You know the trick to training a dog? Buy the right dog. You know the trick to teaching a your child to shoot? You’ve got to work with what you’ve got. So my pre-tip tip: make sure your kid’s in the mood for instruction when you take them shooting. If they’re not, forget it. Stop. Leave it for another day, year or child. Today, as your source for quality holsters and speed loaders, we’re going to give you three ideas for transferring your firearms-related knowledge and experience to your little one.
- No octopus hands! Preparing, loading and shooting a gun may be second nature to you, but it’s a complicated business for a kid. The trick to avoiding this potentially dangerous confusion: slow WAY down. Make firing the gun a clear, orderly ritual. Talk it though from beginning to end. Use the same words each and every time.
- You should always constantly reinforce muzzle discipline. Yes, I know: there are four safety rules. But kids aren’t good at remembering four of anything and muzzle discipline is the one rule to rule them all. If the gun is aimed in a safe direction the chances of someone getting hurt are lower. Don’t let your kids treat firearms safety rules like their times tables: something they repeat automatically. Make sure they learn them one at a time and think about each one. And not just on the range. Hit ’em with questions at random times.
- Teach them to cherish their targets. You want your child to take pride in their shooting. So they should “own” their target; it’s physical proof of their growing prowess. If you treat the target as important, so will they. Make your targets awesome!
