Teenagers & Pellet Guns

[bjgrazi]

Would you allow your 17 y/o to have a pellet gun or a gun that shoots blanks only?

I have put my foot down and said no, my husband has told his son no also, but he's wearing him down. Now I'm hearing it's his birthday would it be so terrible? I said yes. Am I wrong? I don't see why a kid would need this.

 

[Tiggeroo]

I would want to know what it's for. If the reason was valid, I'd be regulating the use. You can kill somebody with a gun that shoots blanks. How would he feel about a paintball gun. My sons have these and as long as they wear protective gear I'm ok with this. If my son was very interested I would let them get a gun. But they would have to take a safety course and go to a shooting range to use it. I would keep it in a lock case with the ammo in a seperate place. I would be the only one with a key and would be extremely careful with it. I'm not anti-gun and feel it would be better to have them learn safety. I'm not an expert, but I wonder if a real gun with classes, and used in an approved range is safer then a pellet gun without restrictions.

 

[Carlen T]

I would have to agree with Tigerroo. I myself am not anti-gun either, but, there is a thing called wisdom in using any type of weapon, not that a paintball gun or a pellet gun is a weapon, but ya know what I mean LOL. Better safe than sorry, IMO.

 

[edcrbnsoul]

You'll shoot your eye out kid!

 

[GeorgeG]

Depending on where you live (city vs. country) and the reasons for wanting it, most 17 year olds would want either a real pellet gun or a real .22 rifle. Then, that would depend on if there was a safe place to shoot and proper supervision and training.

Any gun that shoots only blanks lacks practicality and makes one wonder about the motives. That kind of gun can get someone hurt just as quickly as a real gun.

I got my grandson a .22 whan he was 14 and he was properly trained and supervised. Now, at 18, he's got an M-16... and hand grenades..., and USMC training and supervision!

 

[ammdc7]

Make him take the hunter's safety course. Without it I do believe it might be illegal for him to posess and hunt with any type of gun. He will learn all sorts of safety practice including proper storage and handling of the gun. hope that helps... with the summer coming up there should be a growing number of courses being offered

 

[jipsy]

I don't know where you live, but you need to check the gun laws in your state. Here in Massachusetts, you cannot purchase any bb, pellet or paint gun unless you are 18 and you cannot have one in your possession in a public place under the age of 18 without an adult present OR unless you have a sporting or hunting license. They won't arrest you in MA for violations, but confiscation and fines are statuatory and if you are found using them for vandalizing, the police have the right to arrest you. Laws vary from state to state. You can find the current laws for your state by doing a search on the web.

That being said, I guess my first question would be why does your son want one? Is this something he has wanted for awhile or a recent request? Does he have an interest in hunting or is he planning on torturing the squirrels in the neighborhood? Is your husband into hunting and do you already own guns? If not, regardless of what the law requires, before you buy a 17 year old ANY type of weapon, be it bb, pellet, paintball, whatever, you need to send him and yourselves through a safety course so that you understand how to handle guns, period, and that they are not toys.

But please make sure you are within the laws of your state before making a purchase of any type of weapon. And please make sure you are ALL trained in safety before allowing any type of weapon in your home.