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  1. #1
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    Giving access to kids?

    I'm curious as to people's opinions on what age or if ever, do you give your under 18 kid the key to "his" hunting Rifle?

    We don't have a safe yet, but my son likes to keep his rifles on display with a gun rack he was given in his room. My rule is that they have to have the trigger locks on them at all times. When he goes shooting or hunting with his cousin, uncle, or my step dad, I will give him the key to the lock to take with him so the rifles can be kept locked when not being used. Then collect the key when he returns. Of course he thinks that he should have 24 hour access to the guns, but I'm finding that some adults are siding with him including his mother. Granted he is a good responsible kid that knows gun safety, but I was once a responsible teenager too and I was occasionally stupid or talked into something.

  2. #2
    MGO Member Roundballer's Avatar
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    It all "depends".

    Many a youth is trustworthy and responsible enough to have their own firearm (though legal possession is another question). But it will be the responsible ADULT that needs to make that decision. Just be sure that you are not buckling under just to avoid the pestering.

    Personally, I have had access to a rifle of some sort since I was 10. Before that, it was just a BB gun with target sights on it. Once I had proven that I could handle that, I was allowed the .22lr rifle. Once I was 15, I had my own 12 ga shotgun for deer and rabbits.

    Here is a report from just a couple of years ago about an 11 year old girl protecting herself with a shotgun from two adults who broke into her home, and it was HER shotgun that she kept in a safe that she had the ability to open!


    Life Member, NRA, Lapeer County Sportsmen's Club Disclaimer: I Am Not A Lawyer. Opinions expressed are not representative of any organization to which I may belong, and are solely mine. Any natural person or legal entity reading this post accepts all responsibility for any actions undertaken by that person or entity, based upon what they perceived was contained in this post, and shall hold harmless this poster, his antecedents, and descendants, in perpetuity.

  3. #3
    Depends on the kid, but your house, your rules. I think you are being overly generous to let him display it. Good for you!

  4. #4
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    It's never an "age" thing. it has to do with maturity. I know people that are 40 years old I don't trust with a gun. When you think they are "mature" ( responsible enough) to handle a firearm without adult supervision, then they are "old" enough to handle them on their own. That's my view on it...........Your's may vary.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Roundballer View Post
    It all "depends".

    I have seen similar news reports like that have me thinking about this in his favor. I don't have a link, but in the last few months I watched a news report about a 14 year old boy who saved himself and his younger siblings from an intruder because his parents let him have access. Two of the guns are truly his because my mom gave him a .22/.410 combo rifle to get him interested (That gun actually got me started in shooting too), and I got him a .243 for watching his younger brother over the summer. He has already bagged 2 deer with the .243.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by oldmann1967 View Post
    Depends on the kid, but your house, your rules. I think you are being overly generous to let him display it. Good for you!
    Thanks, He is proud of the firearms, shooting and hunting. Because of his interest I started shooting, but very little interest in hunting.
    I don't want to be to uptight because I believe we need to give kids the space to see what decisions they will make and screw up if it happens. I have been giving him less supervision around the guns by letting him go with his young adult cousin and not hovering when he is cleaning or handling them. It is just some mistakes with guns can't be forgiven.

    I am kind of worried about not having a safe because there seems to be an uptick in burglaries and what not around us. It is somewhat worrisome that someone could take them and do harm.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tallbear View Post
    It's never an "age" thing. it has to do with maturity. I know people that are 40 years old I don't trust with a gun. When you think they are "mature" ( responsible enough) to handle a firearm without adult supervision, then they are "old" enough to handle them on their own. That's my view on it...........Your's may vary.
    You are so right. My wife and I recently took the CPL class and I don't think half the class ever handled a firearm before. Unfortunately it got me thinking that maybe our laws aren't so strick after all.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jrbtt View Post
    You are so right. My wife and I recently took the CPL class and I don't think half the class ever handled a firearm before. Unfortunately it got me thinking that maybe our laws aren't so strick after all.
    Well that's a can of worms.
    How strict should our laws be about exercising a right? If kids can have free speech, why shouldn't they have free access to guns too?
    DISCLAIMER: Disclaimer. The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author, DrScaryGuy. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of MGO, its board of directors, or its members.

  9. #9
    MGO Member Bikenut's Avatar
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    It isn't the number of years but is the maturity between the ears.

    There is more that indicates maturity than just handling/shooting firearms. But how mature someone is in other things is an indication of how mature they will be with firearms.

    How does the kid behave in things other than firearms? Is he/she responsible in doing their chores/homework? Is he/she careful handling other dangerous things like sharp knives? Do they do stupid stuff with dangerous things to impress their friends?

    Then there is this:

    How safely does the kid handle his/her firearms when they think no one is watching?

  10. #10
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    As everyone has said it depends on maturity. It seems your son is mature enough to handle the guns by what you posted but you are still responsible for them in the eyes of the law. I would tell him that he is free to use the guns but he still needs to ask you. I would not give him the keys and explain that you are not worried about him but you want to make sure no one else finds/takes the keys and does something stupid. Since his guns are not intended for self-defense this should be acceptable.

    In my opinion, guns intended for self-defense should be stored loaded but not with trigger locks, they should be in some type of safe when not being carried. When my kids were 13, I showed them where I kept the key to my safe and what guns were kept there, loaded, for self-defense. I showed them what to do if they were ever home alone and needed to use the guns for self-defense. Fortunately they have never needed to access them for such a situation. A cheap Stack-on safe is all that is needed for this type of storage. It won't stop a thief with a battery powered Sawzall but it will keep out the curious youngster/adult.

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