Mom seeking safety/hunting course for kids

[Guest Davidsmom]

Ladies, I'm hoping you can help me. My husband and I have never owned guns, but we've been very serious about educating our 9-year old son David about firearm safety (don't touch, tell an adult, etc.). My brother, an avid hunter, is eager to get David out there with him next season, giving him a closely supervised opportunity to fire a hunting rifle. I really don't want to let him go without some education about how to behave around guns and handle them, and maybe some practice first. We're in over our heads. Plus, he got a BB gun for Christmas and even with all the rules about handling it we've imposed, that's making me nervous. I've scoured the internet, called a couple of gun stores ... nothing! Any ideas for me?

[Garufa]

I am not a lady, but your son is a guy, so I'm gonna put in my suggestion.

Perhaps a Hunter's Education Course is in order?

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency- Hunter Education

[Guest Davidsmom]

Thanks so much, Garufa!!

[Guest gunnutt]

not to mention hunter safety is the law,so if he hunts with anybody he will need it

[Jasongar8]

+100 on the Hunter's Education Course. This should be your first stop. You and your husband should take it with him, make it a family event.

[Deerbnb]

I am not a lady either but have a suggestion, There are events in the area hosted by the Tennessee "Young Sportsman Foundation" contact Darren Rider with the Tenn Wildlife Resources Agency his # is 615- 781-6669. They make sure the kids have a great and SAFE time. (these events are usually in Cheatham and Robertson counties) I'm sure he will suggest the hunter safety program also. I'm sure you are a great Mom alot of folks won't go to this length to ensure their kids participation and safety in something they are unfamilar with.

Edited February 20, 2011 by Deerbnb

[LagerHead]

I would like to add a suggestion that you take a couple of firearms related courses. Get yourself more familiar with guns and you will be able to feel more comfortable around them and feel more comfortable with your son around them. Or at the very least have someone you know and trust give you an introduction to their safe handling and operation.

[SamZzz]

Definitely take the hunters safety course. As others have said it is required. He can't take it until he's 10 though. You should definitely make it a family event though. Show him you are interested and learn some safety yourself. He'll get to shoot a shotgun at the end but don't worry... Someone will be there to help him.

Sent from my HTC Vision using Tapatalk

[Jonnin]

Definately go with him to learn it for yourselves. Because the next step is to buy a couple of guns to practice with, and the adults in charge have to know the rules to properly train the boy.

Gun safety can be boiled down to just 4 or 5 common sense rules that will keep you safe 100% of the time. Check the NRA site or google gun safety rules. Some of the rules are excessive if taken literally: some sites insist that you keep your guns unloaded when not in hand, which makes your home defense gun or carry pistol useless if you ever DO get into a bad situation. This is where the common sense comes into play. Other rules will say that you always point it in a safe direction: not possible if you have a rifle in your trunk for transportation; at some point on the road its going to point at someone, period, and here again common sense is all you need (action open, double and triple checked that its not loaded). If you just follow those (usually 10 or so rules) with a healthy dose of common sense, you will be fine.

[dlm37015]

Davidson County Sportsmens Club does one about every month. they have a web site if you can't get what you need from that then feel free to contact me

[Mad_Squirrell]

Id also like to add even though its about a month late. Your sons first introduction to firearms should not be at the hunters safety course . The safety course provides good information but it is probably best that your son have some basic knowledge and had some experience shooting first . The course that I took had us shoot a .22 rifle from a bench and a shotgun at clays to demonstrate safe handling procedures .If he has had no experience shooting a real rifle or shotgun it may take him by surprise. Learning how to fire a gun is usually taught by a mentor(friend or family) first before taking a class . The Hunters safety class is a requirement for all hunters to legally hunt in the state But shouldn't be relied upon to give first introductions to firearms and firearms safety .

[Mdunntn]

Id also like to add even though its about a month late. Your sons first introduction to firearms should not be at the hunters safety course . The safety course provides good information but it is probably best that your son have some basic knowledge and had some experience shooting first . The course that I took had us shoot a .22 rifle from a bench and a shotgun at clays to demonstrate safe handling procedures .If he has had no experience shooting a real rifle or shotgun it may take him by surprise. Learning how to fire a gun is usually taught by a mentor(friend or family) first before taking a class . The Hunters safety class is a requirement for all hunters to legally hunt in the state But shouldn't be relied upon to give first introductions to firearms and firearms safety .

Yeah I would get him familiar with a shotgun. My uncle took me to my hunters safety when I was 10 and i had never shot a shotgun. I remember stepping up to the shooting line and being terrified of it.

[Guest Spurhunter]

The course in Hamilton county is a joke. You only shoot a crappy daisy bb gun indoors. Good thing my daughter could already outshoot most folks there by the time I took her.

[Murgatroy]

It has been twenty years since I took the Hunters Safety Course, but they had us shoot clays, I think we all got three shots, and our choice between 12ga and 20ga.

I hit all three of mine.

I would suggest knowing a wee bit before going, but even if you don't, they will give you a quick crash course.

[Guest blackbeltchick]

I hope all of you take a safety course on how to shoot. You never know when you may need to save a family member, or a friend. IMO

[Grunt67]

If he's going hunting, as said before, the Hunters' Safety Course is mandatory. After that he can take it further if desired or needed, elsewhere. You can start with gun safety

at home.

[gjohnsoniv]

Hunters Safety is a great start, especially if you take it out at Volunteer Rifle and Pistol Club. Lots of great and friendly people out there.

[TN Outlaw]

where i went to middleschool we had to take a Hunters safety coarse

[Jonnin]

Ladies, I'm hoping you can help me. My husband and I have never owned guns, but we've been very serious about educating our 9-year old son David about firearm safety (don't touch, tell an adult, etc.). My brother, an avid hunter, is eager to get David out there with him next season, giving him a closely supervised opportunity to fire a hunting rifle. I really don't want to let him go without some education about how to behave around guns and handle them, and maybe some practice first. We're in over our heads. Plus, he got a BB gun for Christmas and even with all the rules about handling it we've imposed, that's making me nervous. I've scoured the internet, called a couple of gun stores ... nothing! Any ideas for me?

Did not read the replys but some sources:

take the boy to an official hunter's ed safety course. It is designed for someone about age 10 anyway, is required to be able to hunt (required for a liscense), and its full of good safety tips.

check the NRA site for eddy the eagle -- a gun safety program for kids via a silly cartoon guy.

also learn the real rules for gun safety. You will google and find sets of 3,4, ..... 10 .... 15 rules and so on but it really can be summed up in 3-4 rules for adults.

Here is a version of 4 that is really good:

1. The Gun Is Always Loaded!

2. Never Point A Gun At Something You're Not Prepared To Destroy!

3. Always Be Sure Of Your Target And What Is Behind It!

4. Keep Your Finger Off The Trigger Until Your Sights Are On The Target!

For kids, what you said is great:

1) do not touch it

2) tell an adult that you trust

However, at 9, he is starting to get beyond that. Those are more for a 3 year old and totally inappropriate by age 12 or so.

As a non gun person, please understand that the news hypes gun accidents and incidents in rediculious ways. Guns do not fire unless multiple safety rules are violated. Take the rules that I listed. In order to have an incident, a person must have a loaded gun and then proceed to point it at something they were not willing to destory (usually a person!), have no idea of their target (or not care!), and pull on the trigger. Pistols, which are the most common source of problems, do NOT fire unless the trigger is pulled, in general. A few antiques will, and defective ones may, but functional, modern pistols are designed to be safe if dropped, even slammed, and are quite difficult to discharge by accident (pulling the trigger is not an accident, its negligence or intent). Long guns can fire if dropped super hard and must be given an extra level of respect. You will see this in the hunter safety course --- but basically, open a long gun, expose the chamber (that is where the bullet lives) to prove that it is empty, and keep it open and empty during handling.

So, in short, if you can keep the kid from pulling on the trigger and pointing the gun at people (and houses, cars, pets, etc) it will be ok. A lot of gun people are paranoid and consider a gun to be pointed AT them if the person is in an 180 degree arc of the muzzle. This can get them riled up, so be aware that what YOU think is pointed AT something and what the other guy things may not be the same. Even I get in trouble with that one sometimes