Red Ryder BB Gun

I think I got my first bb / pellet gun when I was 13 years old. My son Moses is getting an early start. My friend James invited us to the annual Ducks Unlimited (duck hunting conservation group) fundraiser dinner. All the kids where given Red Ryder bb guns. Moses is probably younger than most kids who get to shoot a bb gun, but he is not too young to learn about safely operating a gun. It has been good to teach him how to properly store, transport, hold, and fire a bb gun. Knowing about guns and gun safety will prepare him to make good decisions down the road.

Every once and while a story will come out about a kid who shot himself or a sibling due to irresponsibility and lack of gun safety training. I remember going over to a junior high classmate's house with some friends only for him to point an AK-47 assault rifle at me and tell me to suck him or he would shoot me. After telling him no several times, he finally put the gun down and started laughing. I didn't think it was funny. I didn't know if the gun was loaded and I'm not sure if knew either. I'll I knew was the magazine was in the rifle, he had it pointed at my head, I didn't know him very well, he wasn't smiling, he kept repeating himself, and I definitely wasn't sucking anything. That was the last time I spent any time with him.

I'm glad I didn't become one of those sad gun accident stories and I want to make sure I raise my boys to respect the power of guns so they can safely handle guns and situations they might be faced with them. I apologize as this post wasn't supposed to go down hill with that lame story, but I think it is good for people to be aware of possible situations so they can prepare themselves and their loved ones.

Getting back to the bb gun... Moses did a great job and had a lot of fun shooting at the target. He learned quickly the concepts of how to shoot and how to be safe. Now it is time I teach my wife how to shoot a gun!