It is easy to teach youngsters the dangers of guns and the need to respect them. My husband said that the most powerful message he got was as a cub scout. They shot a .22, a shot gun and a rifle at stacked pine wood. The lesson was if this damage can be done to this wood, imagine what could happen to a person if you are not careful and using good gun safety.
Our son has his own earmuffs and has gotten a small dose of the safety and respect lessons. On a funny note when he sees turkey or deer, he says that he can't wait to get bigger so he can hunt/shoot them. We got our boys their lifetime hunting and fishiing licenses for their first birthdays.