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Show them to the kids, talk about them, shoot with them. If you hide them their curiosity will make them want to play with them. If they experienced in firearms, kids young and old tend to think of firearms as tools that must be respected and handled safely.
It is hiding them and never talking to kids about them or shooting with kids that cause gun accidents.
My daughter is 8. From the time she could understand, I told her about my guns. She would sit with me and we would look at them, hold them, work the actions, and talk about them. She was told from the beginning where the guns are in the house, and that she is welcome to see them anytime she wants to WITH ME OR HER MOTHER PRESENT. She also knows that she will get a spanking if we catch her with a firearm unsupervised. Of course, she knows if she encounters a gun unexpectedly she should leave the area and tell an adult (thanks eddie the eagle!) Even at her young age, she knows about the different types of guns, and the very basics of how they work. She loves to shoot her pink little .22 rifle that she and I built together from a rusty old Steven's single shot.
Make your guns a family activity, not something dirty that must be hidden in the closet and never discussed.
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