Firearm for a Six-Year-Old

Even a six-year-old can probably handle a .22.

I sure wouldn't put a full-sized weapon in a six-year-old's hands (okay, I wouldn't even put a BB gun in six-year-old's hands) but I think the average six-year-old could probably fire a heavier handgun without losing control of it. That is, it's physically possible. Doesn't mean it's actually something he'd be physically and psychologically equipped to do other than as a "Hah hah, check out why my kid can do!" stunt.

(Note also: Smaller handguns have a bigger kick. So if you describe the kid firing a tiny purse gun because it fits in his hands, you're going to have to remember that those actually are actually harder to control.)

There are plenty of kid-sized .22 rifles, like the Cricket.

That kid in the first video is shooting a 1911-pattern pistol, but it doesn't sound like a .45. He's got great range awareness though.

I could see a 6-year-old shooting a Ruger Mk II pistol in .22. Maybe a single action .22 revolver, too. But most kids that age aren't going to have the strength to pull a double-action trigger all the way through the cycle.

I first learned to shoot at 6 using a .22 rifle. My father also brought along a 30-30 that he and my older brother (9 at the time) would shoot in addition to the .22. I remember asking to shoot the 30-30. Once I had the hang of the .22 my father let me try it, but I didn't care for the additional recoil. I fired one round and then switched back.

Six years old, in many parts of the US, is a common age for a boy to start shooting dad's or grandpa's .22 rifle, .410 shotgun or .22 pistol. Or Mom's for that matter. In many countries, six is an age where an AK47 or grenade launcher might start to be appropriate.

"There's no way you fired your dad's 12 gauge."

"I shot grandma's shotgun, and it's a Savage!"

"It's also a .410 shotgun, about as much kick as my old pellet gun."

"Well, I shot her Ruger revolver too."

"Her big one or little one?"

"It was big. It had ten shots."

"That's her .22. My Glock is a .45 and might break your wrist."

"I thought your Glock was a nine."

"A 9mm I might let you try, but not the .45 I carry."

"When can I shoot it?"

"Maybe when you're as old as your sister."

Jeff

I was actually at the range today, went through about 400 rounds between my wife and I. The next lane over ,however, was a man and his daughter who looked to be just about six or seven years old doing this very thing. She was begging to fire a 1911 and he kept telling her it was too big. He did let her shoot an mkII though, and she did pretty well. At 30 feet she put 10 shots center mass.

I know of many parent's who let a six year old shoot a .22 rifle or sometimes even a pistol supervised closely.

I also know of one instance where a six or seven year old wound up shooting his father in the head trying to shoot a .45 pistol with his Dad's "help."

I think the general consensus is that a .22 rifle, and maybe a pistol, is the limit. (Although I'm sure you'll find people who'll say they let their six year old shoot something larger)

For what it's worth, in a lot of areas in the US, introducing children to firearms is simply a family tradition. It's likely that the child will be growing up with firearms in his or her future, hunting, protection on the ranch or shooting sports. I was introduced to firearms the same way I was introduced to a hot stove, the lawn mower, driving and many other facets of everyday life. And, since firearms were not a mystery, and I was allowed access with dad there, much as with accessing the barbecue grill or first driving lessons, there was never a curiosity to poke around in the closet to play with a gun.

In many other areas of the US, a firearm in the house is not traditional and parents would shield their kids from any reference to one. No cowboys and Indians, cops and robbers or army men on the front porch. Certainly never a chance to touch, or often even see, a firearm, let alone shoot one.

This dynamic can make for some great inter-character actions in your writing. It can heighten tension, provide a driving force and change the pace of your story quite convincingly. Everything from comfort and normality to sheer paranoia surrounds firearms in the US, as anyone watching the news media after any mass shooting can see. If you can, write these feelings into your work, they are powerful and can set a character's traits off very distinctly. The sample dialogue I posted above would fit perfectly in one family and set of characters and be absurdly ridiculous in another.

And, if you've never been exposed to firearms, do yourself a great favor as a writer and as a person and stop paying attention to the TV, movie and political portrayals of firearms and do some personal research. Figure out what you need for the plot, then figure out how to write it.

Jeff

WeaselFire said:

And, if you've never been exposed to firearms, do yourself a great favor as a writer and as a person and stop paying attention to the TV, movie and political portrayals of firearms and do some personal research. Figure out what you need for the plot, then figure out how to write it.

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Yes. If you go to practically any indoor gun range/gun store, most of them will rent guns for you to try out and are usually willing to provide instruction. Even if you've never fired a gun before, it's not hard to get at least an afternoon of shooting experience.

Sorry, I did not realize you were in Canada. My condolences.

Captcha said:

There are geographic challenges to finding a gun range that would allow me to spend just an afternoon there. I'm in Canada...

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Yep, that's an issue. Might I suggest a research trip/family vacation in Orlando? Plenty of gun ranges and one that rents fully automatic weapons (Machine Gun USA) and your kids can do the Pirates of the Caribbean.

Most Canadian clubs are private, but you might try one local to you, contact them and tell them you're a writer doing research for a novel. See if they might have a member you could work with to get information and try some guns.

Jeff

Trebor1415 said:

I know of many parent's who let a six year old shoot a .22 rifle or sometimes even a pistol supervised closely.

I also know of one instance where a six or seven year old wound up shooting his father in the head trying to shoot a .45 pistol with his Dad's "help."

I think the general consensus is that a .22 rifle, and maybe a pistol, is the limit. (Although I'm sure you'll find people who'll say they let their six year old shoot something larger)

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was it last year in AZ a smaller kid ended up killing someone at a range because she couldnt handle the uzi someone let her try?

ETA: Yup,September 2014. it was a 9 year old
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...ith-an-uzi-said-the-gun-was-too-much-for-her/

Captcha said:

There are geographic challenges to finding a gun range that would allow me to spend just an afternoon there. I'm in Canada, and as far as I can tell I'd have to take a full safety course with multiple exams in order to get my license to be allowed on the range, and there's no range closer than a couple hours from my house.

So, yes, it's something I should do if I plan to continue writing books with guns. But it's not quite as simple as just spending an afternoon at it.

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Where are you in Canada? If you happen, by chance, to be near Windsor, if you cross over into the Detroit area I'll take you shooting.

Jeff had some great suggestions there!

The Henry Minibolt is a small-size, single-shot, bolt-action .22 rifle specifically geared to young target shooters. There are plenty of others out there as well.

Assuming you're talking an average size six year old who has grown up where firearms are the norm and adequate adult supervision... I would expect said kid to:

• Know basic firearm safety
• be able to handle a small size .22 rifle, or a lightweight standard size .22 with a bench rest or other support, or while lying prone (most kids this age won't have the upper body strength to properly hold a rifle in a free-standing position).
• be physically able to handle the recoil of a small or lightweight .410 shotgun - though they probably would not be able to control it well or shoulder it for long.
• be able to handle the recoil of a .22 revolver with relatively small grips (the Ruger is a good example of this). Not something I'd recommend at that age, but, whatever. Personally, I would not put a semi-automatic in the hands of a six-year old - they lack adequate grip strength to safely manage this.

The average six year old will not have the hand span to safely grip a Glock, or other larger pistol. Sure, they could get a hand on it and fire it, but not with any degree of adequate safety.

Hand size, grip strength, and the ability to handle and control the recoil are three wonderful reasons for not allowing a small child to fire a pistol.

(speaking as a kid who grew up with guns, received a .22/.410 over/under as a 10th b-day gift, and who taught her own kids to shoot at very young ages.)

Captcha said:

. It's the handguns that are completely foreign to me.

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AW member BJ Bourg has a blog he maintains that has a pretty good entry on handguns. And its not just bias because i own one of the guns he mentions. I shoot a PT92AFS and its a taurus where he uses the beretta 92 but it really is the same basic pistol.
http://rightingcrimefiction.com/category/firearms

Captcha said:

I appreciate the suggestions and the generous offer!

I'm about five hours from Windsor, not counting time for crossing the border, so not really close enough for a casual jaunt.

I have shot hunting rifles, not at a range but in the bush, so I have the basic understanding of those. (although I haven't kept close enough track of exactly what I was shooting at any given time - I know the .22 my dad would let us shoot as kids, and I know I've fired shotguns and at least one more powerful hunting rifle, but that was in pre-writing days so I didn't really pay attention to what they were). It's the handguns that are completely foreign to me.

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Are you allowed to own Airsoft pistols in Canada? If you are, I suggest you order one of the better GLOCK pistol replicas. With these the slide actually reciprocates and the controls handle like a real pistol. The HUGE difference of course is there is essentially no recoil. But, if you've fired rifles before, you at least have experienced the kick of a gun being fired before so you have some idea.

The airsoft would give you a feel for what it is like to make the gun ready to fire by inserting the mag into the pistol and working the slide. You'd also get an idea of how it feels to hold the pistol in one or two hands, how to sight the gun, etc.

I mentioned the Glock because it is so common and I know there are good Airsoft replicas. If you want one with a manual safety there are also good Beretta 92 replicas available.

Just ignore the differences, like the Co2 cartridges and the fact that loading the airsoft BB's into the mag isn't like loading real ammo into a real mag. The cost would, of course, likely be tax deductable

It wouldn't be as good as getting real hands on experience with real guns at the range but, when combined with watching some good handgun shooting videos on YouTube, would help expand your knowledge of what it's like to shoot enough to help your writing.

The barrier for a small child is going to be controlling recoil/kickback. When I was 5 or 6 my older cousins let me shoot their 30 30 shotgun. I could barely lift the barrel level with the ground. When I pulled the trigger, it laid me out flat of my back, knocked the wind out of me, bruised my shoulder. I was not happy...but it was one of the funniest things my cousins had seen in days, to judge by their laughter. A small caliber rifle or handgun could be handled safely with a little training.