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Private is for things that happen in bedrooms and bathrooms, and things that could be embarrassing in public. What the heck are you doing with your gun that makes it "private?"
I have markedly different parameters than you of what's private--not just stuff that would be "embarrassing" (and btw everyone poops. ) Private information includes financial details, health information--including medications, things close friends confide in me about.
This is off on a tangent, but I wonder the age of some of the posters. It seems like the next generation has no sense of boundaries or privacy or dignity, which I blame primarily on social media. Everything doesn't need to be shared with everyone. Everyone shouldn't know everything about you. People don't realize revealing all has its dangers.
I made a comment about having gun/ammo locked up separately and yes agree and understand that it's not as fast as a loaded gun under your pillow but you can't have both quick access and security. that is just what i would do with a child, probably of almost any age, in my own house. i'd definitely take kids to range when young enough to handle a gun but doesn't mean I'd necessarily give them unrestricted access to it at home.
I would like to know about friend's parent's guns, but probably wouldn't ask. If we know there is a gun we're probably hesitant to leave kids there unattended. My son will scale walls to get something he wants. I know how I was as a kid and I wasn't even that bad!
When DS was in grade school he became best friends with a boy in the neighborhood whose father was head of security at six flags over atlanta. I knew of course there were weapons in the house and asked DS if friend ever played with them or got them out of the locked cabinet. He swore up and down NO and said they were locked up and friend never got them out.
Once I was in their house and casually asked mother how she felt about weapons all over the house. i counted 3 very nice glass front rifle cabinets filled with weapons. She said they were always locked and her kids knew never to touch them unless dad was giving them lessons. Fine, I was satisfied.
Years later DS told me friend knew where the keys were and he often took the guns out to show off to his buddies. Once he even carried a gun to school on the bus (back in the 80's) but he didn't know if it was loaded. I was furious with him for not telling me but he said friend would not play with him any more if he tattled.
Never dawned on me to have the same conversation with my girls cause frankly...well it just didn't. But when I think of it guns can be attractive to both sexes and all kids like to show off. So I'm having that conversation with them tomorrow (today we have BDay party) and I'm screwing up my nerve to talk to parents as well. One heartbroken mother's plea to other parents: Ask if there's a gun in the house - Parents - TODAY.com
How is a glass-fronted cabinet secure? They could crash through the glass accidentally while playing, for pete's sake, and then the lock becomes pointless. As long as the thing is open, let's look at mom and dad's guns!!! Don't be chicken, I won't let anything bad hap--BLAM
Actually, asking parents where they store their medication is a very smart question to ask. The easiest, cheapest way for anyone to get high is to take what's in someone's medicine cabinet. People have been doing that since they started putting medicine cabinets in bathrooms. I once asked a woman if she kept pills in her purse. She said, "Yes, why?" I said, "Because your two year old is holding up a bottle of pills and that's not my purse." (That was said as I walked over and took the bottle of Benadryl away from her.)
The problem here is the old catch-22.
Most accidents involving guns and many other things involve extreme negligence.
I mean, so you ask someone if they keep loaded guns or pills lying around the house or drive drunk with kids in the car etc. what response are you expecting to hear?
Do you ever think you'll get one of these people to say, "Oh yeah, I have guns. I don't bother to securely store them."?
You assume all of us would be bothered by being asked those questions. I wouldn't.
No, I am merely stating my perception of the question as rude.
I'm not so dull as to expect everyone out there to share the same perspectives on what they consider rude or not.
Then again, I'm also not foolish enough to go around essentially asking people if they are negligent and endanger their children and expect an honest response.
Maybe. But, my parents didn't, I don't, and out of my six siblings only one does, and he lives in AZ where he claims everybody else does too. None of my three boys, all in their 20's now, have ever shown any interest in being gun owners. I'm glad of it.
We live in the south now, and they are everywhere. I am grateful we raised our own in a state with strict gun laws.
I grew up around guns, I had my own rifle at age 10. I was STRENUOUSLY trained in gun safety.
I currently do not own any guns but occasionally shoot them when visiting relatives.
I would urge you to take a more progressive attitude towards recognizing diversity in this country where others may not have lived in the safety and security that you've evidently enjoyed.
My friend living in a rural area had to shoot a career felon that broke into her house one night while she was home along with her young child. The thing is, the guy knew she was home as she was still up, walking around with the lights on in the house etc. and her dogs were barking....none of that stopped him. She live 20 minutes from police help and that assumed she'd been able to get to the phone which without a gun and the way he came in the house would have been questionable.
Just 2 cents coming from a guy that has lived rural, urban, suburban and been around guns extensively but at the same time hasn't owned one of his own in years.
I invite my son's and daughters friends to go to range with us, they have really enjoyed it and now two of the families are members of the NRA and ducks unlimited. Guns are tools. It is people that use them for good or ill.
Most accidents involving guns and many other things involve extreme negligence.
I mean, so you ask someone if they keep loaded guns or pills lying around the house or drive drunk with kids in the car etc. what response are you expecting to hear?
Do you ever think you'll get one of these people to say, "Oh yeah, I have guns. I don't bother to securely store them."?
If it at least makes the other parent stop and think for a minute, it helps.
If it at least makes the other parent stop and think for a minute, it helps.
Out of curiosity, have you asked parents these types of questions? And how did you gracefully bring it up in a conversation? What was their reaction IF you actually have asked these types of questions?
I've had my fair share of kids over to the house and have NEVER been asked about guns, pills, driving drunk, etc. Frankly my worry when I drop my kids off anywhere is whether the parent is a good driver. Are they an idiot that texts and drives or chatters away endlessly on a cell phone while driving? Or are they an aggressive driver? What kind of pills someone has in their medicine cabinet is the furthest from my mind.
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) Private information includes financial details, health information--including medications, things close friends confide in me about.
