My son turns 9 at the end of July. He said he wants a .22 for his b-day. That in itself made me happy, that he didn't ask for a toy that he wouldn't like after a month or a playstation 2 game. I need some advice on which kind to get him. First he is a lefty. Should I buy him a left handed gun. Most places probably won't have one in stock. I really want to give it to him on his b-day. He has a 20 gauge given to himby his grandpa.(my sonshot it once, a little intimidating for him) Anyways the 20 gauge is a right handed gun, but his grandpa switched the safety to a left hander because he himself was left handed. My friend and his brother are both left handed but always buy right handed guns. Thats just the way they learned. I figure why not start buying my sonleft handed guns and start him how he should be. For example, not reaching around the trigger guard on a Reminton to find the safety. Or having the bolt on the wrong side. Also, I'm thinking of a semi-auto. I think he would outgrow a single shot rather quickly. I don't want to break the bank, but any suggestions of model and advice on the other things I've mentioned would be great. One other thing, what do you guys think of putting a scope on it from the start? In 3 years when he starts to deer hunt, he most likely will be using a scope. Thanks for your advice!