Originally Posted By: pyscodogIMO, for what its worth, being able to shoot a good group has nothing to do with safety whether you are 8 or 88. We have grown men that come to our club and still shot holes in the roof. How a person/child handles a weapon while its unloaded can tell you what you need to know.
Good point, Bill. When my son was about 5, he started showing interest in my guns when I would come in from hunting or shooting. Guns were locked in a cabinet as soon as they were cleaned, but I always told my son that any time he wanted to look at or hold a particular firearm, just tell me and always made time to do so. That satisfied his natural curiosity regarding firearms. I would intentionally leave the guns out and watch him to see if he tried to handle without asking first, and he never did. Of course, he was taught the safety aspects every time he handled one and was always under my critical eye whenever he used a firearm until I was satisfied that he could safely handle a gun on his own.
Regards,
hm