The modern air guns are not the toys of old. The power they can muster can go right through bone. We all know how the "gun-nay-sayers" are having a field day with any incident of guns causing human injury. Needless to say none of us want to live with the guilt assosciated with an accidental injury caused by an air gun.
Children under the age of 16 are not allowed to buy air guns here in the USA nor any pellets. Common sense should tell parents - NEVER LET A CHILD UNDER THIS AGE SHOOT ONE OF THESE POWERFUL WEAPONS WITHOUT PROPER ADULT SUPERVISON.
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My personal suggestion is that a new air gun shooter needs to participate in a gun safety course before utilizing these modern air guns. Besides, when you graduate to firearms and hunting, most states in the USA have it mandatory to have graduated from one of these courses.
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Here is a story submitted by a fellow air gunner that demonstrates what not to do and why children need strict supervision with air guns.
This is a story about something you never want to do.
Every year, my Uncle and my Dad hosted a big, opening weekend pheasant hunt for a bunch of friends. These were not just the local guys, most had their own fields to hunt, the guys that came were friends from several states. For some, this was their only hunt of the year.
When I was about 10 tears old, my dad let me bring along my Daisy Model 95 BB gun. I had passed a hunter's safety course already, and with quite a bit of shooting experience, Dad was willing to trust me with all
these other guys. I used to pick off sparrows, pop an occasional rabbit in the eye, and send a BB into a patch of weeds to encourage a reluctant pheasant to take
wing. I was in heaven.
We had just finished walking a field, and were getting ready to move to another. Dad and I climbed into a neighboring friend's Jeep. You remember the ones that had the top on them. As we bounced across the field on our way to the road, all of the sudden there was the sound of a BB ricocheting all around the inside of the truck. Dad ducked his head and put his hand in front of his face, the neighbor, cussed, jammed on the breaks, and jumped out the door.
I am sad to say, I sat there totally dumbfounded and embarrassed!! The old Daisy Model 95 did not have a safety, and I had forgotten to shoot off the BB in the gun before I climbed into the Jeep. To this day, I cannot remember my finger being on the trigger!!! I had broken several standard firearms rules. Of course I lost the right to carry a gun any more that year. To this day, I have never forgotten this incident, and I am grateful that nobody was hurt.
Even though our neighbor was very upset with me at the time, he was also the one that a few years later, let me shoot my first high powered rifle. It was a .257 Robert's caliber. I also took my first fox with that gun.
He is dead now, killed falling of a horse. I sure am glad he had no lasting bad feelings about me.
Good Shootin all !!
Darry Hartsock - Omaha, Nebraska, USA
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