re: Whats a good age

I have no problem with you saying a gun is theirs once they're an adult. And I don't think you should allow them full access to ANY firearm without supervision unless you are absolutely certain of their safety and I still wouldn't let them be around anyone other than myself in that case. They may not shoot themselves with a long gun but they can still frick up and shoot someone else.

I had gun safety pounded into me since I learned to speak because of who my dad was. But I still don't think it would be smart to just let kids run around with guns without supervision or hunting with other kids with guns without supervision or even having anyone else around them actually. Too many variables there where something goes wrong and they shoot someone. That said, I hunted alone from the time I was about 11 years old and I've never had an accidental discharge in the 35 years since then. But very few kids get my upbringing in gun safety.

Even then I still wasn't allowed a to shoot rifles alone in anything other than a bullet trap with a berm behind it without supervision other than deer hunting on a lease where we knew where everyone was.

Pistols? LOL you shitting me? I shot them a lot, but it was ALWAYS under supervision. There is no reason to let a kid run around unsupervised with a pistol. None. Anything he can do with that he can do better and safer with a long gun.