BB guns make excellent first guns for your children. If you plan on taking your child hunting, you most certainly do not want to start him or her out with any other "real" gun. First, teach your children how to properly use BB guns.

The key to teaching your children to use BB guns is to make sure that they understand that these guns are not toys! There are two reasons for this: one, you want them to know how to properly handle a "real" gun when they get one, and using BB guns is great practice. Two, BB guns really are not toys. They can cause injuries and even fatalities.

If you do decide to give your children BB guns, there are some things that you need to be aware of. There are many people that who do not agree with the use of BB guns, but this is generally when they are misused. Here are some things that you should consider:

The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) suggests that only kids 16 years of age or older be allowed to use BB guns. The laws vary from state to state.

Some say that playing with "toy" guns, like BB guns, might make it more likely that your child will mistake a real gun for a toy. Be sure to clearly establish the difference!

For your children, buy only brightly colored BB guns. Do not allow them to remove any colored markings. It is possible for policemen and others to mistake a BB gun for a real gun if markings are removed.

Be sure that your child wears eye protection when shooting a BB gun. These guns can cause eye injuries, especially because the BBs often ricochet.

Try out the BB gun before giving it to your child. Make sure that the firing sound is not overly loud. You do not want to damage the hearing of your child! Give your child hearing protection!

Be sure that your child knows to treat all BB guns as though they are real guns.

These are just a few safety rules related to BB guns. There are, of course, many more. Make sure that you go over general gun safety with your child before (not after) you give him or her a BB gun.

Also, you can check with your local NRA chapter or other gun groups and see if they offer any courses in gun safety. They can create a fun and safe environment for your child to learn all about guns and BB guns.

BB guns can be fun and useful, as long as they are used properly. Be sure that the experience that your child has with a BB gun is a good one. He or she may gripe about having to learn about gun safety, but in the end, you will be thanked!