[palmer]

Ruger 10/22.

[Political Junkie Too]

A Red Ryder BB Gun?

-PJ

[tet68]

You might want to wait till after the class, do they
have rifles you can use? A little exposure will help you
in making a good decision.

Good luck and have fun.
Keep'em in the Black.

[Loud Mime]

Sorry, couldn't help it....

[andrew2527]

As many as you can afford.

LOL

But seriously, my first gun was a single shot New England Firearms 20 gauge. Really cheap and you don't have to worry about him leaving unfired rounds in the gun. I think I was given that gun around the age of 8.

[Tijeras_Slim]

You can't go wrong with a .22 bolt action rifle. I have a CZ 452 Lux, which comes with decent iron sights (a rarity these days) but you can mount a scope easily. Good trigger too. MSRP is $350, but they can be had for less. Check out all at www.cz-usa.com

[Sybeck1]

A 12 guage pump. For hunting and home protection.

[NittanyLion]

For a first gun, I'd get a .22 rifle. Cheap ammo, easy to handle with little recoil.

[humblegunner]

It would depend upon what kind of shooting y'all plan on doing.

If your goal, besides basic preparation, is to go to the range and shoot
at targets then a .22 is a good place to start. They don't kick at all
and are good for getting folks used to firing rifles and not be jumpy about it.

From there, the possibilities are miriad.

[Michael Goldsberry]

What gun for a 17-year-old? Anything.

In a year or so, he may be a Marine.

[Renegade]

MY first hunting firearm at age 12, was a single shot Winchester 16 ga. shotgun ( full choke ). My dad made me use it so that I would be sure of hitting my target because I only had one chance . Still use it today as it does a job on squirrels ( tree rats )that invade my garden .

[cbkaty]

Texas.....try Luckenbach or Sisterdale

Teen's handgun.......nothing that embarasses him...no small bore....!

Anything in a 45 or 357 will make him proud...

Rifle....an excellent quality 30-0-06 will one day be a hand-me-down...

[garyhope]

My first gun was a single shot Stevens .20 ga shotgun. My dad took me hunting with it. I was taught gun safety. Afterwards, I shot lots of poor innocent birds, squirrels, rabbits etc. Eventually I stoppped decimating the local small animal population.

My next gun (always a Christmas gift) was a bolt action Mossberg .22 with a scope.

Start with a long gun, teach gun safety and responsibility. Later a handgun.

[Fenris6]

But since then I've not used a gun, and we've never had guns in our house. Be sure to focus on your safety lessons: 1) always treat the gun as loaded, even when you know its not 2) always point the gun in a safe direction, usually up not down [richochet off ground] 3) always keep the gun on safe until you intend to shoot. 4) always keep your finger out of the trigger well until you intend to shoot. 5) never point it at anything you don't intend to kill I would choose a revolver with good knockdown power for home defense.

[Springman]

Marline Model 60. 18 rounds tube mag. Easy to shoot.

And if you need it later, well I know of two people that had to use that rifle in home invasions, in Detroit.

BTW, beer cleans up blood very well!!!

[RedwM]

I gotta say, those Henry lever action .22's are nice.

[tacticalogic]

Another vote for the bolt action .22. Ammo is cheap, unintentional consequences minimized, and the more work it is to reload the more likely they are to concentrate on making the shot count. IMHO.

[KimaraChan]

If your son has never touched a gun (and it sounds like you are a little bit out of practice too), you might want to try a BB gun at first and have him plink at some soda cans or targets, just to get him used to the feel of it. It may also be helpful to start on the BB if your wife is nervous about having a firearm in the house. After he's got the hang of it, move to a .22 rifle. And up from there.

Personally, my dad started me out on a BB gun at 8. He moved me to a .22 semi-auto rifle when I was about 10. By 12-13 I was using the 12ga for skeet shooting. I have not used a handgun too much, but I'm pushing my husband to buy me this beautiful little .45 So hopefully the pistol fairy will leave a present under my pillow soon :-)

I'm assuming your local range offers a hunter's safety course. The hunters safety course offers a wealth of safety information and I would definitely recommend it.

As for your potential move to Texas...we left the horrid North-East for the North Dallas suburbs in December, and haven't looked back since. Our familys keep dropping the hint that they want us to move back...to which I give them a polite 'no thank-you' while thinking to myself 'sure, when hell freezes over'. If you are fed up with rude and obnoxious liberal idiots who want to mind everyone else's business...well depending on which area of TX you go, you may just find yourself in heaven.

[PeteB570]

Any of the AR16 versions in the flat top M4 configuration. Put on an EO Tech sight and have fun.

My girls find the longer AR16 a little heavy for off hand shooting at 100 yards or greater. They like M4s, SKSs and .30 Cal Carbines. Me, I like 'um all.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

.22 bolt action or semi auto rifle - used, from a good dealer.

I've never been to the range in Livermore but the range in Castro Valley is well managed and places great emphasis on the enforcement of safety rules. If Livermore doesn't work out, I'd recommend it.

I think you'll find that people at shooting ranges are some of the friendliest, most courteous folks you'll find anywhere.

Also, check out your local gun club (800) NRA-CLUB and the NRA's Eddie Eagle youth gun safety program - 800-231-0752.