Airsofting Parents

[techobo]

Great comments so far guys. I am lucky to have such a large community to speak with. Keep it coming!

[longshot]

Me and my bother grew up playing with replica toy guns for as long as I can remember.
Back in the old days their were this endless supply of 'real looking ' toy guns every where we go. You name it I have seen it...that was back where we were kids growing up in south East Asia. I would say those were the grandfather period of what airsoft is today. Anything from WWII to Viet Nam era weapons and all kind of hand guns.
Come to think of it...I do think it did have some effect on us as we grow up. Thank god every thing turns out alright. We have gone to different directions, me into airsoft and my bother is a gun collector living in the States. And he actually goes to work every day with an S&W and an armored vest all paid for by his employer.

[Combine]

Definetly wait until your child is over 5 years old (like greylocks said), think of the Airsoft and Real armament discussion as "the birds and the bee's". Your child see's you as their role model, if that role model almost literally prints into their head the rules of gun safety and how you responsibly play a game, im sure you won't have problems in the future.

[Greylocks]

Originally Posted by markedman

You have no doubt forgotton the "Johhny seven"
http://www.sterlingtimes.org/politically_incorrect8.htm
I must be older then you 8)
I have 3 kids. Daughter is 14 and 2 sons 19 & 21. The sons got involved because I forced them to. It was easier to buy camo then try and build the armor suits in Warhammer 40K. I also ended up getting my Nephew involved.
Gun safety? okay maybe there have been a few "friendly fire" accidents in the house. Still fewer than the americans VS canadians.

I had one of those. But not when I was 2.

[shadow1911]

Originally Posted by Combine

Definetly wait until your child is over 5 years old (like greylocks said), think of the Airsoft and Real armament discussion as "the birds and the bee's". Your child see's you as their role model, if that role model almost literally prints into their head the rules of gun safety and how you responsibly play a game, im sure you won't have problems in the future.

Birds and the bees is right. I seen and man Handel my first real gun at age 6 not one of my most happy child hood memories. Needless to say even tho they are airsoft guns they look real. she learns what they are at 5 shes going to say to mommy every time daddy goes airsofting "Is daddy going fighting again." Toy guns with those orange things like cap guns that dont remotely look like real. That's a different story but any gun that is relatively real, dont let her see them till shes well old. like learning sex ed in school or like high school, or even better old enough to play.

Guns isn't some thing you teach your 5 year old. This coming from a guy who regrets how he was raised. The son of a man whom really did sleep with a real 45 automatic(dont know what one exactly assuming m1911)under his pillow at night. Hell I knew how to kill a man with a hand gun by age 10. But if I Had never touched that gun when i was 6. O ignorance is fucking bliss.

The fact still remains around kids airsoft and real steal will always be the same. Until they have seen first hand that you cant kill some one with airsoft. And that killing is wrong. Something I didn't get to learn until too late. My dad was my hero till I was 17. In some respects he still but not in the way that he ustobe. One way to look at it was wile most kids were watching GI Joe on TV I was being raised by GI Joe.

Please learn from my experience as a child whom learned about guns too early. In movies and games its different from the moment you see your old man holding one. Clearly I was raised wrong. Do me a favor man do right by my old mans mistakes.

Not even one of my more closer friends now. Knew that I held real guns before so you can tell how this issue makes me feel. I have no friends from my past any more just the here and now.

[techobo]

Originally Posted by shadow1911

Birds and the bees is right. I seen and man Handel my first real gun at age 6 not one of my most happy child hood memories. Needless to say even tho they are airsoft guns they look real. she learns what they are at 5 shes going to say to mommy every time daddy goes airsofting "Is daddy going fighting again." Toy guns with those orange things like cap guns that dont remotely look like real. That's a different story but any gun that is relatively real, dont let her see them till shes well old. like learning sex ed in school or like high school, or even better old enough to play.

Guns isn't some thing you teach your 5 year old. This coming from a guy who regrets how he was raised. The son of a man whom really did sleep with a real 45 automatic(dont know what one exactly assuming m1911)under his pillow at night. Hell I knew how to kill a man with a hand gun by age 10. But if I Had never touched that gun when i was 6. O ignorance is fucking bliss.

The fact still remains around kids airsoft and real steal will always be the same. Until they have seen first hand that you cant kill some one with airsoft. And that killing is wrong. Something I didn't get to learn until too late. My dad was my hero till I was 17. In some respects he still but not in the way that he ustobe. One way to look at it was wile most kids were watching GI Joe on TV I was being raised by GI Joe.

Please learn from my experience as a child whom learned about guns too early. In movies and games its different from the moment you see your old man holding one. Clearly I was raised wrong. Do me a favor man do right by my old mans mistakes.

Not even one of my more closer friends now. Knew that I held real guns before so you can tell how this issue makes me feel. I have no friends from my past any more just the here and now.

So is it that you regret handling guns at an early age, and not having your dad tell you that killing is bad? Because I agree that could cause some problems. Please tell me if I interpreted this wrong.

[Frozencricket]

Everything I've seen up to now says that kids learn to tell the difference between right and wrong at around age 6. I mean really start to understand the difference and reasoning out why it's wrong, not just "Daddy doesn't like it when I pull the dog's tail".

I would say start teaching kids about firearm safety at around age 8. By that point, they should be capable of understanding why real guns hurt people. As morbid as it is to say, it would almost be best if they started learning about firearm safety soon after a death in the family. They would have an understanding of death and how final it is.

I grew up around toy guns and played war all the time. I also had some friends with air rifles and their parents had hunting rifles. At around 8 I started learning about firearm safety. I was not allowed to shoot a gun for almost 2 years after that, but I knew enough not to pull the trigger, to check the safety and tell a responsible adult about an unattended rifle lying around.

Then again, what do I know about kids. I'm the youngest in my family and I don't have any of my own.

[Combine]

The longer you wait the better, imagine telling her at 13, when all she will be thinking about is clothes, boys and how to dress etc etc. You would sit there and explain to her how you go airsofting and problably get into big details while she would be thinking "Whatever dad, your just a geek" or something.

Telling any young child about this sport would either invoke confusion or unwanted attention. Its best just to wait until you gauge that she is mature enough to understand that its just a game.

[shadow1911]

Originally Posted by techobo

So is it that you regret handling guns at an early age, and not having your dad tell you that killing is bad? Because I agree that could cause some problems. Please tell me if I interpreted this wrong.

You got it almost right. But ya got the real basic of it. With out further knowledge of my child hood, you couldn't have known that there was a point when i was actually taught that shooting humans was OK. How ever it was never defined further. i learned later that killing another human in some cases was wrong. like when i was 15. Here's a kid 12 years old could easily take a military mp5 and m4 as well as a mk23 to school and blow every one away including cops. And he didn't know killing was wrong. I was that 12 year old at the age of Columbine I could have made them look like a walk in the park. As for what stopped me from doing so. I felt they didn't deserve a fate so little of hardship I just made there lives hell. The bully's that is.

[techobo]

Thanks for the comments guys.

[SKI]

There is a difference in teaching a kid about shooting and teaching a kid that killing people is ok. I don't think that has anything to do with the original post. The point is propper handling of a firearm not teaching how to use it recklessly. I learned about firearms at the age of four. It wasn't pushed on me. I was just able to experience it. Some may say that is too young and it may be. You have to know your own kid's learning curve. I don't feel tainted for knowing how to handle one so early in life. I think that you have some other experiences that have added to your issue with learning about it while young. I grew up knowing that firearms could hurt people and as such should be handled safely and I don't ever recall anyone having to tell me how dangerous they could be. It was obvious what damage they could do.

[blueblaster]

i am a 19 year old airsoft player and i purchased my first airsoft gun when i was 15 accompanied by my mother (KSC G18c).
My mother only knew that i have the guns but not actually playing airsoft, and my dad had no idea that i even had these toys until i was 16 when i was about to move out.
My mother used airsoft gears and guns as rewards for me to participate extra-curriculum
activities to a certain extent. Before i moved out after i turned 16, i used to give out excuses to not go to the church on sunday and play airsoft instead....
My dad found out about the guns i had when i was moving out, but he was surprised instead of angry...he even played with them in the backyard shooting cans a couple times. He showed more anger toward me not going to the church than me owning replica firearms.
This was my parents attitude toward me playing airsoft when i was younger. Quite a lousy example i must say....lol

[Greylocks]

I think many of you have not read the first post; we're talking about a 2-year old kid, not a teenager.

[|-|ellfire]

Originally Posted by Greylocks

I think many of you have not read the first post; we're talking about a 2-year old kid, not a teenager.

The problem with kids, greylocks, is that they usually grow up. And I sure hope his will be teenager one day.

[Gerkraz]

Originally Posted by Greylocks

Guys... take note the kid is TWO years old. I'm sorry but there is no safe gun or weapon for a baby.

Are you sure? I mean, a derringer is kind of small :P

Seriously though, I agree with Greylocks, and most of the other posters here. A child doesn't need to see airsoft guns (or real guns, for that matter) until he is old enough to recognize what they are and understand what you tell them about it. IMHO that's not before they are 14, but I'm not a parent so I can't say for sure.