For many parents, the idea of teaching their young one how to safely hold and ultimately use a gun can be a tough call.
On the one hand, they want their teen son or daughter to not only learn how to use a gun for hunting or self-defense purposes in the home, but also how to come to respect the weapon.
On the other hand, they know that even the slightest mistake can lead to injuries, some of which can prove fatal.
With that in mind, properly teaching your teen on how to use a gun can be one of the most important tasks you will have in raising a child.
As many parents have discovered over the years, the gun safety and usage lessons they have passed along to their children have been quite worthwhile, even saving their own lives at some point and time.
If you are thinking about teaching your young how to shoot, where exactly do you start?
Teaching Gun Safety Correctly from Day One
So that you are best able to educate your teens on how to properly use a gun, keep these tips in mind:
- Safety
First and foremost, teens must always recognize the importance of gun safety.
Unfortunately, you’ve likely read or seen stories on the news, stories where a youngster (in some cases only a few years old) got their hands on a gun, ending with tragic consequences.
Make sure that you teach your teen not only how he or she should hold a gun, but also how to safely store their weapon.
Using a pistol holster when carrying the weapon, to securing it in a locked cabinet at home, the gun should never be left sitting around on a table etc.
Also make sure your teen carries an unloaded gun at all times, except of course for when they plan to use it.
Finally, remind your teen again and again to never leave ammo sitting around the home either, especially when there are younger children around. Even if the youngster doesn’t find the gun belonging to the ammunition, he or she could easily pick up a bullet and put it in their mouth.
2. Shooting
As many parents have found out, it is best to take your teen to a shooting range when he or she is ready to learn the proper usage of a gun.
At some ranges, they will specifically have courses designed for younger shooters, allowing your teen to not feel intimidated by a bunch of adults standing around him or her firing their weapons.
Once your teen has been properly instructed on how to load a gun, he or she should not feel pressure to have to nail the target time and time again. In many instances, they will miss rather handily, but that is to be expected until they feel comfortable with the weapon.
When it comes to that weapon, they should use one that not only sits comfortably in their hands, but does not have too big of a recoil when fired. If it does, it could scare them away from wanting to fire the weapon moving forward.
3. Home
Last but not least, you hope your teen never has to use the gun in the home to defend not only themselves, but other family members.
In the event, however, that situation does arise during a break-in etc. make sure you’ve instructed your teen how he or she should react.
One of the most frightening experiences for a teen can be when their parents are not at home, leaving them home alone or with other siblings in the residence. If an intruder attempts to enter the residence, will your teen be ready to defend the property?
Teaching your teen how to use a gun can be difficult for some parents, but many others look at it as a rite of passage, somewhat akin to learning how to safely drive a vehicle.
When you’re ready educate your son or daughter on guns, take all the time you need (and they need) to do it properly for everyone’s sake.