Children And Guns

The gun store guys have a gripe:

A decent discussion, but as I said in the past I am really not a fan of youtube videos longer than around 5 minutes, especially when they are just on one topic like this one.

One of the commentors “Mobieus7” had a good comment that was top rated:

Gun proof your child, don’t child proof your gun.

I think the first part of that sentence says a lot.  Kids are naturally curious, and I believe parents should educate them so they have a healthy respect for firearms. As far as the 2nd half of the sentence goes I don’t think households with kids should just have firearms strewn all over the place even if the kids are educated about their danger.

Thoughts?


Comments

8 responses to “Children And Guns”

  1. Even if they’re well taught, kids just LOVE to mess with guns. I think, if you have children, you do both. Don’t forget, they might bring friends over, perhaps when you’re not home.

    1. I knew where my dads guns were at all times, but I also knew the two primary dangers of them, 1) they are extremely deadly, more than a bike crash and a BB gun, 2) If I touch it I will get my ass beat worse than a Taiwanese ladyboy. Thus, never played with them (unless he took me to the range). And now being in my mid 20’s and touching a firearm everyday for almost 3 years I have never had a negligent discharge and have yet to sweep anyone (that I am aware of), or have any accidents at all. The closest to an accident I’ve been involved with is when my S12 locked up and my dumbass friend was trying to pull the charging handle back, slipped, and cut the shit out of his hand on the upper housing.

      1. – Daddy, whats a Taiwanese ladyboy?
        –oh, look it up on google i have to go to work.

  2. My 2yr old knows what they are and says “daddy’s gun, no touch” when I put it on. He actually got his first gun for his 2nd birthday from a family friend, though he can’t shoulder it yet. He will be taught to respect them and treat them safely. But I still lock them up. When growing up I could’ve got one of my dad’s if I had wanted to. But I was taught what they can do and how to use them. I never felt the need to play with them.

  3. i never grew up with firearms in the household. being from texas, i knew what a gun was but the thought never crossed my mind of me shooting one. being mechanically inclined i knew that you had to pull a trigger to get the gun to go off. thats about where it stopped. had a bb gun and pellet pistol in my teens and that furthered my education of projectiles and trajectory. i knew early on not to shoot anyone as it “hurts”. i got shot by my friend’s little brother with a BB gun and knew i didnt want it to happen to someone else.

    long about 19 i got introduced to firearms formally (went shooting one time with a local CHL instructor and his son whom i had been friends with for a long time) and wanted to learn more about them. SAFETY WAS KEY. (no not the crossbolt kind, the common sense kind). while i dont agree with everything the NRA does, i do think their “4 rules” (did they come up with it?) are important and that everyone needs to know it, whether or not they are around firearms all the time.

    my kids (if i have any) will be taught early on they are not a toy. when they show me their maturity level and i think they can handle a firearm, they will start with a single shot .22 and go from there. hopefully by 18th birthday they will display enough knowledge that they will be getting a cutting-edge firearm (be it AR-15 platform still or phased plasma rifles) as a gift.

  4. Holy crap that’s weird. I was reading “Chase’s” comment and didn’t even read his name. I thought to myself wow this sounds just like me, up until the S12 lockup part. Anyways, I was gonna second the other Chase’s comment. My dad has been a cop all my life and I grew up with a loaded pistol on his gun belt laying on his closet floor my entire life. Never touched it until I was old enough to shoot it and when he allowed me to. I am in my early 20s as well. Way to go other Chase.

  5. I fucking hate these guys and unless it’s porn, I’m not gonna watch a 12 min. video

    But, I do agree with this; “Gun proof your child, don’t child proof your gun.” and if that’s what they were talking about. I agree.

  6. I have guns and child, and while they’re not strewn all over the place, they are specifically located in accessible areas. The child is not allowed to touch them without an adult present. With an adult present I am always willing to clear a firearm so they can touch / look / whatever. Basically, knowing there is a readily approved time / place / manner makes the guns kinda boring. She’s way more likely to use my computer without permission if she’s looking for trouble.