My personal opinion is that at 3 a child does not have the muscle control for accuracy of any kind or even the understanding of what
accuracy is.

I think the training just has to match whatever you choose- the gun its self could be hard to get wrong as long as your message fits. So long as kids are getting the right message for what they are doing- consistent, uncompromising, constant. I don't like toy guns, but mine got a nerf gun one year from family, so we started treating those like firearms well before starting bb guns (lever actions on Red Ryders are pretty stout for any kid, out of the box). Practiced muzzle control, handing a weapon back and forth, chamber checks, etc. I have Halloween pics of a small kid showing that straight right index finger and crowd awareness. He started training his buddies too. Too funny. For some reason the girls didn't listen at all- he'll have to get used to that.

I got a daisy 3 pump at about 5. I shot a benjamin .20 cal at 4. Your call.

I know the LOP will be too long with the rifle stock on it but it's both a rifle and pistol so you could start off with the pistol. No pumping with C02, you can pop critters with it too until she's old enough to use it on her own and she can effectively go squirrel hunting with it as she grows. It will be so much more accurate than a BB gun, there's no comparison. It only weighs 3 pounds and has a silencer too $129.99. BB guns ricochet really bad, break glass and pellet guns typically don't. I've always thought red rider bb guns were a waste of money but that's just my opinion of them.

https://www.pyramydair.com/product/diana-chaser-co2-air-rifle-kit?m=4613

I know the LOP will be too long with the rifle stock on it but it's both a rifle and pistol so you could start off with the pistol. No pumping with C02, you can pop critters with it too until she's old enough to use it on her own and she can effectively go squirrel hunting with it as she grows. It will be so much more accurate than a BB gun, there's no comparison. It only weighs 3 pounds and has a silencer too $129.99. BB guns ricochet really bad, break glass and pellet guns typically don't. I've always thought red rider bb guns were a waste of money but that's just my opinion of them.

https://www.pyramydair.com/product/diana-chaser-co2-air-rifle-kit?m=4613

Are Air Gun Silencers Legal?

We don’t want to present any misconceptions here and make it sound like getting a silencer for your air gun is easy. It’s very often anything but.

Assuming you live in the United States, you can’t just go out and buy a silencer for your air gun. Instead, you first have to write to or reach out to your federal government and request their permission for the silencer. If you get turned down for any reason, then that’s it, it’s game over for you. No air gun silencer.

Why all the red tape, you ask? Unlike owning a firearm, which is written into the US Constitution, there’s nothing in there about silencers. Thus, any state can decide to decline your request of owning one if they so choose.

Certain states do allow for silencer ownership on a private level. These are as follows:

Wyoming
Wisconsin
West Virginia
Virginia
Utah
Texas
Tennessee
South Dakota
South Carolina
Pennsylvania
Oregon
Oklahoma
Ohio
North Dakota
North Carolina
New Mexico
New Hampshire

Nevada
Nebraska
Montana
Maryland
Maine
Louisiana
Kentucky
Indiana
Idaho
Georgia
Florida
Connecticut
Colorado
Arizona
Arkansas
Alabama

If you count ‘em all up, those are indeed 36 out of 51 states. Okay then, so what’s the problem? Well, here’s where things get a little tricky.

Allowing for private ownership of an air gun silencer just means that you don’t risk any legal penalization if live in a state on that list of 36 and you’re caught using your silencer in say, your backyard. That’s all.

What it doesn’t mean is that your application for a silencer will naturally be approved just because you call one of the above states home. Remember, those permissions happen on a local or federal level, not a personal level.

Okay, well you at least want to try to see if you can get approval to buy an air gun silencer. What kind of form would you have to fill out? Can you just write an informal letter? You can write a letter if you really wanted to, but you’d also need to accompany it with ATF Form 4.

You can take a look at the form online right here. Download the PDF, print out the form, and complete it at your leisure. As the form says, you’re reaching out to the National Firearms Act Division through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Colorado.

You need to include your own personal information, such as your full name, home address, phone number, and email address.

There’s also a section asking for information about the gun in question. Such as; the manufacturer, where the gun was imported from, its model, barrel length, overall length, and serial number as applicable. If you transferred the gun or bought a transferred one, you’d need to add that info in as well.

Besides the completed ATF Form 4, you also need to send along a $200 check (oh yeah, this isn’t free) and passport photos. Your local police office will get your fingerprints, which are part of your application as well.

Once you send in all your materials, it’s a waiting game. As we said before, you could get turned down for any reason and even a reason that’s never revealed to you.

It doesn’t seem like you can appeal the rejection, so you’re stuck. You could always wait and then try applying again or apply with a different air gun. You could still get turned down every time, though. It happens.

The good news is that if you do win the approval to own an air gun silencer, that’s it, you’re all set. You never have to apply for that silencer again. While it’s quite a time-consuming, pricy, and exasperating process then, it will be worth it if your silencer gets approved.

Red Ryder cut it down and shoot cans. No telling how many bbs my kids went through with those things. Don’t overthink it probably nothings been used more.

When I was a kid, I thought my Daisy pump was the coolest thing ever. I’m sure it’s due to litigation reasons, but BB guns today are not as powerful as they were when I was a kiddo.