My son just turned 4. He sat in my lap and shot the 22 long rifle yesterday while i held it. However, I feel that he is too young still to even carry a BB gun at this point. He is very smart, he just has a little bit too much energy at this age and I feel as though he isnt capable of containing it properly while holding a fire arm (Barrel Awareness for the most part). Other children i have seen would have no problem with the safet factor at this age, but mine seems to haev a little bit more uncontrolled energy at this age and therefore he will sit in my lap for a few years and shooting whatever I am holding until he is of the age where his awareness of objects and the direction they face is firmly imprinted in his mind at all times. Best of luck to everybody with their children and firearms.Its great to see so many people trying to get their kids involved with the outdoors when all i see in my little suburbia area is parents trying to get their children to sit still with a nintendo wii or some equivelant.

If you want to get a child to slow down,relax, pay attention, and listen.....then take him to the outdoors, its a mental wonderland!