22 single shot Winchester 67 with shorts at 5.
Same 22 with long rifle at 6. Hunting with Mom or Dad at 6. Killed one squirrel with mom. Had to clean it and eat it.
Free access by age 8. I read the post above where kids arent developed enough to be that trusted. Maybe, just maybe.
In other posts I've told Ft. Benning was pops last duty station. At 8, I'd thrown a live hand grenade.... fired a belt fed Browning 1919. Under some serious supervision..... fired 1911's, and at 9, went off the jump tower.
Had 8 veteran uncles, 5 WW2, 3 Korea. They made it plain if I f'd up with a gun, they would f me up. I knew enough to be afraid, to fear, them, pop, pops buddy's at jump school and ranger school.
Was real simple, do not f up with a gun. Or pay a major price. At 8 I had killed every legal game animal we could kill. At 8 pop made me put down a dog and a sick cow. With a shotgun. I saw brains splatter. Pop and his buddies looked at me and said if I f'd up with a gun, that brain splatter could be me. And repeated "Do not f up with a gun, cause if it doesnt kill you, we will..."
Yes SIRS !!!!!
Reading the posts where some of yall wer taught NRA safety rules or dont point a gun at anything you arent going to kill, yes, I got all that, and ft. Benning range rules too.
I was brainwashed by them. Safety first and always, dont miss, and dont shoot anything that doesnt need shooting, and dont waste ammo, and "GD boy, dont waste a life".
At 12 I shot a m16, a m60, a m2 50, and did a tandem jump. Peed all over pops buddy too.
I thought that was normal. Raised mine the same way, and half raised grandchildren the same way.
It's not that way with the 7 n 8 year olds around here now though. They do believe I will hold them down in the bath tub until the bubbles stop if they so much as touch a gun without permission.
And some of you that haunt "what's your view" see the children with deer and hog pics posted. We are doing something right here. Our kids mind us, mostly out of respect, some out of fear, but when it comes to guns, they know there is zero tolerance for a f up.
They are taught early about dead people, dead animals, and good dead and bad dead.
Works for us. And I well know our way isnt well liked by a bunch around us, school especially. But, f them.... we will continue our way of life until we die of whatever.
I like this topic posting and reading some of your responses, it let's me know some of you better, and maybe respect a few a bit more.