Hello drgondog,
Personally I think that teaching a six year old kid on how to handle firearms is actually overestimating the situation entirely. No matter how well one might teach them, they are still kids, and when the hour or day comes they will also use and act with these weapons like a kid, especially if they are by themselves, don't you think so?
So I think it is more about safekeeping the weapons on behalf of the adults. To avoid a 9 year old kid wavering his BB gun in front of my father's face on his porch.
Regards
Kruska
You are correct. When I was 8 years old I was goofing around with a friend in his parent's bedroom and he found his dad's pistol under the bed - and playing 'cowboys and indians' he pointed at me and pulled the trigger - and missed as I dove to one side. Scared both of us 'shi%ess'. He didn't know it was 'loaded'. I never forgot.
My sole purpose is to acquaint them with two facts - that any rifle, shotgun or pistol in my home is 'loaded and therefore dangerous' when only one(in my home) is in fact in that condition, and the second point is that there is fearsome power at the other end of that 'tool'. The tomato can illustration with both pistol and shotgun is part of the visual with me making the shot.
They don't actually start shooting until they are about 8 when the cut down stock on an old Remington 514 bolt action .22 rifle fits them well enough to shoulder properly.. They are taught to load it with the rifle on a benchrest and pointed downrange
They get to go to the range with me and I let them load each firearm I shoot... and they get to 'unload' and check the chamber of every pistol when I finish. I have three 'little people' shooting ear 'muffs'
They quickly learn to keep barrels pointed down at all times with fingers out of trigger guard as first lesson. If they forget, they are in immediate 'time out'
While they know that they are NEVER to touch one without my permission, I give them permission frequently so they are not (theoretically) tempted on their own. I have locked cabinet guncases as well as safe's but all they have to do is ask and we will go through the process.
One of the reasons the I switched from 1911A1 to 870 pump for bedroom is that it is far more awkward for a young kid to even handle the shotgun - and I put the 45 in the safe. The chamber is open and it is 'safed'.. just have to pump it forward while taking it off safety - lose maybe one second.