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Being English i hope my children never have anything to do with them past seeing them carried by Armed Police (Airports and Borders), by myself and my colleagues (Army) or shooting as sport.
If they have any interaction apart from that then it's unlikely to be a positive experience.
You raise some valid points. Kids (especially little boys) are naturally going to want to talk about it with their friends. It will take a lot of diligence and continuing efforts to ensure that they always respect safety when it comes to weapons. This is why I am adamant too about teaching them the appropriate way to handle a weapon that way if they ever do go behind my back they will hopefully at least apply sound judgment regarding the handling of the weapon. Meanwhile I am going to take steps to ensure this will not even be an option for them. Namely I will be getting a safe in a couple of years.
The other valid point that you raise is that a parent cannot control what goes on in someone else's home. If my kids are visiting someone else's home, I have no say in how the friend's parents manage firearm responsibility. Again, all I can do is teach my kids the right way of doing things, and pray that if they have dumb friends who have lax parents, that their own sense of judgment will prevail if they are ever in a situation in which one of their friends feels the need to show off "daddy's gun."
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Originally Posted by Eresh
Either way, I strongly feel that if there are guns in the home, then everyone living there should have adequate training in gun safety... including children (that are old enough).
I profoundly agree. I even went so far as to purchase a gun that would be inexpensive to fire as well as easy for the kids to learn on. And while I am not going to "force" an interest, I want to have something available for them if they do become interested. A .22 pistol is a good way to do this because you can fire a lot at low cost. Firing a lot means drilling in the fundamentals of safety and marksmanship. Plus a .22 is a very user-friendly firearm on which to learn, as the recoil is non-existant, so new shooters will not be intimidated by it.
Overall I would say that people seem to have a very level approach, regardless of which philosophy to which they subscribe. Thank you for your posts thus far.
Being English i hope my children never have anything to do with them past seeing them carried by Armed Police (Airports and Borders), by myself and my colleagues (Army) or shooting as sport.
If they have any interaction apart from that then it's unlikely to be a positive experience.
I think you are highlighting a fundamental difference between your country and ours. May I ask, what types of weapons are owned by English private citizens? My understanding is that those who do own their own firearms usually just have a shotgun for sporting purposes. Am I right?
Forbidden fruit? Let the children know that they are no different than any other tool- for instance a chain saw..Never place full importance on guns and do not let the kids know that you are dependent or overly dependent on a gun for security. If you have guns- take the kids out with the old bolt action 22 single shot..and spend a few days teaching safety ...as you make it a family outing popping of tin cans at 50 yards- Let them have their fill of shooting- compliment them on their marksmanship...take away any over fascination or fixation or guns..Take them out till they are utterly bored with the tool and toy..
You will find that they will have little or minor interest in weapons- at least they will know how to use one...just like teaching a kid to swim. It is a skill...nothing more- and perhaps a life saving skill..Never teach the kid that all power resides in a gun..but it resides in the mind through a thing called good judgement and considerate thought.
As for collecting weapons as a hobby....find something more creative to do...of course lock up the weapons...and let the kids know where they are- If you have one weapon that is stored in a place of convenience - Never let them know where it is - until they are fully mature. In CANADA only cops and crooks have hand guns in urban centers...in rural areas long guns are common...Personally if I had young kids in the house- unless I lived in a very horrible environment..I would not have them- because I don't need them.
I think you are highlighting a fundamental difference between your country and ours. May I ask, what types of weapons are owned by English private citizens? My understanding is that those who do own their own firearms usually just have a shotgun for sporting purposes. Am I right?
Yep, that's it. No auto or semi-automatic weapons and no pistols in any form are allowed anywhere other than at a registered gun club and the weapons have to be kept on the premises in a Police certified gun locker.
Whilst getting a shotgun (single or double barrel with the ability to hold no more that one or two cartridges, no pump, semi or auto pump) is fairly straight forward it can only be had if you use it for defence of livestock (farming to protect from dogs) or if you have access to or own land that can be used for field sports (Clay Pigeon, or wildlife shooting like pheasants, grouse). You can own a shotgun (that you keep at home) to use at shooting events but that requires another level of license and more (and very thorough) Police checks.
Canada- and I am a bit out of touch - but I remember as a rural guy..It was common to have hunting rifles..small long guns such as the traditional 22 kept by the farmers front door...Semi-auto has always been allowed..Shot guns are the most common. Handguns? The only two people that I knew that owned them was one fellow I knew as a boy- a retired old French trapper who had an old large caliber revolver...and later on my father in law who had a very old Smith and Wesson 38 revolver...Both of these hand guns were not registered and because so- were kept hidden away.
My own experience with hand guns and fully automatic weapons was working in the film industry..There are only about three people in the country allow large stocks of just about any weapon in existence..They provided them too the film industry..and they were very strict - in use and transport...kept in a large safe from what I understand. Recently in the last couple of decades- Illegal handguns are becoming more pronounced - In Toronto they have emerged as a serious problem- Collectors and sports shooters are not that common....gangsters seem well equipped and the police seem ill-equipped to deal with the problem.
As a young man and a kid- the general attitude towards hand guns was one of complete avoidance- We never would even consider thinking about owning one...times have changed and mostly young black and brown criminals have a fascination for hand guns...All of the bad guys have no skill in their use- no proper training and if they decide to murder or have a fire fight...they rarely hit their intended targets...They have guns but are horrifically bad shots...They have learned how to shoot from movies...and the mentality is all about the Hollywood version of gun handling...It's bad- they always seem to kill or injure every one but the intended target...These people are a blight on our city- and the police are finally going to wage war on these bastards...We have had enough of these idiots.
My Infantry Expert Army Officer Dad had a scrapbook of "I didn't know the gun was loaded" articles. I made a big impression on me.
This list is a great thing to show to your child as you teach them that the gun is ALWAYS loaded until you clear it. You ALWAYS assume it is loaded until you clear it yourself. Each and every single time.
I have a completely different "take" on firearms than many do. I would never own a gun for protection against a criminal element because there is little violent crime where I live. However, I have always enjoyed target shooting and I've always owned a couple of rifles for that purpose. I don't own a shotgun, but I've thought about buying one because I enjoy trap and skeet shooting. So, my feelings are "rifles and shotguns, yes". "Handguns, no".
When I was younger, I hunted, but I've pretty much given that up. However, my kids may choose to do so.
I enrolled my son in NRA Hunter Safety Training. When my daughter is 14, I plan to do the same with her. I do think all young people should get some basic instruction in firearms, so that they can learn what not to do as well as what to do. If they see a gun in a neighbor's home, I want them to understand what it is and not to go near it.
I can imagine that some people who live in dangerous cities might desire a weapon for personal protection. I won't judge them. I will say that I would never choose to live in such a place and if the place I live in becomes so unsafe I think that I need a gun to protect myself than I will move. That's simply no way to live and its an awful lesson to teach your children.
We don't keep our guns locked up. My husband's gun is usually in his duty belt on the floor on his side of the bed. My gun-loaded and with a round in the chamber-is where I can grab it within 30 seconds. My kids are used to seeing hubby or me answer the door or check out odd noises with a gun in our hands. We have an emergency plan for the kids and hubby and I have practiced what we would do if someone was breaking in, so that we each know which area we will be responsible for. (Although both times someone has tried to break in when we were there, I was home alone with the kids.)
What do you do when kids' friends visit? Do you have an introduction to the guns and a safety talk? Put them away? Leave them within reach?
We don't have guns....I don't worry too much about when the boys visit friend's houses, but I do think about it occasionally.
What do you do when kids' friends visit? Do you have an introduction to the guns and a safety talk? Put them away? Leave them within reach?
We don't have guns....I don't worry too much about when the boys visit friend's houses, but I do think about it occasionally.
Our guns are in our bedroom. Our kids' friends are not allowed in our bedroom. My kids are not old enough to be home alone for more than 30 minutes or have friends over when I'm not there.
Most of the kids' friends at this point are the neighbors' kids. The neighbors all know that we have guns...they see my husband coming home from work. My next-door neighbor has a gun and my kids have played at his house.
I do have a neighbor down the street who has bullet holes in her walls because she didn't believe her gun was loaded. We don't play over there, but that's not the only reason.
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