A man, a boy, a handgun.
When I met Jeff one of the things I knew I wanted in a man, and loved about him, was his natural draw to the outdoors. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not very “outdoorsy” myself. While I do relish being outdoors at times, if I have “free” time, you’ll usually find me behind a computer screen, reading a book, or begging my husband to take me out for mexican food, margaritas, and a movie. I’m working toward being less sedentary in 2010, but my bend is to move my mind a bit more than my body.
That said, you have to admit the winter necessitates more sedentary activity anyway! Right?! So if you’re looking for me…cast your eyes to the living room – I’m the one in front of the fire, draped with a blanket, drinking coffee. There are many things I find more intriguing than freezing in a deer stand in the early morning, or chasing my husband around a lake in the summer with a fishing pole, or two, or three.
That said, there are also few things I find anywhere near as intriguing or attractive than my love – the man who loves to hunt, fish, and “be” outside. I love when Jeff comes in from hunting or fishing – he smells…like a man. Not that I want to deeply inhale the smell of gutted fish or deer, but just knowing that if we needed it? – he could feed us…there is something inherently appealing about that.
With that in mind, you can understand why it brings me great joy to watch my husband teach my son the proper use and respect of a handgun. Now, I realize some of you are saying, “How old is Kenny?” because you may think it inappropriate to put a weapon into the hands of a seven year old. We disagree. We think it is wise to teach gun safety to a seven year old; so he both knows and understands that guns are weapons, not toys, and he can request to go out shooting with his Daddy when he wants to…as opposed to trying to sneak a look at an “off limits” gun and badly injuring or killing himself or another.
That’s how we roll. You may do it differently – that’s why we all have our own kids to raise.
With every able bodied person to the side and slightly behind them, Jeff works with Kenny on how to set up his shot. Kenny is already familiar with BB guns, but has a proper respect for his daddy’s firearms, which he recognizes are a totally different category altogether.
Earplugs in, paper plate targets at the ready, Jeff pulls back just enough to let Kenny pop off the shot.
I love that he’s not afraid; that he doesn’t close his eyes – that he follows through.
Uncle Lorne walks to check the shot with Kenny; looks like he hit the tree, but not the plate.
A bit more instruction from Jeff and Kenny is ready to go again…
Jeff leaves Kenny to walk out and check the shot – sure enough… Kenny hit the plate on the second shot. Which, I’d like to point out was much better than me! Let’s just say if I aim for your head, I’ll shoot you straight through the chest. I’ve got to work a bit on my vertical, eh?
I found it amusing that Jeff couldn’t stop giggling over Kenny’s shot; let’s just say DADDY WAS PROUD. Wanting to see the shot for himself, Kenny runs up to check the shot.
And then, in typical male form…he starts talking smack.
“I knew I could hit that plate. I mean seriously…its a plate – how hard is THAT? When I was a little kid…” (and that’s when I hoot and holler…I can never hold back the laughter when my seven year old begins any sentence with, “When I was a little kid…”)
And he doesn’t stop there, “I think I’m ready to start shootin’ squirrels or deer OR SOMETHING!”
Uh huh…of course you are son…right after you get to skin a few with Daddy and pack the meat for the freezer. When you’re ready to do THAT, then – and only then, are you ready to hunt.
He might be a sharp shooter, but I get a feelin’ he’ll stick with BBs a while longer.
14 have spoken up.
makakona
my husband is a police officer and we have guns in our home, along with four small children. one of the last things they taught him (and me!) at his academy was about children and firearms. you’re doing the exact right thing. if you take the mystery and intrigue out of the gun, it drastically cuts the chances of kenny or the girls ever wanting to “play” with one. our two rules are:
1) if you EVER see a gun, you immediately leave the room and go tell a grownup. we go through scenarios: “what if tyler says it’s okay because his dad lets him?” “what if it’s your cousin and you trut them and don’t want to leave them?” in all cases, the answer is RUN and TELL. the added incentive is that we’ll get them ANY toy or thing they want if this happens. seriously, i’ll pay for a trip for six to disneyland if my kid leaves a gun.
2) if you ever want to see or touch a gun, ask mom or dad. our kids are mostly still young for this, but it’s right in line with what you’re doing. excitement is gone and reverence is taught. our friends with older kids said they would go through a period where they lived at the shooting range, but the novelty soon wore off and the kids were properly respectful.
that’s what works for us. a couple of other things… include the girls. call the local police station and see if you can bring the kids in to talk about guns. my husband does this frequently in our community. and sign them up for a shooter’s safety course asap. here, they can take hunter’s safety at age eight (which is when i took it as a kid!).
also? good job, mama. make sure you get out and practice, too, so that you’re comfy handling it if needed.
Kate
I’m with ya, OMSH! My dad is a hunter and gun enthusiast/collector, so we always had guns in the house growing up – and NOT in safes. We were taught from a very early age to respect them and how to check if they were loaded and the safety was on. I started shooting my dad’s .22 at age 9 and was a crack shot at 25 yards.
My son is 7 now also, and last summer he was introduced by his daddy and two grandpas to the .22 single-shot rifle. He took it very seriously and listened to what they had to say. And before long, he’d put one right thru a bottle cap at 25 yards (with no scope). Needless to say, everybody was pretty proud.
Whether or not my kids grow up to be hunters, they need to know how to handle a gun safely. Period.
karen
Chris and I are a no-guns household, including gun toys. I come from a background of hunters, enough of whom have been accidentally shot in the leg for me to recognize that it’s time for my family to accept that meat comes from the butcher!
I admire your devotion to gun respect and safe use and agree that the earlier a child is schooled in proper use and care, the better. Obviously, not every seven year old would be ready to take up a gun but when your child is ready, getting a gun into his hands in a supervised way is absolutely necessary if they might gain access to guns around your house (locked cabinets are only locked until kiddos know where the key is kept…). Kudos to you and Jeff for diligence!
P.S. I do miss venison… :)
Elizabeth
We started teaching our daughter about gun safety at age 7 as well. She took a class and has also been going to the range with Daddy over the last few months. While I am not personally a gun fan, I agree that she needs to learn to respect them and also learn how to handle one properly. I don’t want her curious about them and try to find answers on her own (Not that she could get ahold of one of them, they are very well secured…yes, there’s a trigger lock, but before she could get that far, she’d have to access it in the safe that isn’t secured with a key).
They like having the kiddos at the shooting range. She likes to wear her camo pants and boots. LOL!
mamalang
We have the same philosophy. Our girls have never really had an interest in shooting, but I learned at a young age. Our son also just turned 7, and he will be going to the range soon with my husband. I still chuckle about the time my husband took me to the range a few years ago. I’m not going to kill you, but I will harm you if you threaten myself or my children…and he now understands that I DO know how to shoot.
But I’m with you, I prefer the mind pursuits more, but love that my hubby enjoys outdoor activities.
Mrs Dreamer
Amen to you, OMSH and to the rest of you gals. It’s not inappropriate at all. Mr Realist and I were both raised in households with guns – you learned how to handle yourself around them when we were out shooting for target practice; that they were not to be played with or shown off to friends (because back in the day, safes were for rich people and safety locks were almost unheard of); and dead was very, very dead. We don’t plan on having children, but if we were to, they would take all of the safety courses available when they are of age, and Uncle Josh or Great-Aunt D would be more than happy to show them around their respective police departments (one city, one state).
We have several firearms in our home. While I’ve never personally owned a gun, to my surprise, Mr Realist bought me a pistol for my big Christmas present this year! I’m so looking forward to firing it for the first time, learning to take it apart and clean it, and knowing everything about it so that I (along with any guests in my house) am staying safe. Next acquisition: shotgun. And a resounding YES! I have a FOID card – one of the additions to getting my name changed after we got married four years ago.
Besides, Mr Realist might have qualified Nationally when he was younger, but I’m a better shot with a pistol than he is! :)
Naomi
being canadian, hand guns in the house is not a normal thing. so i didn’t have to worry about boy encountering a friend’s dad’s gun. however we are a country of vast wilds and hunting is not uncommon. were we a hunting family (bran and i tend to be like you, huddled under a blanket with a hot cuppa and the computer – or me making jewelry or something) boy would be very familiar with the workings of a gun, proper care and storage and proper use.
it doesn’t make sense to have a firearm in the house and not teach and demystify it. it’s like having power tools and expecting a kid who isn’t taught how to properly use them, and allowed to see how they work by experience, to feel the weight, etc. to not play with them because they see dad/mom working with them.
Amy from She Wears Many Hats
We all had a round of shooting clay pigeons ourselves over the break. I actually shot a few myself – showed those guys a thing or two.
We tell our son that the only things he can shoot are things he will eat later on. He’s decided that chickens are in order for the game of the day.
Chicken fingers and dip, the ultimate hunters cuisine.
Jamie
I’ll tell you this much – Jeff is a man among men in my book. Just from your stories and meeting you and hearing you talk about him. I would trust him to teach my own kid how to shoot a gun.
Also, I understand that whole deal because my brother is a big outdoorsy guy and avid hunter. So much that he pays a hefty sum to have a hunting lease in West Texas. Eight (count ‘em – 8!) hours away from his own home. He only has daughters, but he took them hunting for the first time over Christmas. Like you said – some may not agree with it, but that’s how we roll. We’re definitely from the south! :)
hana
Here in the City of Angels, I do not have a gun and I do not hunt. But what you and the commenters discuss here above sound perfectly reasonably to me! Thank you for teaching and learning about gun safety.
Bari
Way to go! Kudos to both you and Jeff! I was a city cop for 11 years and probably brought just as many guns (or more?) to my marriage as my hubby did (his were long guns, mine were pistols, a shotgun, and an AR…LOL.
We both hunt and our 13-year-old also goes regularly. My DH (Jeff also, BTW) is meticulous about taking the kids, or any kids that want to go hunting with us, out to the range and teaching them gun safety and respect for the weapons. Our little ones won’t be shooting for a while yet as they both just turned 5, but when their time comes they will be out there also.
Thanks for the post about this subject, a very important one!
jamie
You’re blogging again!! SQUEEEEEEEE!
Btw, I have a seven year old daughter… how do you feel about arranged marriages? ;)
Leslie
I also love a outdoorsy man! I know what you mean about the smell they bring home after being outdoors….its wonderful :o)
Valerie
I’m enjoying getting caught up on your blog. My husband used to be a competitive marksman (when he was still in the Navy), and shooting has always been part of our lives. My boys (now 18 & 19) were taught about firearms and how to safely use them when they were young. Even I used to shoot in a pistol league, back before kids. Good for you and your husband for teaching your kids safety and respect! (handsome kiddo you have there!)
Comment if ya wanna.