The single biggest lack I see is a derth of parental interaction. Kids need Both parents who care, placing and enforcing logical boundaries; and requiring their kids to follow them.

That said, my kids had a long gun at age 7; complete with training and rules. They were taught and used all forms of Long and short firearms, just as I taught them to swim. A dangerous tool, fully understood, becomes safe and useful.

The other problem (the elephant in the room) is that our youth are bombarded with politically motivated disaster stories related to climate 'emergencies'; that are slated to destroy the entire World, usually in the next ten years. Originally it was an ice age, now they've found out how to tax man made global warming. But in both scenarios, we were to be dead in ten years; using the same data, and pseudoscience! So we take a young mind, from a position of power; tell them there is Zero chance of survival, then hand them a gun....