Took my youngest to the range for the first time tonight. His take “It freaked me out.”
We spent a little time at the house talking about the rules of shooting.
#1 Always treat the gun like it is loaded.
#2 Only point it at something you are willing to destroy.
#3 Don’t put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to fire.
I showed him how to check the gun and know if it is loaded. I tried to teach him how to load a clip, but he never really was able. He could get the first one in, but not any more. Any tips on that? He’s 13 and I believe he has the physical strength to at least load some.
Should say all of this was done with my Walther P99, 9mm Semi-auto. Which might have been a little big for a first shoot, but it was what we had.
He had a more than healthy respect for the gun. He was afraid. After I showed him how to hold the gun, I loaded up 1 round and gave him the gun. He fired it and from then on was very tentative. At more than one point I had to order him to fire.
He’s a good kid I’m sure he’ll grow to like it. I’m going to take his brother another night.
I have this belief that it is the role of a father to help you face your fears, and that’s what I’m going to do.:)
how old was he?
He’s 13
Oh, give him time. He’ll get the hang of it.
Do you have a .22? It is a much better caliber to start with. Take him out with a rimfire rifle and a 500 pack of ammo from Wal Mart for some serious plinking. . . .cans, sodas (warm Sams Cola makes a great target), eggs, pin balls, trees, squirrels, whatever. just get him out and let him fire away. He’ll love it. Move on from the .22 rifle to a .22 handgun and then once he is used to it and ready step up to the centerfire rounds.