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MrMilkdud December 19th, 2016 12:44am

Generally speaking, is 9 an appropriate age to give a child a BB gun?

24 Liked

Comments: Add Comment

rlands
12/20/16 2:21 pm

Sure but if I were the parent I'd hide it so that my kid could only use it if she had my permission.

end Oregon
12/19/16 11:01 am

It depends on how smart you are and who is around you.

TomLaney1 Jesus is Lord
12/19/16 9:49 am

You'll shoot your eye out!

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DerekWills Lone Star Gun Rights
12/19/16 7:08 am

At 5, I shot my first .357 Magnum....

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steelcity Pittsburgh
12/19/16 6:00 am

Depends on the child and where they live, but most likely yes.

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Diogenes Not Biden It
12/19/16 5:35 am

I got mine at five. At ten, I got a 12 gauge.

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ProudCentrist Chicago, Illinois
12/19/16 12:14 am

I'd offer my kid a BB gun, and if they say yes, I'll give them one.

Advil sc
12/18/16 9:46 pm

Daisy BB carbine about 8 or 9.

.410 at 13

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DGroot America
12/18/16 8:32 pm

Yes, under the right circumstances. I got my first BB gun when I was 5. We lived on a farm and I was supervised when shooting.

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presrvd Phoenix
12/18/16 8:15 pm

By 9, I was hunting rabbit and squirrel with a .22 rifle. Also rid the farm of a few gophers here and there....

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HenryJRoberts Hmmm
12/18/16 8:07 pm

I'd say more like 8.

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kywrite augusta, ga
12/18/16 8:01 pm

Out in the country, yes. City-raised kids are a little different.

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arctostaphylos Ankh Morpork, New York
12/18/16 7:58 pm

A BB gun? Pfft. At 9 I was playing with explosives.

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10o5t126 ...
12/18/16 7:43 pm

I got my first BB gun for Christmas at age 7. I started learning proper handling and firing of revolvers & rifles at age 8.

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fluffernutter
12/18/16 8:31 pm

We have our son a BB gun at 7 too.

davidwhite1 Building it Bigger
12/18/16 7:32 pm

My three year old has a BB gun so I must be a bad judge of character.

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rons Thanks America
12/18/16 7:19 pm

Remember what happened to Ralphie.
I actually did that with my BB gun. Shot at a tree and the bb came back and hit me in the chest. Ouch!
youtu.be/kZUTkgfZqZc

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think4yourself Not a safe space
12/18/16 7:22 pm

I once shot at a balloon and it bounced back and hit me in the ear.

kywrite augusta, ga
12/18/16 8:01 pm

One tough balloon!

ronderman North Carolina
12/18/16 7:15 pm

Every child is different. I voted yes.

It also depends on the gun. Different guns have different power.

Cole12 ...
12/18/16 6:59 pm

Maybe. I don't really like the idea of giving children toy weapons, but a 9-year-old should be responsible enough to handle a BB gun.

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snozwaffer Dove Canyon, CA
12/24/16 9:09 pm

Not everyone sees firearms as weapons but maybe tools

Casper Deep inthe Heart ofTexas
12/18/16 6:56 pm

In the country 9 is too old for a BB gun.
In Chicago a BB gun is of no use to anybody.

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rickvee Living the dream
12/18/16 6:21 pm

Too old. For my 7th birthday my grandpa taught me proper usage and let me shoot a 20g.

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Casper Deep inthe Heart ofTexas
12/18/16 6:41 pm

Not everybody gets a grandpa like that.

Liberty 4,032,064
12/18/16 6:13 pm

It's a little late, but I suppose it depends upon both the kid's and parents' maturity.

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Liberty 4,032,064
12/18/16 6:15 pm

I'd also add that they should be reasonably experience with actual guns before that as well since a BB gun blurs the line between toy and potentially dangerous tool a little too much.

EarlyBird Portland
12/18/16 6:11 pm

I guess it depends on the child and the rules put in place by the parents, regarding the gun.

Nine seems a little young.

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DunkinFrunk Austin area, Texas
12/18/16 6:02 pm

That's a decision for the parents to decide. I would have no issues with giving one of my children a BB gun at that age.

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BreadMan Blue Ridge Mountains
12/18/16 5:56 pm

I was six when I got my first bb gun and was around 8 when I got my first 22.

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political Georgia
12/18/16 5:52 pm

That's a good age to learn how to properly shoot a gun.

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screename1 Alaska
12/18/16 6:47 pm

How old were you when you first learned to shoot, Stephan?

screename1 Alaska
12/18/16 6:58 pm

About the same for my kids. 8-9

political Georgia
12/18/16 7:31 pm

.22 wasn't until I was in middle school. It was difficult for my parents to find one that was my size.

screename1 Alaska
12/18/16 7:49 pm

Were you a little kid? My boys have all been very small until their teens.

political Georgia
12/18/16 7:52 pm

I was a late bloomer. I only weighed 75 pounds when I was 12. Fortunately, I grew taller, and now I weigh 140. Lol

screename1 Alaska
12/19/16 8:38 am

I was the same! I was 80 lbs at 12. I grew up to 5'10" 170lbs strapping man though. 😜 My boys have all been small too. My current 12 year old is about the same as I was. How tall are you?

screename1 Alaska
12/19/16 12:09 pm

So you're not exactly overweight... 😀

political Georgia
12/19/16 12:58 pm

Nope - but I eat like I weigh 300 lbs.

Squidboy Snarkapottamus
12/18/16 5:51 pm

I think i had a basic one around age 7-8. A Daisy lever action with a strap. I loved that thing!

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LibArtie SW Connecticut
12/18/16 5:50 pm

There is no appropriate age to give a child a BB gun.

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MrMilkdud
12/18/16 5:52 pm

I agree. I think you should start them off with rifles and guns right away instead of risking having them learn bad habits with a fake gun.

LoyalOkie E Pluribus Unum
12/18/16 6:10 pm

I would disagree with that. I was given a BB gun at age 8 and taught how to handle a gun properly. After words I didn't show much interest until about 15 when I was taught how to work and maintain my own gun. Those habits that I developed early in life carried over. A healthy fear of guns is also vital to gun safety. This worked for me but may not for everyone.

political Georgia
12/18/16 7:32 pm

At times, it's hard to find a "real gun" that a child can properly shoot.

ComradeJames nationalism
12/18/16 5:48 pm

Depends on the kid.

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MrMilkdud
12/18/16 5:50 pm

That's why the poll says "generally speaking"

ComradeJames nationalism
12/18/16 5:50 pm

I know. I'd say 9 is old enough for most kids to handle the gun responsibly.

gluxford1 Arizona
12/18/16 5:46 pm

You'll shoot your eye out! 😉

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TomLaney1 Jesus is Lord
12/19/16 9:55 am

OMG, Glux, I swear we're related. I just posted the same thing up top.