Zombie apocalypse time! How old does a child have to be before you give him/her a gun?

[Foxpack1]

I can hardly drive the tank and fire the cannon at the same time can I?

 

[JoJo]

why the hell are you toting around a child? unless you plan to use it for bait, ditch the kid. giving a firearm to a child, and a PSYCHOLOGICALLY UNSTABLE ONE AT THAT, this is zombie apocalypse after all (dismembered family members anyone? zombie puppy dogs? violence and the upheaval of everything safe and familiar?), is sheer idiocy, and sticking with a thing that'll slow you down is even dumber.
Ditch the kid. you'll live longer.

Cos, you know, not everyone looks out solely for themselves.

OT: Depends on the maturity and temperament of the child in question. Even if you're sure that they won't accidentally shoot you or themselves, there's a good chance they wouldn't be able to hold it together in a dangerous situation. I'd go for between 10 and 14 as the youngest that I'd trust if I have to put a number on it, though only as a last resort. In the optimal situation with enough responsible adults to protect however many children were under our care, guns would be 16+ only.

 

[fenrizz]

Full blown end-of-the-world zombie apocalypse?

I'd trust my 5year old son with a small caliber (22LR) rifle or gun.
He wouldn't be carrying it loaded all the time, but I sure as hell would teach him how to use it and train with him.

It is old enough to receive instructions and training under supervision.

why the hell are you toting around a child? unless you plan to use it for bait, ditch the kid. giving a firearm to a child, and a PSYCHOLOGICALLY UNSTABLE ONE AT THAT, this is zombie apocalypse after all (dismembered family members anyone? zombie puppy dogs? violence and the upheaval of everything safe and familiar?), is sheer idiocy, and sticking with a thing that'll slow you down is even dumber.
Ditch the kid. you'll live longer.

Because some of us have children and would rather die than leave them behind.
Obviously you do not.

 

[Lionsfan]

Depends on their ability to use it. Some of my cousins who are younger than me have fired a gun and gone through gun safety and I know middle-aged people who have never even touched a gun

 

[The Last Nomad]

I train them to use it the day they can understand whats going on. I'd let them keep it as soon as they'd proven they could use it in the training.

 

[Muspelheim]

"Can you lift the rifle? Hmm, good. Can you work the bolt? Splendid. Can you be trusted with not shooting your mates? Right, certainly hope so. Do you have the self-control to conserve your ammunition? Well, hope you can, because you'll only get ten rounds a day.

Welcome to the People's Liberation Army, kid. Enjoy your stay."

*Opens a window.*

"And do try to get that nappy changed, soldier..."

 

[zombie711]

I'l give him/her a gun when they become comfortable using the searchbar as a weapon.

also what the heck is this

 

[Byere]

I don't see it based on age. I see it based on maturity. If you have a choice between a 13 y/o who's very trigger happy and slightly psychotic or an 8 year old who's able to keep calm, follow orders and able to bravely take on a zombie or two, chances are I'm giving the weapon to the younger kid... maybe give a baseball bat or other melee weapon to the older one...

 

[Swiftkillz]

they would probably kill themselves, and kids cant handle recoil on most guns

 

[XINVADER]

It's hard to say, how old are you when you're mature enough to know that your not invincible and guns kill things?


Oh and this is how it would probably go down:

 

[Malyc]

I can hardly drive the tank and fire the cannon at the same time can I?

Actually, yes. Yes you can. Just don't expect to be able to aim very well.

 

[Alexias_Sandar]

Mhh. Give them a gun? Depends on the maturity of the child. Honestly though, more likely to use them as a reloader or spotter, to keep someone who is more likely to be able to handle the weapon directly and more likely to keep their head under fire, time to work. A simple, useful task that they can likely do with minimal instruction.