Kids and guns

[frorider6]

I grew up in Tennessee and was raised with guns all my life. Some of my earliest memories are of my dad teaching me to shoot. It gave me a healthy respect for them and it was a lot of bonding time with my father. I plan on teaching my kids about guns and taking them shooting on a regular basis.

My girlfriend was raised in San Diego and the only time she was exposed to guns was with gang members and drug dealers. She has friends get shot by other kids. She is opposed to her kids ever learning about or having any kind of access to guns.

I believe that the only way to protect kids from guns is to teach them and familiarize them. If one of my kids's friends ever got a hold of a gun and I wasn't around, I'd rather my kid had been taught the dangers of guns and the respect for them. I feel that by not doing so, the kid would be more likely to play around with guns unsupervised in a dangerous way.

Also, I already own 1 rifle and plan on owning several more. But as soon as a baby enters my house (though probably sooner) I'll have a gun safe where all ammo and guns will be kept.

What do you think?

 

[beastboy]

I totally agree....I have a 2 year old daughter so everything is locked up. But when she is old enough, she will definately be exposed to them (as far as teaching her how to properly and safely use one) as long as she wants to....

 

[javaguru]

Where I'm originally from every teenager has ready access to guns yet there has never been a school shooting or gun toting rampage. We even got three days excused absence from school during deer season. Being educated is always safer than being ignorant....

 

[Zebo]

I have a big gun safe...I figure if my daughter can

1. Crack the safe
2. Choose a weapon
3. Choose matching ammo
4. Load the magazine
5. Put clip in gun
6. Cock and fire the weapon

She can have the damn thing..........

 

[beastboy]

I have a big gun safe...I figure if my daughter can

1. Crack the safe
2. Choose a weapon
3. Choose matching ammo
4. Load the magazine
5. Put clip in gun
6. Cock and fire the weapon

She can have the damn thing..........

You'd be surprised what they can figure out.....mine already figured out the thermastat...when she is cold she pulls over a chair and bumps the heat up.....

 

[KEL]

I grew up in Tennessee and was raised with guns all my life. Some of my earliest memories are of my dad teaching me to shoot. It gave me a healthy respect for them and it was a lot of bonding time with my father. I plan on teaching my kids about guns and taking them shooting on a regular basis.

I believe that the only way to protect kids from guns is to teach them and familiarize them. If one of my kids's friends ever got a hold of a gun and I wasn't around, I'd rather my kid had been taught the dangers of guns and the respect for them. I feel that by not doing so, the kid would be more likely to play around with guns unsupervised in a dangerous way.

What do you think?

Fro-this is what makes us different:
1. I'm a girl
2. I was raised in Texas

What you have said speaks volumes in my opinion. I was taught to respect a firearm and understand it is never a toy. Too bad so many others have not had the luxury of this knowledge.

 

[frorider6]

KEL - I still can't even let a toy gun be pointed at me.

Once, after emptying whatever gun I was shooting, I started to get sloppy with where the muzzle was pointed. My dad got onto me about it and I said, "But it's unloaded." He said, "If you're so sure, point it at your foot and pull the trigger."

Point made.

 

[frorider6]

Re: Re: Kids and guns

Fro-this is what makes us different:
1. I'm a girl
2. I was raised in Texas

What you have said speaks volumes in my opinion. I was taught to respect a firearm and understand it is never a toy. Too bad so many others have not had the luxury of this knowledge.

So, if that is the only thing that makes us different, I can assume you:
1) are hot
2) are buff
3) are modest
4) have a hot blond girlfriend

 

[beefybull]

Definitely go the teaching/respect way for guns. Owning guns is a right we Americans should cherish. Many times anti-gun people say "when they wrote the constitution they needed guns to fight the British, theres no threat now" No threat now? How about terrorism?! If anything, people should buy more guns now. I'm no gun fanatic, but I like to go hunting or to the shooting range every once and a while. Everyone should know and respect the power of the gun. I would begin by teaching my child with toys made to look real (spray painted perhaps) and BB guns to begin with, with safety being made a big point. As the child reached an age when he/she could safely fire a small rifle I would let them handle the real guns. Triggerlocks/Safes/Etc. would probably make your girlfriend feel much better about it. I would also try to educate her as to the traditional, non-criminal uses of the gun such as hunting/marksmanship/self-defense/etc. Hope this helps you!

Also, if you're not already, become a member of the NRA. They are one of the most powerful political groups and they are the reason we still have the freedom to carry guns today. Membership is fairly cheap too.

 

[danielson]

people who didnt have training in weapons actually thought an asasault rifle when laid in front of them was a 'toy' and 'couldnt actually kill anyone as we wouldnt be allowed to use them'

granted the SA80 has a lot of plastic on it, but its people like these that get careless with guns and kill them.

being trained how to use a firearm safely teaches you respect for that weapons ability to kill (yes, even the SA80 ).....if guns were legal here i'd teach my kids (if i have any) how to use em properly