I got a BB gun when I was 4 or 5, and never shot it without full supervision and tutelage by my dad. The .22 was broken out right after that - as soon as I was safe with the BB gun. 'My First Gun' was a single-shot .410 at age 8, that I used on my first squirrel. Two years later, I was using a full-fledged 12 gauge with no problems - I was 'husky.'