I disagree with many of the posters here. The mom had a knee-jerk reaction to some guy who offered to let her kid play with guns. That is how she heard it. She shouldn't have reacted that way, but I can't say that I blame her either. She doesn't know you, she hasn't met you and here you are offering her kid a gun. I realize that you were trying to help and offered to teach him after he asked, but that is not how she heard it. The kid most likely came in and said "Hey mom, there is a guy down the street who said I can come over and shoot his guns!, can I?" Too many variables in this situation for it to have worked out well.
That said, there is another way.
You could have walked with the boy to his home, rang the bell and spoken with his mom. Explained that the boy saw you loading some guns in the car on your way to the range and he asked about them. Then you tell her that if she would allow it, you would be glad to teach the boy about gun safety and how to handle/shoot a firearm. You should also tell her that she is welcome to come along and participate as well.
Even in this situation, she may not feel comfortable. You can't fault her for that, either. She doesn't know you and its hard enough to let your kids go down the street, much less go shoot some guns with a total stranger. Is she a single mom, or is dad in the picture? If so, you can discuss it with the dad as well. My dad didn't do guns, not since Vietnam, but he taught me with a BB gun and I was always welcome to go hunting with my uncles, which I never did, but I had the option. If the dad is around, he might be more willing to listen.
Don't blame the mom to harshly, she is just protecting her kid from an unknown and she felt like she was backed into a corner. This isn't 1953 anymore, these days kids get raped and murdered in 7-11 bathrooms. Kids can change a person's outlook on life. Consider this, if your kid came home saying somebody offered to teach them how to do something you disagreed with, how would you feel? you would probably not be too happy with the person offering, even though it was your kid that asked. If my kid said some guy offered to show him how a Prius works, I'd probably kick his ass. I ain't raisin' no hippie tree-huggers! (that last part is a joke. kinda)
That said, there is another way.
You could have walked with the boy to his home, rang the bell and spoken with his mom. Explained that the boy saw you loading some guns in the car on your way to the range and he asked about them. Then you tell her that if she would allow it, you would be glad to teach the boy about gun safety and how to handle/shoot a firearm. You should also tell her that she is welcome to come along and participate as well.
Even in this situation, she may not feel comfortable. You can't fault her for that, either. She doesn't know you and its hard enough to let your kids go down the street, much less go shoot some guns with a total stranger. Is she a single mom, or is dad in the picture? If so, you can discuss it with the dad as well. My dad didn't do guns, not since Vietnam, but he taught me with a BB gun and I was always welcome to go hunting with my uncles, which I never did, but I had the option. If the dad is around, he might be more willing to listen.
Don't blame the mom to harshly, she is just protecting her kid from an unknown and she felt like she was backed into a corner. This isn't 1953 anymore, these days kids get raped and murdered in 7-11 bathrooms. Kids can change a person's outlook on life. Consider this, if your kid came home saying somebody offered to teach them how to do something you disagreed with, how would you feel? you would probably not be too happy with the person offering, even though it was your kid that asked. If my kid said some guy offered to show him how a Prius works, I'd probably kick his ass. I ain't raisin' no hippie tree-huggers! (that last part is a joke. kinda)
