I grew up in the US, and never encountered a gun until I was approximately 30 and specifically sought them out. That doesn't mean that they don't exist in America or in the UK. They do.
I'm in the USA. I was given a shotgun for my 8th birthday. I shot an AR-15 when I was six. Guns were not treated as some mystical, forbidden devices.
Both my kids (8 and 11) have their own rifles, and we shoot regularly. If my kids want to shoot or handle a certain gun, I let them do it under supervision with no reservations.
