BB Guns for Girls

I bought my seven-year old daughter a shocking pink Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. I really didn't think much about purchasing the BB gun for her until I started getting what I thought were strange reactions to the news from people I told in casual conversation.

I had originally given the BB gun idea to relatives that were looking to buy my daughter a Christmas gift. I was hoping to help them in their ideas for Christmas presents but they all politely declined or flat-out said "I'm not getting her that!" You can bet I heard "you'll shoot your eye out" more than five times in these conversations.

I guess I can understand the questioning from a safety point of view. It just seems like my family was a bit more flabbergasted at the purchase because I bought it for a girl. Would they have the same "heck no" reaction if I'd purchased it for my son? Or, was the reaction because she is so young?

I consider my daughter is a pretty typical "girly-girl." She loves her stuffed animals and her Justice for Girls fashion-sense. I never had her pegged for the BB gun-type. She's far from "outdoorsy". But, I knew she'd enjoy her bb gun for a couple of reasons...

My husband enjoys his geek television shows. One of the shows he kind of hooked the whole family on is Top Shot on the History Channel. If you're not familiar with Top Shot, it's a reality TV show where sharp-shooters live in a house and compete in wild competitions to see who is a better shooter with a variety of weapons. Cast members get voted until a champion is crowned after they've proven themselves on the shooting range. It's kind of a sporty version of The Real World that often has the drama of Real Housewives. Anyways, for some reason, my kids and I like the show almost as much as my husband. It's either a compliment to the show or a testament to our geekness that we adore the show but we, as a family, don't even own any guns.

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The other reason I knew she'd like her BB gun gift is pretty simple. She loves responsibility and is pretty mature. She knew a gift like this required great trust and she enjoys proving how responsible she can be.

My thinking in getting my daughter a bb gun for Christmas was that she could practice a skill, learn about gun safety with a safe bb gun and be exposed to a new sport. Plus, she already has enough clothes, video games, soccer equipment and stuffed animals. We live in Michigan after all and even though no one in the family hunts, I respect the whole Michigan outdoors-vibe we're fortunate to have here in Michigan. So, I bought her a shocking pink Red Ryder BB gun from Bass Pro Shops for under $35.

Sure, I had some safety apprehensions about buying the BB gun. My husband is no shooter either but definitely had more experience with bb guns than I did. This particular Red Ryder pink bb gun is as close to harmless as you can get for a bb gun. Very low-power yet very sturdy and easy to maneuver. When I say low-power, the directions suggest you can even set up indoor targets. I'm not about to set up a shooting range in my basement but I'm more than happy to set up some tin cans for her to shoot at from 20-40 feet away outside. The bbs shot from this pink BB gun can barely penetrate a cardboard box from 30 feet away.

After a brief speech from my husband, the BB gun safety ground rules were put in place:

• parental supervision at all times
• protective eyewear worn at all times
• safety switch on at all times (except when cocking and firing)
• everyone stands behind the bb gun at all times
• bb gun stock points up when cocking at all times
• no shooting at any object where ricochet presents a problem
• no targeting animals (obviously)

My daughter was thrilled to open her pink Red Rider bb gun on Christmas morning. The Red Rider even scored higher marks than some of the other "big ticket" Christmas items she received. She is quite proud of it! The pink Red Rider bb gun means even more quality family-time as she can only use it when her parents are present. Even with my initial apprehension, I have to say the bb gun is pretty fun. I'm beginning to see why little Ralphie in "A Christmas Story" wanted one so much!