . 22 rifle .
We repeated the rules when we shot together . We reviewed the safety rules each time we added a new gun . We reinforced safety habits with spring powered toy guns before we introduced firearms . She has only swept me once with the muzzle of an unloaded . 22 pistol . She made that mistake once , and never made it again . We practice the rules because we ’ re not perfect .
My daughters were allowed and encouraged to shoot any gun in the collection . We went to the shooting range together . Both girls are now in their mid-teens . They ' ve shot a wide variety of handguns , shotguns , and rifles . When they come of age they will each receive a semiautomatic rifle and a pistol .
Guns in our home were never treated like forbidden fruit , hidden away from the children and imbued with an aura of mystery . Guns were treated as tools . They were kept secured but were used safely under supervision .
The girls helped me clean them after they were used . My daughters knew that any time they wanted to examine one of the guns , all they had to do was ask . I would open the safe and hand them the ( always verified ) unloaded gun . They were taught how to safely handle a gun . If they wanted to shoot it , we would make a trip to the range at the next opportunity .
How young is too young an age to learn about dangerous tools ? If your child can understand the lesson , then they are old enough to begin learning about firearms safety and their appropriate use .
Children are impulsive and extremely curious . That leads to dangerous accidents when combined with ignorance about firearms . Firearms safety is an ongoing process . Safety habits must be repeatedly exercised until they become ingrained .
Be open . Be honest . Supervise closely .
Shoot a cantaloupe on the range one day to demonstrate what a bullet can do to a living creature . Make target shooting fun . For a child , it ’ s not about making the smallest possible group . It ’ s about making the bright orange elastomer bowling pin spin on the cross beam .
If you as the parent are unsure about the topic , get trained ! Take a class together . Read a book . A quick Internet search should yield a list of authors and books on gun safety and the NRA can point you towards certified local instructors .
My personal belief is that the use of firearms is the right and privilege of every responsible adult , and children should learn about that responsibility before they become adults .
So , stay safe , have fun , and exercise your right as an American citizen while helping your children learn to do the same . We will all be safer for it .