I taught my two sons (now adults in their 40's) to respect guns and all life... and their gun safety "course" started when they were just 5 years old. I taught them to respect the hunting laws even if they didn't agree with them... and to always do things ethically and with honor.
I taught them about guns and how they worked, beginning when they were just 5 years old... and then let them go with me (one at a time at first, then both went with me after a few years) when I went rabbit or bird hunting. I also had them help me do reloading... both shotgun shells and rifle/pistol cartridges. I'd always give each one a "job" when we reloaded together and showed them that their "job" was "important" to the overall success of the reloading... and I held them "responsible" to see that their "job" was done correctly and well. This taught them "responsibility" and made them feel as if they were an "important part" of whatever we were doing.
When they were 8 years old, I bought them each a Ruger Bearcat .22 rimfire single-action revolver and took them to the shooting range just about every Saturday and I watched them shoot their little Rugers at targets (clay birds)... always cautioning them about "gun safety" & insisting on them being "safety conscious" when handling their guns.
I told them they could NOT touch ANY gun at ANY time or ANY where unless I said they could... and then ONLY under my supervision, but that they could ASK me to touch a gun anytime they wished... and we'd go shooting ANY TIME they wanted to go shooting (if I wasn't at work). That took all the "mystery" out of guns for them since they could have access anytime they wished (under my supervisor, of course). After a while, they didn't even ask to handle the guns because handling them became "old hat" to the boys.
Even today, they still tell me that they never "broke" that rule when they were kids... and I don't doubt them.
I taught them how to make good shots at their targets using proper trigger squeeze as well as breath & sight control... and my job was to keep the "plunking range" where they shot their little revolvers at the gun club well stocked with clay birds for them to hit (at relatively close range... about 50 feet) and shatter. They got quite a thrill out of hitting the bright yellow and black clay birds. When we ran out of new clay birds, they'd shoot the larger pieces of the ones they had already shattered.
After they shot up several boxes of .22's in their Ruger Bearcats, I had them put their guns away and watch me shoot at the rifle or pistol range. While I was shooting, they'd stand beside me (with hearing protection on, of course) and we'd discussed gun-related things like how to squeeze the trigger, how to "hold over" the target for longer shots, how to adjust a scope to get it on target, etc. during leisurely afternoons at the shooting range.
I never took the boys to the gun club with a "time constraint" on us. This made it easy to have fun and for me to enjoy both my sons and the shooting... and for them to "connect" shooting with leisurely fun and relaxation. I never allowed anything to "rush" us when we went shooting. We took whatever time we needed to take. No "other plans" over-rode our "shooting time".
We even went in the Winter when it was really cold outside, but we'd go into the club house and have some hot chocolate, hotdogs and chili when we got too cold. Then, we'd go back outside to the range and shoot some more. We'd spend an entire afteroon there... even during the frigid weather. They never seemed to tire of it... and it was a lot of fun for me as well.
They both say that some of their fondest childhood memories are about "going shooting" and doing the hunting and reloading we did together when they were young. I loved those days too... they truly WERE wonderful.
By the time they were 10 years old, they knew more about guns, gun safety, reloading, hunting and shooting than most adult men knew... and they were better shots as well. By that age, both boys were shooting my old 3-screw Ruger Super BlackHawk .44 magnum with the 7½ inch barrel.
Of course, we "downloaded" their cartridges... using very light reloads which they loaded for themselves. While this load didn't have much "kick" in the heavy Ruger dragoon revolver, it looked as if it did in the hands of the 10 year olds... and the other men at the shooting range marveled at "those little boys who could shoot a .44 magnum". In truth, their reloaded cartridges were less powerful than even a .44 Special, but the cartridges had excellent accuracy at only 25 yards.
I bought a light-weight over/under 28 ga. shotgun with double triggers and an automatic safety for them to share and use on small game when we went hunting together. I cut the stock off to fit their shorter stature and refinished the stock and installed a soft rubber recoil pad to absorb the light recoil of the handloaded 28 gauge shells. Each son had to load his own hunting shells while I supervised and the other son helped by keeping the shot and powder hoppers filled and the automatic primer feed "full" on the shotshell reloader.
When we went hunting, one son would carry the 4½ lb. 28 gauge shotgun for a while, then it would be the other son's turn to carry it for the same amount of time. The one carrying the gun would walk next to me... the other would follow a few steps behind.
On their 12th. birthday, each son got to choose any .22 rifle he wanted as his own as his birthday gift from me... and each son still has the rifle he chose. I took them to the rifle range almost every weekend & bought them each a "brick" (500 rounds) of .22 rimfire cartridges to shoot that day. It was surprising how FAST they could shoot up 500 cartridges, but they LOVED it... and still comment about it!
They both still have fond memories of "going shooting"... and have often mentioned "those wonderful days" to me as we sat around the fireplace in my bestest hunting buddy's cozy cabin at Deer Camp up among the mountain laurel in Pennsylvania's Moshannon State Forest. Ahhhh... yes, those ARE "fond memories"... for me as well as for them.
This is the way they learned gun-safety, and learned to shoot, hunt and reload... and, today, both sons are gun-owners, still fine marksmen, automatically practice excellent gun-safety and still love to hunt. They also respect the lives of the game animals they hunt and won't take a "questionable" shot or break the game laws.
In short... they have become what I wanted & expected them to be... good hunters,excellent shots, fine outdoorsmen and successful, ethical, honorable men.
No father could "want" or wish for more...
Strength & Honor...
Ron T.
