What guns should a father give to his children?

kamagong

kamagong

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I once knew a man who believed that one of a parent’s most important duties is to prepare his children to face the world. In addition to making sure that his kids grew up strong, he saw to it that they were educated as well as exposed to the real-world. He taught his children the value of a good knife and gave each one of them a Chris Reeve Sebenza. Most surprisingly, he gave each one of his kids a pistol and rifle of his or her choosing. I’m not sure of the pistols but I know that at least one of his kids chose an AR, while another chose a Springfield M1A.

I didn’t pay much attention at the time because I was still young and foolish (I did not yet exercise my 2A right), but now that I look back I see a lot of wisdom in that man’s words. Maybe it’s the fact that my wife is pregnant with my firstborn, but I’ve been thinking quite a bit about which guns I should set aside for my children. I’m not talking about family heirlooms, I’m talking more about a basic battery of guns that I want my children to have.

I think that I will give each of my future children at least a 1911, and an AR. More than likely I’ll also get them a .22. That should be a good start I think, I know that it’s not much, but it’s more than my father started me out with. If my kids want to build a collection someday that’s fine, but they’ll have to do that with their own money. I just want to make sure that my children are equipped to face any physical dangers they may encounter.

Thoughts?
 
People should have been at least exposed to firearms and knives and similar tools and weapons. What are we without them? Naked and defenseless. We would never have become what we are (for better or worse) without these objects. And, they do represent some of the greatest technological achievements of Mankind. None of the material things we enjoy would be possible without the knife in some form. And firearms are ubiquitous in our society, so knowledge of them should be mandatory.

Andy
 
Although there are many guns that could be called a "must have", if you give your child a Ruger 10/22 today, they will give it to their own child some day.
 
I'd say that if you're looking at useful firearms, you can't pass up the 12g shotgun. I don't see a rifle as useful for any kind of self defense. Maybe if you do a lot of work out in the country side. But anyway I'd look at them if I were you.
And Ar's are nice but .30's are nicer :)
 
I still treasure the Diana .177 air rifle my father gave me for my 10th Birthday, now owned by a friend who is teaching his adopted grandchildren the basics of sight and trigger control on that same air gun.

I hope the skills they learn keep them in as good stead as mine were when I moved onto pistols as soon as I was legally able to be licensed to own one. :)
 
When we say children, do we mean under 18? Or like inheritance? If it's the latter, you give em all the guns, right ?
I would suggest some heavy duty 22s for kids that can be handed down for generations.
I got a Stephens 22-410 from my dad the he got from his.
I bought a sheridan knocabout 22 pistol to go with it.
Its a great pistol and long gun training duo. Not very accurate, but fun and rugged.
 
I've had a Ruger 10/22 since I was 12.

I recently had the pleasure of teaching my teenage step-daughter on how to use it.

I'll be damned if she wasn't a better shot with it than I am. Ahhh youth.......
 
DannyinJapan said:
When we say children, do we mean under 18? Or like inheritance? If it's the latter, you give em all the guns, right ?
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All my guns and knives will go to my future children and grandchildren. I'm talking about guns that I will hand to them the day they turn 18. At that age I will be sending them out into the world, whether it's college, the military or whatever. I want to make sure they have the tools to defend themselves.
 
I suppose if they are getting instruction from you already, then they may develop their own preferences by the time they are 18. Probably quicker to just make out a check to the nearest gun store and hand it to them.
 
I have thought about this some.

Right now, there is a 22 rifle available for the 4 oldest of my children. We will have to see how Tim develops over the years, as to whether he will have one.

1 10/22 and 3 single shots. I will be getting a 10/22 for boy number 2 soon, and as the others get older they will get them also, if still available.

I have enough Mosins to pass out when they turn 18. Shotguns maybe later. handguns must wait until 21. I like the S&W model 10 right at the moment, as wells as any sturdy single action revolver. Come to think of it, I should build each of my kids a single action while i still work at Turnbull restoration over the next several years, Lord willing.

Good thread!

Tom
 
Walosi gave me my first pistol when I was 10 years old. It was a Ruger Super Bearcat .22.

I was allowed to keep it in my room, with ammo (my own supply). I was responsible for maintaining it and would often sit and watch TV while wiping it down with an oily t-shirt (much like Wal did with his pistols). He taught me the responsibility of gun ownership with that pistol. My brother and I shared a Ruger 10/22 rifle also.

My own opinion comes from my upbringing... get them a pistol/rifle at a young age and let them take 'ownership' of the responsibilities associated with it. I knew from an early age what firearms were, what they could do, and how to properly handle, operate and maintain them. Those skills have followed me through my life and served me very well.

Walosi was a good dad :)
 
My Dad wouldn't buy me any guns, so the first gun I had as a kid was a reproduction .44 cap and ball revolver which I saved up for. My Dad had to actually "buy" it since I wasn't old enough to take posession of one.

I wrote to my Grandpa about it with enthusiasm but his response was a bit condescending. He said that when he was a kid he had a .45 Colt that fired cartridges, but other kids he knew had cap and ball guns. In his time it was a really big deal for a kid to have any gun that fired cartridges.

The main thing that .44 taught me was to take those shots carefully, because there was work involved in loading it back up. Also, cleaning the thing up afterwards was labor intensive and not optional.

Several years later (and several hundred pound of lead downrange later) I invested in an N-frame .357 magnum cartridge gun. Don't think I would have appreciated the cartridges that thing used nearly as much if I hadn't spent all that time front-stuffing the .44.
 
cliff355 said:
cleaning the thing up afterwards was labor intensive and not optional.
Click to expand...

I had a stainless steel Ruger cap and ball percussion revolver and the beauty of this gun was take off the grips and douse it in the kitchen sink full of hot soapy water (can't say my mother was too impressed) and in minutes it was clean and drying on the sink.

With my Thompson Center Patriot Muzzle Loading single shot pistol all that had to be done was detach the barrel and into the sink it went too.

Funny thing was that when I read your post the 'aroma' of shooting and cleaning them came straight back into mind, some 25 years since I last shot a BP gun. Thanks.:thumbup:
 
Any gun he feels the child has proven himself worthy to have. All lessons must be learned and demonstrated first. All laws must be known and fully obeyed.

It is not just what gun at what age, it's how resonsible is the child? I had a BB Gun at 5, a bow and arrow at 8, a shotgun at 10 and a .22 rifle at 12. I never got any of then taken away from me for mis-use.

The sherriff always saw us boys out hunting and the most he said was "did you get anything"

Times have sadly shanged. It's almost impossible to get a kid out of the house. My Grandma couldn't get me in before 10PM in the summer, and then I would try and sneak out to play somemore. I remember midnight sleigh rides and bonfires!!!
 
DannyinJapan said:
I suppose if they are getting instruction from you already, then they may develop their own preferences by the time they are 18. Probably quicker to just make out a check to the nearest gun store and hand it to them.
Click to expand...

Is there a problem with that? Teaching children to use firearms does not make them bad or turn then into criminal. It taeches the how to safe and responsible. It teaches then to think before they act due to the concequences.

My Wife and both my Daughters are avid shooters and believe in our rights to keep and bear arms. My girls are not Sheepleee.
 
ACStudios said:
Walosi gave me my first pistol when I was 10 years old. It was a Ruger Super Bearcat .22.

I was allowed to keep it in my room, with ammo (my own supply). I was responsible for maintaining it and would often sit and watch TV while wiping it down with an oily t-shirt (much like Wal did with his pistols). He taught me the responsibility of gun ownership with that pistol. My brother and I shared a Ruger 10/22 rifle also.

My own opinion comes from my upbringing... get them a pistol/rifle at a young age and let them take 'ownership' of the responsibilities associated with it. I knew from an early age what firearms were, what they could do, and how to properly handle, operate and maintain them. Those skills have followed me through my life and served me very well.

Walosi was a good dad :)
Click to expand...

Very Well Stated and I wholeheartdly agree. I had the same type upbringing on our farm and when my daughters were born I taught then the same. Respect for thee TOOL Responsibility you take on when you use it.
 
cdhumiston said:
Is there a problem with that? Teaching children to use firearms does not make them bad or turn then into criminal.
Click to expand...

I believe that it prevents crime. Kids who grow up using guns responsibly tend to continue using them responsibly.

If I ever have kids, I will start them shooting as soon as they show interest.
 
As for a battery of defensive firearms, I would go with a Glock 19, an AR-15 and a tactical 12 ga. from a purely utilitarian standpoint.

But why wait until they are 18? My dad was an avid gun collector, hunter and outdoorsman and I showed an interest in guns from the time I was little. He believed BB guns were toys that could still do damage in the hands of a young child and believed a first gun should be one that would be taken more seriously than a toy. I got my first gun when I was 10 after I had demonstrated proper gun safety for some time and completed my hunter safety course. Only then did I earn my Mossberg single shot .22. I am 41 and still have that very accurate little rifle.:D Two years later I got my first 12 ga. side-by-side which saw alot of use during my teen years during the hunting seasons in northern NJ.

Anyway, I guess my point is, why not give them their first at an early age to get them started and then buy them that extra special 18th birthday present when they reach that age?
 
We are starting our boys, 9 and 14 with a CZ Bolt action .22 rifle, and teaching them handgunning with the CZ 75B with .22 Kadette kit attached. As they progress, the Kadette kit will come off, and the 9 mm slide will go back on, then on to 1911's.
 
There's a lot of good stuff in this thread. But I think some of you misunderstood my original post. I wanted to start thinking about what I should give my kid when he turns 18, but I won't be waiting that long to teach him. There's guns in the house, so he will be taught gun safety at a very early age. I plan on taking him to the range when he turns 8 as that is the age minimum there. He will learn shooting on my CZ 452 and my Ruger 22/45. But when he goes off to college, or the military, or whatever, I plan on sending him out to face the world with at least a 1911.
 
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