I think any .22 would do best for a 10 year old girl. light enough for her to handle and good enough to stop someone from harming her.

I DO NOT ADVISE giving access to a handgun to a child AT ALL,UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES and only to long guns "Hunting Guns" if they have been taught to use them safely and responsibly and demonstrate enough maturity to have & use them. REMEMBER ... You are responsible for anything a child under 17 does with a firearm !! If they hurt or kill anyone with a firearm , it is on your head and on your conscious for life !! That would be hard to live with!! I had them at a young age, but, I knew they were not toys, and that they kill. I hunted with my Father & Grandfather and If I'd ever got caught playng with a gun or showing off, I'd have gotten the beating of my life and never would have had another gun until I was grown & on my own.

Doesn't this have the markings of a LOADED question? A 10 yr old girl with a 9MM? yeah right!

I'm going to be a little harsh here....I think arming a 10-year-old with a 9mm automatic pistol is one of the DUMBEST ideas I've ever heard! Rational adults have a hard enough time dealing with deadly force issues and you're going to entrust a 10-year-old with life-or-death decisions? Thank goodness you live 2500 miles away from my neighborhood. May I suggest that you purchase the following book: http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Fear-Americans-Afraid-Things/dp/0465014909/ and carefully reassess what the *real* threats to your 10-year-old's health/safety are. Good luck.

A 10 year old child has no business having access to any gun. I can't believe any adult would ever allow a child to be in a situation where they would need a gun to protect themself. A responsible adult should be there to protect that child at ALL times.

The best kind of pistol would be the plastic kind from toy shop that squirts water out of one end. Don't be a moron.

What are you thinking. Guns should not be given to children, whether its for home defense or not, a child should not have operation of a gun. This is my answer, if they must have something give them a taser. they can shock the intruder and get to you. if someone in the house really needs a gun it should be you and only you, not a 10 year old girl.

I've got to believe this question was meant as a joke.

A 10 year old should not have the responsibility for defending the home in the first place. Secondly, placing any firearm in the hands of a 10 year old is sheer lunacy. I bought a gun for the same reason, but my youngest is 17 and before she will be allowed to touch it until she takes a gun safety course from a trained professional.

A 10 year old child should only be handling firearms in a closely supervised recreational situation. Target shooting is a great way for a child to learn that recreational shooting is fun, and that safety is paramount. A child should never be expected to protect themselves from a threat so great that it requires a gun. If they are in such a situation, a guardian has failed to provide for her needs. I believe that children experienced in the recreational handling of firearms tend to be less curious about firearms, and are involved in fewer accidents where children get hurt "playing" with firearms. I DO NOT believe that anyone should be taught how to use a firearm as self defense, until they are living on their own, and it becomes more necessary.

A cap gun, can't go wrong with that.

Nobody giving their opinion so far has identified him or herself as a gun-safety instructor. I don't know the answer and I doubt whether the other posters do either, but if you can find someone recommended by your nearest gun shop he can tell you (a) whether it's a good idea, say for instance that your ten-year-old is a latchkey child; (b) what gun to use, and most important (c) give an actual gun safety course. I heard from an instructor couple weeks ago who said it's ten times easier to teach most women to shoot than some men because so many men have gotten their ideas about firearms from TV and one of the few actors he's ever noticed who knows how to hold a gun is Steven Segal.

There are some good Airsoft handguns you can get for cheap. I recommend buying a solid metal replica gun so she can get used to the weight of a loaded firearm. People who learn to shoot at a young age end up being the safest and most accurate shooters when they are old enough to handle gunpowder weapons.

A toy pistol. No harm. A 10 year old should not have to do the home defense. Your girl could also kill herself with a real weapon. But you could let her make an aikido course, if she has a lack of self confidence.

Moot point since most states have child access laws that put severe penalties on people who leave firearms where kids can get them unsupervised.

Im 16 and honestly 10 year olds are too young to be handling guns, Ive had my own gun since I was 13. Then agian Ive also been through training. Im positive there are courses that you can take you girl to. Im sure at 10 she is not wanting to play with guns unless she grew up around them and they werent a "taboo" object in her life. You must be very careful though because mistakes happen and Im damn sure that no 10 year old girl should be holding a gun bigger than her hand. I started out on bb guns. what happened to those? Get your girl a cap gun, then upgrade to a BB, either rifle style or hand gun style, depends which you want her to learn shooting for. Sooner or later with time let her shoot a real one. Training is most likely needed though. Your girl will not know anything about guns other than they kill and you pull a trigger, we all know that. But im sure your daughter doesnt know "always treat a gun as if its loaded" unless it is drilled into her head. Go get your daughter lessons, i took them with my sister and dad. Best bonding ever. And you both might learn something. I know my dad learned all the complete shooting positions. But come on, would you mom let you have one when you were 10?

go to the 2 doller shop and get a toy one!!!!! thats all kids should be allowed! a 10yr old with a gun? no way.

Smith and Wesson X-Frame 500 Magnum. 9mm's are for Europeans. Teach her the Body Armor drill, two to the body one to the head and get her some speedloaders. Oh, and get her a good tactical flashlight for night ops. Kahr makes a nice compact 45 for concealed carry missons like trick or treating or Girl Scout camp-o-rees. {I can't believe some people took this seriously.}

This is my goddaughter. She has been shooting since she was 8. This is her first deer taken last week with a 30-06 with a custom shortened stock because she is so tiny. One shot at 50 yards right through the heart. She is 12! She also can shoot a Ruger MkII Semi auto pistol with the best of them and placed third in the county childrens trap shoot with a shotgun this year. This is encouraged in my part of the country as they give kids free either sex deer and either sex elk licenses to get more young people involved in a healthy sport rather than having them run the streets and doing drugs. All kids here hunt and know how to use guns and I have never heard of a single kid shooting another kid or anyone else in all the years I have lived here. These kids take hunters safety classes and are thouroughly familiar with firearms and what they can do. Ignorance,and curiosity are what cause kids to have accidents with firearms. Give them knowledge and teach them proper safety and you eliminate those two problems. Kids under 14 years old require adult supervision when hunting but 14 and above can go out on their own armed and again, I've never heard of an accidental or intentional shooting or injury to another kid or anyone else by a kid in my 19 years living in this area. While you're at it click on the thumbnail pic, She looks REALLY dangerous doesn't she? (Oh My!)

First, I have to say that I hope the need of your child to defend your home never happens. In the event of a zombie plague or something of that nature, then I understand. Consider a .380. It's a 9x17, I believe, as compared to 9x19 for the 9mm. You should be able to find one with a frame that your daughter can handle for target practice. It has much less recoil and isn't likely to make them develop a permanent flinch as they pull the trigger. A .22 is much more suitable for a child to target practice with, though. If they learn on that then it's not likely that they'll develop poor marksman habits. Consider teaching your child the important things they need to know to defend your home in your absence: Call the police. Run to the neighbors house and call the police. Run to the other neighbors house and call the police. Or you could just get a well trained protection dog. Honestly, I'd recommend the dog.

personally id use the money instead and get a some better home security. a 10 year old with a gun is just ridiculous-what if you dont give her enough pocket money(allowance) and she takes it really bad! u could end up with a hole in your head,amongst other unthinkable scenarios.be real show her how to call the police instead

Troll post. 8.5 stars out of 10.

Don't get her a gun. Get her a toy gun or a water gun instead. A suggestion: paintballing.

If you want something that she can handle with minimal risk, I'd recommend Nerf. They have some surprisingly realisticly designed dart guns that can be used to teach the rules of firearms safety from a young age.

Wait till their at least 18 WHAT THE F&CK!!!???

a 22 revolver. fun as hell light, no kick, classic get it nickle plated double action obviously

There is nothing wrong with teaching a child responsible firearm safety or how to be a responsible hunter. Parental supervision should be mandatory up until a certain age for participation in such sports/activites, but I do not agree with just frivolously getting a gun for a 10 year old child "should the rare need arise". This is utterly ridiculous, and sorry to say but you should be given a psychological evaluation!! Normal people will send their kids for karate lessons, or kickboxing if they want them to be able to protect themselves. Last thing you need is for a prepubescent child to have the free access and the know how to operate a pistol. You are what's wrong with this society! You need to seriously Get a clue!

The 8 yr old in Mass was supervised at a gun club when he shot himself in the head with an Uzi on October 26.

if your neighbourhood is that dangerous that you need to arm a 9 year old for self defence i suggest you move some where else less dangerous

Why would a 10 year old need a gun for home defense? I never leave my 10 year old alone by herself. Our guns are safely locked in a gun vault, which can easily and only be access by my wife or I. One of us is always home with her and we both have handgun training and carry permits.

none, you dont give a 10 yr old a pistol, im not even sure thats legal

How about putting that money towards some proper parenting classes for yourself and maybe a self defence class for her. The change can go towards a decent burglar alarm. If the "rare" need arises the child is more likely to shoot the wall or herself than the burglar. In either case the burglar then has a free one bullet short weapon to use while he finds the rest of you.

What are you huffing?

Training children how to properly use a firearm is an essential skill for survival, not only for them but for those around them. Children with sociopathic tendencies should be identified and discovered in school age and have access to mental health help. Gun laws don't prevent spree or serial killers. And this child might be unfortunate enough to need to defend herself from a predator. I was molested as a toddler. How early in life should a female child be expected/ALLOWED to defend herself? No, a child shouldn't have to, ESPECIALLY not from the adults in charge of protecting her! But the REALITY is they need to know how! But guns are not toys and care and instruction (and a little more manual dexterity than a toddler has) is needed. My brother accidently shot and killed his best friend as a teen while crossing a fence while hunting. Its important to consider both sides. Shit happens!

My father gave me instruction on handling firearms. He gave me a book that contained the 10 commandments of firearms. I had to memorize and recite them back to him perfectly. He then gave me a 22 rifle. I didn't get to shoot it unless he was with me but I was required to clean and oil it one or more times each week and had to meet his inspection. I was 9 at that time. I was given my first BB Daisy air rifle when I was 8. I dispatched many an innocent bird. Because of the training my father gave me I never shot anyone with my bb gun. I knew how to handle any type gun or rifle safely. I had an uncle who when you came to his home the first time you were warned there were many guns of all types in every room and they were fully loaded including a round in the chamber. If you pick up and gun know it is loaded. He raised 4 daughters and 3 sons and never had a gun type accident with any of his family or the hundreds of kids that came through their home. My uncle's philosophy was it is the unloaded gun that kills therefore all his guns were loaded. I was allowed to go hunting and plinking (target practice) when I was 11 with my cousin and friends. we honed our aim by shooting red ants off a sandy cliff. We could get a box of 50, 22 shells for 35 cents. since we all had paper routes bullets were easy to get and we could buy them at 11 years old. All our hunting friends respected our privilege of using firearms of any type. I believe if a 10 year old girl is properly trained on how to use a firearm safely there should be no problem of her having one.

I believe I get the point. Firearms are potentially extremely dangerous, and we should do everything in our power to protect our children from danger, especially from rogue firearms. I grew up in Michigan, in the 1980's - no exaggeration, and no joke, we had rifle training in Jr. High School (age 12/13). Our gym teacher gave us each a .22 caliber rifle with some short rounds and had us shoot at a target. The teacher didn't even stay within a line of eyesight as he had to make a phone call or whatever. Kids that age were at peak stupidity, yet, miraculously, no one got shot that semester. I *do* believe that educating kids about firearm safety ought to be a priority in schools. Just like how sex ed is taught in schools just in case kids get active with those sorts of things, kids might come across an uncontrolled firearm either at a relative's house, at their own home, or even as a result of a crime. If the topic never comes up, who can blame them if they don't know what to do and end up touching the weapon irresponsibly? And, kids my grandparents' age were probably mostly hunting by the time they were 12. As we head into the future, we *want* guns to be less and less common and necessary for our way of life, however, I bet a large proportion of kids still come across a gun at some point in their childhood, regardless of our wishes. So, yeah, don't give a 10 year old unrestricted access to a 9mm pistol, but also, let's not pretend that she will definitely never encounter a weapon until she's 18...