I let my two younger kids use it all the time. My daughter is 10 and my son is 7. My son only gets one round at a time in the magazine, while I let my daughter shoot a whole magazine. Its better to be safe. My son does have a single shot 22 rifle and a Henry lever action 22 that his grandfather bought him when he was 2, but he likes the 15-22 because its like dad's AR's. They both have been taught gun safety and are also reminded how important it is every time they handle a gun loaded or unloaded.