Uhmm, this is why I taught my little brother (who is now 8) proper gun handling and rules in the first 15 minutes of bringing home the M&P. No fingers on triggers, no pointing at anyone, he even goes to tell me it is out in the open. He'll get to fire, when I find a small enough .22 to fit his hands.
This is exactly how I worked with my own son on this subject.
"Leave it alone"
"Tell me if you see it laying out"
Then:
"do not point a firearm at something that you do not want a hole in"
"do not put your finger on the trigger unless it is pointed at something you want to put a hole in"
"If you do not know if it is loaded, treat it as if it IS loaded"
Sunday he outshot me with my Beretta 92FS, safely on the shooting range. He is 12. :banana:
AND tried the Taurus .38 snubby for the first time and liked it. And shot better with it than I did. Little show-off. :lol:
Gun safety, i.e., muzzle control and trigger discipline, began with his plastic toy guns. Today, he is safer with a firearm in his hands than some adults I have met.