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>>And have him smoke pot while he is at it, just so he knows what it is, and build bombs just in case he needs that knowledge. I just don't agree to expose a 10 year kid to these things...At least wait until his mind is mature enough to understand all the consequences of such knowledge.
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>I get what you are saying but it is a question of the kids personal interest and the context. I was interested in learning to shoot when I was about 10. My grandfather who hunted for food as a child in Appalachia and my father - a WWII Marine - were appalled at the idea that I would think guns were the "toys" the cowboys played with on TV so they taught me what they really were and I never, ever, "played" with the. I never touched a gun without authorization, never had any interest in killing animals with them, shot competition, and later in life when they became a tool of the trade I never fetishized them or was mesmerized by them.
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>That said, most people I know have never been interested in them and have got along in life quite nicely without them.

Good points.