Americans when did you first learn how to use a gun?

[Anonymous]

My dad who isn’t alive anymore showed me how to handle a gun, he was a drug dealer and had many guns. By 13 I knew how to handle a firearm but as an adult I don’t have any desire to go to the range or anything.

[Rangers]

I first shot one when I was 13 when I went to Texas to attend my cousin's wedding. Me and my brother worked hard with my cousin's fiancé moving the firewood and getting all of the furniture ready. After we did that, they took me and him to shoot a Ruger 10/22. I fired various 12 and 20 gauge shotguns on clay pigeons in the same area two years later. Then in late 2018, I moved to Texas, after much failed effort to convince my parents to let me buy a gun, I got a PSA Ar-15 anyways. I eventually talked them into letting me and now I'm a big time gun owner!

[Shortman70]

As kids we grew up hunting, learned how to shoot by 5-6, started hunting by 7. Long guns, shitguns and pistols, semi auto, bolt action, pumps. Learned a lot and passed it on to my son's, now passing it on to granddaughters and grandsons. Also trapping and fishing.

[SaoirseS]

I think I was around 11. My dad and brothers loved recreational shooting and are all bird hunters. I developed an interest through them, and still love to shoot.

[exitseven]

I have only fired a gun a few times in my life. Now that the fabric of our society is unravelling and the police if not being defunded has certainly been demoralized and hamstrung over the last year. I am now looking into buying a handgun and a pump shotgun and I have a friend who runs a training facility for law enforcement that will teach me how to shoot.

[Shortman70]

Exercise your 2nd A rights. Yes safety is very important, that was the first thing my father installed in us.

[Nightroads]

Been shooting since i was 6. Shot my first squirrel when i was 8. Took riflery when is was in school averaged out to a 91. Trained for two years with marine recruiters between 16 and 18. Haven't shot a gun in four years.

[Shortman70]

@Nightroads What is riflery? I'm assuming it's what we call hunters safety course. Teaches proper weapons handling and safety, long guns and archery. Then teaches hunting rules and regulations, put on for free by Game, Fish and Parks by Rangers. Local Sportsman's club arranges a pheasant hunt at a lodge and donates a rifle and a shotgun to the kids to draw for.

[Asker]

@Shortman70 Most likely a nickname for his Rifle.

[Shortman70]

I don't have specific names for my weapons but there all female. I say she or her when I refer to them. I do the same with my trucks, I don't know why.

[Nightroads]

@Shortman70 riflery is a high school class in Alaska, you are graded on safety, position and accuracy. Ten shots, ten points per shot. Bullseye gets you the full ten and one point taken away for every circle outside the bullseye.

[Shortman70]

I see. Do they still teach it? We could use that in the lower 48 but most students here take the hunter safety course, make and female.

[Nightroads]

@Shortman70 they still offer it. And hold tournaments. They used to use.22 now they use air compression pellet guns. But they use a swiss arms model with a one foot muzzle velocity of 1650fps. So about as powerful as a plinker.22

[Shortman70]

Yes indeed. I also own a few of them. Downside is there almost as loud as a rifle.

[IAMNathanael]

I've fired hand guns and shotguns as a boy scout (maybe at the earliest 13 years old). But that was so long ago I don't even remember how to. I don't actually own any firearms.

[BCA6010]

12-ish. I don't remember for certain, but I do recall jumping from a Ruger 10/22 to a 1980s AR-15 in that range day and never going back.

[Shortman70]

Ruger 10/22's are great guns. Still have my first 1, bought it used, no front sight and the old boy said it didn't shoot very good anymore. Found a sight, it was so dirty that the action barely cycled. Cleaned it good and still use, always in truck ready to go, prob one of the best rifles I got.

[DCooper]

Age 8 or so, about the same time I learned to ride my first little 75cc minibike.

[Wise4myage]

I was 12. Gun safety use to be taught in my state till the liberals found a way to ban it.

[Papabubbles]

I think around 9 or 10 but my son has shot a gun at 7

[Maybe-Your-Neighbor]

Age 10

[Asker]

Yeah I think I was around that age when my dad first started showing me how they work

[OddBeMe]

13 I guess. Whenever cub scouts happens.

[ShadezMcgee]

Military training.

[t-8900]

19, self taught

[SmokinAces2000]

14 years old