How young is old enough to be armed at home alone?

[GilpinGuy]

My 15 year old stepdaughter has expressed interest in learning to shoot. This is probably because my wife is interested in getting her CCW and we've been discussing it. That's fine, anything that makes my stepdaughter interested is fine with me.

Great! She wants to learn to shoot and I'll teach her. I'll probably have her get some training with WhiskeyJack (Templarus Group) as well when the time is right.

But at what age to do you let your kid have the key to your safe or access to any firearm when they're home alone? I know that "it depends" on a lot of things (maturity, responsibility, etc.), but I've never had a teenager in the house before.

It's a little scary thinking of allowing a teenager unsupervised access to guns EVER. My buddy's son had a 13 year old friend of his commit suicide with his dads shotgun a few weeks ago. What a heart-breaker.

But again, this 15 year old girl is old enough to stay home alone and babysits her 7 year old brother from time to time. I'm armed or have a gun within reach pretty much at all times when I'm home, so I think "Really? I'm armed when I'm home, but she's defenseless when she's home alone?" Hmmmm.

It's probably just a "you'll know it when you know it" kind of thing, but who has some experience/advice with this?

[2hot2handle]

I think this is a great topic and I can't wait to see what others have to say. I'm a young'un myself so I know what it is like to be the person saying "Hey arm me I'm all alone." But I can't imagine the pressure and consideration put into thought about this from a parents perspective. I do not envy the decision.

[WETWRKS]

I don't look at age. Maturity and responsibility would be better gauges of the appropriateness of arming someone. That probably would apply to adults as well. I know that I have friends in their 40s that I will never place a firearm within their reach.

[newracer]

My 13 year old knows the combinations to my safes and knows where all the ammo is.

[Graves]

I don't have kids so I don't have much to contribute here, what I can tell you is that I had access to my dads guns around age 10; he taught me everything there was to know about gun safety and the consequences for playing with them. Not once was I interested in touching them without him around. I'm sure you'll know weather or not she's ready. Like WW said, maturity and responsibility is key.

[jhood001]

I don't look at age. Maturity and responsibility would be better gauges of the appropriateness of arming someone.

Smart.

I didn't have the keys to the castle, but I had my single-shot .410 at 13. It was MINE and so was the ammo for it.

Being given my own shotgun that I had access to 24/7 was such a big deal and such a huge honor that I treated it like it was the nuclear football.

If the respect, appreciation and understanding is there, do it at 6 months.

[Irving]

You live WAY too close to Dumont to not have everyone who is interested in guns in your family not be shooting the monthly IDPA matches. I think that training with WhiskeyJack is a great idea, and monthly (if not more frequent) shooting matches is a must for someone who may actually use their gun to defend themselves.

[pepito]

My father has never owned a gun safe and since I was 10 I knew exactly where the guns and ammo were. I downplayed the stupidity simply because, at that time, the thought of upsetting him and seeing that belt come out was worse than a thousand cops banging on my parents doors.

[GilpinGuy]

I don't have kids so I don't have much to contribute here, what I can tell you is that I had access to my dads guns around age 10; he taught me everything there was to know about gun safety and the consequences for playing with them. Not once was I interested in touching them without him around. I'm sure you'll know weather or not she's ready. Like WW said, maturity and responsibility is key.

Yeah, I wasn't really interested in shooting until I was in college. I just didn't have your experience when I was really young myself so I don't know what that's like.

My girl is a straight A student since kindergarten, sports superstar and sharp as a tack (yep, bragging ), so I think she'll be getting access sooner rather than later. It's just a big step to say "here's a gun for ya".

[Flatline]

I know that "it depends" on a lot of things (maturity, responsibility, etc.)

That is it right there. I trusted my brother with access to my guns back when he was about 15, I still won't allow my 33 year old sister to touch one of my guns unless its been unloaded and I am within arms reach.

It's been a while since I have been in a psych med lecture, but if I remember correctly %90 percent of suicides are contemplated and attempted in under ten minutes.
Furthermore teenagers are at a especially high risk of suicide do to a lack of frontal lobe development and a lack of understanding of permanence to their actions; this will of course apply to younger kids as well. Teens in particular though will also experience strong shifts in estrogen, testosterone, serotonin, dopamine, and norepi on a daily basis.

The above is the primary reason that I will not allow teens to handle any weapons unsupervised other than my brother (who is now 18).

Like you said there are many factors to weigh. Ultimately you'll have to decide if you think the risk of injury to others or herself, self inflicted or otherwise, is greater than the risk of some type of home invasion.