To me this is an example of stupidity at an extreme. I was probably 6 years old when I first fired a .22 rifle at a range. My parents, 2 uncles and an aunt were there, and one uncle had a hold of it to make sure the barrel wasn't coming near anything that could do damage. Dad bought a single shot .410 shotgun when I was 12 and took me grouse hunting with him. In both cases these are small caliber firearms with little to no recoil. When I was in army cadets, we shot .22's and the old 7.62mm FNC1A1 rifles. When I was 14 I went moose and deer hunting with Dad, carrying a .30/30 Winchester. In all of these scenarios, I wasn't given a firearm I could not control.
I don't think kids need to learn to shoot in most cases (it can be a necessary skill in some rural settings). I think teaching them safety rules if you have a gun in your house is entirely appropriate. That's a lifestyle choice. But when teaching kids, you have to teach to their limitations, both physical and mental. These idiots trying to make little kids into militia men, it does border on criminality to me because of the safety risks to the kids and those around them. Let the kids be kids.
I don't think kids need to learn to shoot in most cases (it can be a necessary skill in some rural settings). I think teaching them safety rules if you have a gun in your house is entirely appropriate. That's a lifestyle choice. But when teaching kids, you have to teach to their limitations, both physical and mental. These idiots trying to make little kids into militia men, it does border on criminality to me because of the safety risks to the kids and those around them. Let the kids be kids.
