How old were you when you got/shot your first gun?  I was unfortunate in that my parents were hippies and the first time I ever shot a real gun was in boot camp.  I had a few bb guns as a kid, but I had to hide them from my parents.  My boy is six right now, I figure, depending on how he matures, I might teach him when he's 9 or so.
BTW, my parents are still die hard anti-gunners (all guns), and democrats to boot.
thanks,
AIRBORNE

sorry about your parents, they'll come crawling to you when the US is takenover in WWIII.

TO answer your question I was 5. My dad held his 12 gauge shotgun and allowed me to pull the trigger. I shot out a crow's nest on my grandad's farm. I first shot and old Franchi tube in the stock, tube fed .22lr, by myself when i was 8.

Tell the mto read more guns less crime by John Lott.

-Chuck

When I was 11 years old and in the boy scouts we went to this hunting camp in Port Jervis, NY for the weekend. We shot .22's and .410's. I must've shot over 1000 rounds in 2 days. Before that I had a crosman 760 pumpaster BB/Pellet gun, but this was the first time I ever fired a "real" gun.

I was ten my dad took me dove hunting with him and my uncle. Shot a 20 gauge, but I never hit a single bird. lol

crumabn,  I was six when I got my first gun (410 single barrel).  Fortunately for me my Dad is a big hunter and was willing to put in the time with me.  I wasn't mature past my young age, just wanted to learn to shoot.  My humble opinion,  the sooner you get him started, the more experience he has under his belt.  Follow and explain to him all the safety rules and supervise him CLOSELY.  Start him on something with little to no recoil like a 22 rifle.  As someone on this site said recently-reactive targets like balloons or plastic jugs filled with water are fun to shoot and keep the shooter interested longer than just punching holes in paper.  I started working with my daughter as soon as she expressed an interest.  She was six then.  She's eight now and has taken two deer and a 200 pound wild boar.  Good times neither of us will ever forget.

I just bought a 10/22 with the intention of teaching him with it. I also have a beautiful .32 flint rifle that I've promised to him when he's older.  Right now he's too small to hold either properly, I might cut down a replacement stock for the 10/22.  It has a mannlicher stock on it, which I don't want to cut down.
I have talked to him about gun safety, and he does have a very good grasp on that. I've even left an unloaded gun laying out, just to see what he would do if he found it. He did good. He didn't touch it, took his 3yr old brother out of the room, then went and got me (he didn't know I was "spying" on him the whole time.
AIRBORNE

Pat --

I carried BB guns "in the field" from about age 8 up north of Alpena.  We progressed to .22 rifles probably by age 10 or 12 at the most.  This was 40 years ago though .

My daughter asked for a BB gun about 3 or 4 years ago when she was 8 and she has her own Red Ryder (in 4.5mm NATO, of course).  We shoot pop cans in the basement with a cardboard backstop.  She also has a Taurus M62 .22LR rifle.  The carbine wasn't available when we got this one.

She goes to the range with me a couple times a year where she shoots the M62 at Mickey D's ketchup packets on man-sized silhouettes at 25 yards.  Pump action keeps the muzzle down range all the time and I can supervise easily as the external hammer is visible.  Even though this is "her rifle" I shoot it several times a year myself.  Slick rifle.

-- Chuck

I was five years old when my dad gave me my first BB gun(found one just like it and like new in the box a couple of months ago @ an auction; just waxing nostalgic), seven when I got my first .22, and ten when I bought my first shotgun.  Unfortunately it took another seventeen years to buy my first AR, but it's okay...I made up for lost time.  I already have a stainless and black/gray laminate .22 cal Cricket in the safe for my oldest son.  He just turned four, and is dying to go shooting.  I think he'll be getting a set of peltor juniors and some safety glasses for Christmas.