Parenting and Guns

[Bacon]

So I've been mulling this dilemma around in my head for a while. I feel guilty because I got my girlfriend's 4 year old daughter interested in guns. It started out with her wanting to play XBOX with me. At the time I was playing Fallout: New Vegas and thought, "Ok, what's simpler than letting her pull the trigger on the remote and get a reaction on screen?" Seemed like it was all good. Before I knew it, all she wanted to do was "play the shooting game."

Now I have my airsoft equipment at home and I have to make sure I don't ever leave anything laying out because she's not afraid to pick one up and play with it. This isn't really ever a problem seeing as I obviously don't leave loaded weapons laying out but I still feel bad deep down inside because she's so young and loves it so much.

Has anybody else felt bad about something like this or am I just looking too deeply into it?

[dave OC-6]

what i did was take a dead AS gun and paint it gold and pink to shoot the "monsters" in her room.
i took off the end front sight and anything else that she could hurt herself on in a fall. it looks like a buck rogers M-4, but its hers and she never touches my gear now. and it helped with her nightmares.
dave

[nbustarhymes]

Nothing wrong with that...kids just love new fun things.

Just keep all your stuff locked away. Never leave anything out in the open.

They may be Airsoft ...but they can still cause serious injuries.

So keep them away from her, as for the game and the possibility of a liking to weapons...nothing wrong with that at all.

[caliban]

Dave's idea is great( wish I had said it first) Noe's is too. Always keep the gear up and safe.
My 2 cents is to embrace her interest and teach her how to safely use/play with them. A 4yr old is capable of learning. I did that with my daughter when I first got into airsoft and she took a liking to Daddy's new toys. I let her fire it, and she loved it. The next thing I did was teach her with NERF guns and eye protection about muzzle discipline, trigger discipline, and how to use front and rear sights while shooting at targets. She was 4yrs old then. Now she's nearly 9, has her own pink Red Ryder BB gun, and when the weather cools she's going to the gun range with me for a youth gun safety program. She's also begging to play airsoft at the field. She's a damn good shot now too. My son is 4 now and I'm repeating the process with the NERFs, and big sis is helping to teach. So, weregambit, dont feel bad about sparking an interest. Just be sure to follow it up with lessons in responsiblity.

[88B88888B88B888]

Hmm my post didn't post up. That sucks. But anyways.....My son is 4 too, and i've been teaching him about guns. It's up to the parents to teach their children what is right and wrong. My son has his own toy guns and knows not to touch dad's toys. That and him being him a boy, automatically makes his interest in guns that much more. He knows to keep his hands to himself when it comes to guns and such. He developed a habit of putting his hands behind his back when he sees me working on my guns real and fake. He has his fair share of toy guns that light up, shoot foam darts, 2in plastic balls etc etc.

[Bacon]

Thanks for the reassurance guys. She is a bit of a tomboy (she begs to go rock climbing all the time lol) so it never did surprise me that she liked it. I will make sure to teach her how to be safe. That's always the most important thing.

Dave - That's an awesome idea, and I just happen to have a broken airsoft M4 lying around now..... ;D

[Short Fuze]

Lol. I had the same issue with my daughter when call of duty came out. Since then she never wanted to play any other game but a FPV shooter games. Now I got her hooked to Airsoft. Now to train her about gun safely. Very crucial at a young age.

[caliban]

I'm getting this image in my head of, "The Tod Squad"!

[Short Fuze]

Yup.