IMO There is no special age. Before a kid gets their own gun they should...

Be able to hold and shoot a (the) gun without any help.

Show that they know and understand basic firearms safety.

And be old enough to understand what dead means, and that dead is dead there's no second chances.

Depends on the kid... And the parent.

Great post....my son is almost 4 and I can't wait to get him started, this thread made me think about the whole thing and make sure it's the right time for him and not dad!

Man I here all these stories about bein 3 and 4 and gettin your first gun!

Most kids are still dumpin in their pants, and dont know enough words to ask about a gun at that age. I think there is almost as much BS goin down here as in the long range shooting post.

And for all you gus who say I got my first gun at age 3 or 4 and your fifty now... I dont think you can really remember... can you?

This is all just my opinon, but there is no way a 3-4 year old is walkin around with a gun without slaming the barel in the door, dropping it when he sees something cool to play with, wakin his brother with it... and the list goes on.

I was thinking of buying my son a 22 for his 6th birthday . Just wondering if thats too young. I cant really remember how old I was when I got my first gun but I was pretty young. Is 6 too young?

Just wondering if you were mommafied (spent more time w/ mom and less time w/ dad due to work or whatever kept him away from home)? Not trying to start anything. Just courious when I read your post it reminds me of what a kid would think that never grew up in a hunting and shooting family. Most have to learn on his/ her own at a much later age on their own or w/ a friend that has been hunting for awhile. I have friends that never hunted till they were in their 20's.

Just wondering if you were mommafied (spent more time w/ mom and less time w/ dad due to work or whatever kept him away from home)? Not trying to start anything. Just courious when I read your post it reminds me of what a kid would think that never grew up in a hunting and shooting family. Most have to learn on his/ her own at a much later age on their own or w/ a friend that has been hunting for awhile. I have friends that never hunted till they were in their 20's.

redchevy, Some of us are of a different generation than you(I guess). I'm 68 and my memory isn't all that clear on the exact year when I stopped crapping my pants. I never had a BB gun. However, I was raised on a farm and was toting a single shot 22 when I was 5 or so. Being gone for hours with a 22 didn't seem to bother anyone in those days. After all, I could keep both ends off the ground. But then, driving a grain truck or sitting a tractor all day at 10 didn't get anyone all that excited either. Child Protective Services wasn't around in those days to make sure we weren't abused by having to work or have fun. Horses, cows and farm machinery were a lot more dangerous than guns.

Early hunting was jackrabbits and quail. Yep, with a 22, by myself, at about age 6. I didn't really get to go deer hunting until I was 22. There was a pretty significant shortage of them around the plains of Muleshoe. I bought my first shotgun at about 11 or 12 (I guess). It was a single shot 12 ga and, as I recall, it cost about $15. We hunted quail 12 months of the year. No adult supervision because CPS just wasn't around to tell people what was good for them. All of the farm kids grew up shooting and I don't recall anybody ever getting hurt with a gun.

I got my Grandson his first BB gun when he was 3. However, he didn't get to actually use it until he could identify everything on the gun. That didn't take long and he was soon out in the back yard shooting at cans. His first 22 came at 5. He is now 12 and has a 243, 222, 20 ga, a couple of 7.7 Japs, a 6.5 x 55 Swede, 3 22's, and a 22 pistol. However, he doesn't shoot unless I'm with him. He is very mature and wants to take the Hunters Safety Course this year. However, he says that he still wants me with him for a couple more years. He's killed 4 deer, a hog and a Ram. The first deer came when he was 6 and the hog came at 7.

Bottom line is that it's about the Kid and his or her maturity level. Most Kids these days aren't raised like we were WAAAAY back when. I expect some of the other old goats here could tell the same type of story.