first pistol age

[jdb]

My son will 16 on his nexxt birthday, He is pretty damned responsible and VERY good with guns. I know legally he cant own a handgun but if it were legally mine. and he wouldnt be allowed to take it anywhere with out me what would you guys say? and what would you buy him?

[robodad]

I say wait till he is 18, could save you a migrane 

[bankwalker]

whats he gonna be using it for?

target shooting? i see no problem in, as long as there is a parent present or he is at a range.

hunting? also no problem in that, perfectly legal according to the laws i have sitting right in front of me.

any other reasons then that i would wait a couple more years, id hate to see him end up like my buddie.

[CP]

A Ruger single six in 22LR with a 22mag cylinder makes a very nice first handgun. 

[jdb]

he would mostly just use it for targets and maybe snakes and grouse. JB

[jdb]

A Ruger single six in 22LR with a 22mag cylinder makes a very nice first handgun. 

I couldnt agree more. JB

[BC CHASER]

I got my S&W 44 when I was 18. I think you should wait.

[smdave]

State laws may vary, but here.

This from the ATF website.

B. UNLICENSED PERSONS

(B14) May a parent or guardian purchase firearms or ammunition as a gift for a juvenile (less than 18 years of age)?

Yes. However, possession of handguns by juveniles (less than 18 years of age) is generally unlawful. Juveniles generally may only receive and possess handguns with the written permission of a parent or guardian for limited purposes, e.g., employment, ranching, farming, target practice or hunting. "

Dave

[jackelope]

A Ruger single six in 22LR with a 22mag cylinder makes a very nice first handgun. 

I couldnt agree more. JB

my first...i love it and can't wait till it arrives from ny one of these days.

[actionshooter]

It totally depends on the kid. I would for my girls when they are 16, there are some 20 year olds I've been around that shouldn't own bb guns.

[ICEMAN]

Good question. I gave my son his first gun this year at age 12, a youth 20 gauge shotgun. It is locked up, and he can only use it when we head into the woods..... but, for some reason, I feel like saying that I would wait until a child is 18 or older with a handgun. Not sure why...since the same parameters would exist, ....locked up/me/him/woods only...maybe you could give it to him as a special highschool graduation type award?

[Timberstalker]

I feel if he knows the purpose of it, like it sounds like, there should be no problem.  If he is with you then it is fine in my mind.  Get him to get his CPL at 21.  One more good ol' boy packing makes me feel better and the world a better place.

[Houndhunter]

i bought my first pistol at 16, infact its a ruger single6 like the guys are talkin bout, awsome gun. my parents are strict, but they trust me too and i've always been able to use my guns when i want

so i say go for it, pistols are alota fun.... and cheap to shoot

[Bscman]

If you think he's responsible enough and ready, why not?

Buy it, and only let him handle/use it around you...keep it locked in your safe. Not much can go wrong, there... I know at 16 I was more than responsible enough, and had shot a half dozen different handguns--though none were ever called "mine."

The ruger single six is a great choice....new shooters, and young shooters do best with revolvers over auto's.

Given the expense of ammo these days, and his age, a small caliber such as a 22lr would be a great choice...gives plenty of opporunities to shoot, and learn and at a minimum cost.
Makes for a good grousing and wabbit hunting sidearm, too. I carry my 22 with me all the time when I'm outdoors.

[Sagedawg]

 I got my first pistol when I was 13. Its a old Ruger Bearcat, that my dad got me to carry when we were working cattle. Shot lots of snakes and jack rabbits with it and hope to pass it onto my kids one day. With that said, you have to take each situation into consideration, I was raised on a working cattle ranch, and this gun was a tool to use when needed, it was mine but I only got to use it when my dad felt we would be needing them. Unfortunately, my kids are not being raised in this type of environment, but they are being taught guns are not toys and they need to be respected.So although they will be shooting with me, I wont pass any pistols on to them until they are at least 17...and even then they will be locked up in my safe. Just my 

  Sage

[GoldTip]

I agree with most of whats said above, and especially that you should be the judge of whether or not your child is responsible enough to handle a pistol or not.  Obviously if it is against the law, and he is aware of that, he will be breaking the law if he takes one of "your" handguns out of the house without you or your permission or if he takes the handgun "you bought" that was for him, so whats the difference.  You know he is either responisble enough or not, and you shouldn't let anyone make that decision for you.

I also agree that a good Ruger single six in 22lr would be a great first pistol, easy and cheap to practice with, and we all know that shooting a pistol is a very different act than shooting a rifle and usually takes most people considerably more practice to be efficient, so cheap ammo and low recoil is a very good thing.  I was packing a Ruger Blackhawk 357mag at age 14 back home when I was in the woods, shot lots of grouse with it using the bird shot, don't know if it was legal or not, took it to school and made a set of grips for it when I was 15, with knowledge and permission of the school prinicple.  No one ever said anything, but that was back when the parents decided whether or not you were responsible enough, and it certainly wasn't in this state.  Personally I think a revolver in 22lr would be an excellent present for a 16 year old.  I used to have a double action medium frame 22lr made by Dan Wesson, that I would almost give a left nut to have back.  Check the pawn shops and gun shows for deals like that. 

[Head-shot]

It totally depends on the kid. I would for my girls when they are 16, there are some 20 year olds I've been around that shouldn't own bb guns.

Good question. I gave my son his first gun this year at age 12, a youth 20 gauge shotgun. It is locked up, and he can only use it when we head into the woods..... but, for some reason, I feel like saying that I would wait until a child is 18 or older with a handgun. Not sure why...since the same parameters would exist, ....locked up/me/him/woods only...maybe you could give it to him as a special highschool graduation type award?

Excellent point from both you guys. IMO a hand gun is a different animal all together in term of guns, but like actionshooter said it depends on the kid. The Grad gift sounds like a great idea, and maybe let him shoot some of yours and get a feel for some of. Them then let him pick out the one he wants for himself.