My son, the mighty hunter

[motherhubbard]

My five year old had been learning to shoot a BB gun. I thought I’d share pictures of my son’s first kill.

I thought someone else may have a pic from their hunting expeditions (especially since many people hunt with a camera) that hey could share.

http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q390/6arnold/DSCF1117.jpg

http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q390/6arnold/DSCF1118.jpg

[sprinks]

:lol: oooooh dear. Nice aim there ;). I was all worried that he'd actually killed something and the pics were going to be all icky.... I'm not a big fan of hunting, at all.

[motherhubbard]

sprinks, was it that fear that made you look?

[sprinks]

Kind of... Sort of like just then, I was watching Hannibal... Didn't really want to, but I just had to :lol:. Also then I remembered your blog entry, and that I read about it there!! :D

[Virgil]

:eek: Oh my God. :lol: Shouldn't he have been supervised? Who was with him that let him aim at your car? I assume that's your car.

I take it you have figured out how to post pictures. ;)

[pussnboots]

so, I have to ask, what did your son do when he shot the window?

[Niamh]

Oh Man! the poor car! he killed it!

[papayahed]

ohhhhhh noooooo!!!:lol: :lol:

[motherhubbard]

:eek: Oh my God. :lol: Shouldn't he have been supervised? Who was with him that let him aim at your car? I assume that's your car.

I take it you have figured out how to post pictures. ;)


Yes, I believe that a boy with a BB gun should be supervised. My husband and I are in disagreement on this matter. It is true that a BB gun is relatively safe and don't usually cause damage, but I prefer supervision. As always- I won the argument.


so, I have to ask, what did your son do when he shot the window?


I was painting and my husband was doing some construction related thing when this happened. Mason came in and I could hear him telling his daddy that he needed him to come look at something. Husband said he was kind of busy and maybe mason could just tell him about it. Mason said he had done something on accident and it was really bad. Husband said what was it and mason told him he shot the window of my van. I had to hide a little because I got tickled about it (no one was hurt and I love when I'm right and husband is wrong). I couldn't be mad, not at mason anyway. We all went out to look at it and Mason asked what we were going to do about it. I said the first thing we would do is not shoot anymore unless there is a grown up around. and them I ran in to a salvage yard and picked up a new window and my husband replaced it real quick. As far as accidents go it could have been much worse. Mason now understands it’s important to look at what is behind the target. We actually have a special place just for shooting with a large rock backstop.

[Virgil]

Yes, I believe that a boy with a BB gun should be supervised. My husband and I are in disagreement on this matter. It is true that a BB gun is relatively safe and don't usually cause damage, but I prefer supervision. As always- I won the argument.

You've got the proof. :lol:


I was painting and my husband was doing some construction related thing when this happened. Mason came in and I could hear him telling his daddy that he needed him to come look at something. Husband said he was kind of busy and maybe mason could just tell him about it. Mason said he had done something on accident and it was really bad. Husband said what was it and mason told him he shot the window of my van. I had to hide a little because I got tickled about it (no one was hurt and I love when I'm right and husband is wrong). I couldn't be mad, not at mason anyway. We all went out to look at it and Mason asked what we were going to do about it. I said the first thing we would do is not shoot anymore unless there is a grown up around. and them I ran in to a salvage yard and picked up a new window and my husband replaced it real quick. As far as accidents go it could have been much worse. Mason now understands it’s important to look at what is behind the target. We actually have a special place just for shooting with a large rock backstop.
Well at least he didn't try to hide and let you find it yourself. ;) You guys are so self sufficient. I probably would have taken the van to an auto body shop and been charged hundreds of dollars.

[Niamh]

Is he not a bit young to be messing with a gun of any sort? I mean he is only five.

[motherhubbard]

I probably would have taken the van to an auto body shop and been charged hundreds of dollars.

38.75 I'm so glad it wasn't the windshield!

Is he not a bit young to be messing with a gun of any sort? I mean he is only five.

Having been a city girl who was never knowingly around guns I can understand this question. I don't disagree with you.

[Sweets America]

I am astounded that you find it funny to let a five year old kid play with a gun. I bet you'll find it as funny when he accidentally shoots someone. :eek:

[motherhubbard]

Yes, sweets. Of course

[Niamh]

I've spent a lot of my youth in the country, and there is no way I would have been let near a gun at that age and i wouldnt even dream of letting my seven year old nephew near a real gun.

[papayahed]

hmmmm, I don't know how old I was but I remember the neighbor boys always having BB guns.

[Virgil]

I'm not sure whether it makes a difference whether it's a BB gun or regular gun. You can certainly take out someone's eye with a BB gun. So I believe supervision should be required for both for a five year old. I see nothing wrong with a five year old being taught to use either a BB or a ballistic gun as long as there is proper supervison. Especially if you live in a rural area like Mom-H.

[Guinivere]

Are you serious about letting a five year old play with guns ? Shouldn't children be taught how to ride a bike, etc. at that age.

[Virgil]

Are you serious about letting a five year old play with guns ? Shouldn't children be taught how to ride a bike, etc. at that age.

With the right supervision, yeah I'm serious. Obviously it has to be a gun with not too much of a recoil. But if he can handle the recoil why not?

[Sweets America]

Yes, sweets. Of course

Yes, that was what I thought. I guess it would be even funnier if your five year old shot one of your other kids, or himself. What a good sense of humor we both have!

I wonder what you want to teach your kid in handing him a gun... the joys of violence? When I think you left him all alone with the weapon...

You know me a little, how I always defend freedom of doing whatever you like, but my problem here is that someone else could have been physically hurt. It would be another thing if the person having the gun at least knew how to use it properly, but certainly that was not Mason's case.

[motherhubbard]

Yes, that was what I thought. I guess it would be even funnier if your five year old shot one of your other kids, or himself. What a good sense of humor we both have!

I wonder what you want to teach your kid in handing him a gun... the joys of violence? When I think you left him all alone with the weapon...

You know me a little, how I always defend freedom of doing whatever you like, but my problem here is that someone else could have been physically hurt. It would be another thing if the person having the gun at least knew how to use it properly, but certainly that was not Mason's case.

yes, of course.

[PrinceMyshkin]

well, l live just across a border from you, a line drawn in the earth and maintained by our two governments, but I feel as if we are in two different cultures. To plead that it was just a BB gun is like saying that the overture is not the actual opera. His hands are being trained to hold a gun, his mind to savour the extra-human power of being able to do damage from a distance. I was sorry to read this.

[Scheherazade]

I would like to point out that the OP did not ask for advice whether it is a good idea to let children have BB guns

(neither in the initial post nor later on in the thread).

If you find the idea disagreeable, please feel free to ignore this thread.

Any off-topic posts will be deleted.

[ClaesGefvenberg]

As always- I won the argument.:lol: I'll say you did: Mason kind of won it for you. Er... Why do I get the feeling that your hubby will be gently reminded of the outcome for many years to come? :D


no one was hurt and I love when I'm right and husband is wrongThat sounds vaguely familiar.... :lol:


As far as accidents go it could have been much worse.Yes. Jokes apart, it really could. I'm glad to hear it turned out so well.

Now that I think about it I remember watching a friend "kill" his fathers car with bow and arrow when we were kids (a good deal older than mason, though). His parents were not particularly amused... Grounded does not even begin to describe it. We both learned something from that incident: He learned to make certain he had a free field of fire, and I learned to duck (I was quite close to that car).

/Claes

[Virgil]

Mom-H, I was wondering, you could probably have Mason watch the Olympic shooting events that will be coming up this summer. I think that will really inspire him to do a better job. You know the Olympics is full of shooting events, both winter and summer. Here's some of the history for the summer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_at_the_Summer_Olympics. I'm sure most of these athletes started at Mason's age. And who knows some day when he wins a gold medal you can hold over his head the picture of the car window. :D

[motherhubbard]

though). His parents were not particularly amused... Grounded does not even begin to describe it. We both learned something from that incident: He learned to make certain he had a free field of fire, and I learned to duck (I was quite close to that car).

/Claes

I dont' blame Mason. Learning to check the field of fire is a very important lesson! I don't even like my kids to play in the yard during deer season.


Mom-H, I was wondering, you could probably have Mason watch the Olympic shooting events that will be coming up this summer. I think that will really inspire him to do a better job. You know the Olympics is full of shooting events, both winter and summer. Here's some of the history for the summer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_at_the_Summer_Olympics. I'm sure most of these athletes started at Mason's age. And who knows some day when he wins a gold medal you can hold over his head the picture of the car window. :D


I'm so so excited about the Olympics. My husband was the top shooter in the state one year. He won a big trophy and there was a thing in the paper. I bet they would love to do that together.

[kilted exile]

hehehe that was funny. What's funnier is he is probably still a better shot than I am. Once at college a couple of my roommates set up a target for paintball in the basement, I had never fired a gun before and aimed at the target and proceeded to break the lightbulb 3feet above it. goodtimes.

Now, addressing the other stuff. I dont think it is irrensponsible at all to teach a young boy where M-H lives to shoot. If he knows how to correctly handle a weapon he is less likely to cause any accident like those suggested by Sweets. Do think adult supervision is still needed till at least 12/13 tho'. Just one other Q - do you have the guns locked up normally? (believe that is now the law up here)

[motherhubbard]

Yes, kilt. guns are normally locked up. I do have one that is more accessible, but out of reach for the children. Also, their training and therefore their attitude about this rifle is different. When I need it I need it very quickly and that is surprisingly often. You wouldn’t believe the different kinds of animals that come into the yard- raccoons, opossum, deer, bobcat, and we have a bear that lives on the northeast corner of the property.

And like I said I do believe that supervision is important. He broke my rule thinking that he could get by with the more lenient rule which was that he could take the BB gun to the shooting area in the back yard when there were no other children in the yard.

Sorry to hear about your paint ball experience. I bet that made a big mess in the basement! We had some friends that liked to paintball. It can leave some really nasty bruises. Actually, worse than most BB gun bruises unless they are at really close range.