Gun Depate on BabyCenter...

C-pher

C-pher

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Ok, so call me what you want, but I check out this site called Babycenter.

They have some good information for parents wth young children. What you can expect in the coming months, what you child might be doing, etc...

Anyway, today they are talking about guns in the home. And boy or boy can you just imagine what's going on with that one.

I was reading some of the comments and just had to post. I wasn't going to, but people were just out of control.

So, here's my post, call it what you will, but it's how I feel...and how I was raised. Whether you have guns in the home or not.

You can check out the debate here and post if you like. It's really back and forth on the views. Some good, some WAY out in left field.

Gun Talk


I know that most of you won't open your eyes to this. Guns are not the ones that are dangerous. It’s the people behind the guns. Guns do not just jump off the table and start killing people.

Most of the people on here want to spew out stats that show gun violence is on the rise because of this reason or that reason. Most of which are totally unjustified. If you look at our past, when guns were common in the house hold, there was a lot let crime. But then you get states like Mass and California, and town like San Fran, or Washington DC where there are total bans on firearms. Yet the crime in those towns have skyrocketed out of control. Then you look at states like Vermont were there are almost no intrusive gun laws and there were only 9 murders in that whole state. THE WHOLE STATE!

Someone on here said that we’re just applying a Band-Aid to a problem that needs to be fixed. And that’s true, people need to fight crime and not the guns. Criminals are going to break the law no matter how many guns laws are out there. And the more laws that you have, the more criminals that are going to have guns.

Kids need to be taught guns safety and respect. That starts in the home, with the parents It’s the kids that are not taught this that grow up not respecting firearms and using them in crime. They were never taught the responsibilities in owning a firearm. And that needs to start at young age. Three and Four? No, but around 6 or 7 is when children need to start leaning about firearms.

It’s the kids that aren’t taught the responsibility that comes with firearms that have discharges in the home. That end up hurting a sibling or themselves. It’s not the guns, it’s the parenting.

That’s what disturbs me with this generation. They refuse to take any responsibility for themselves and having children. They expect everything to be handed to them. If something goes wrong in the home, or with their children…it’s because they weren’t given what they need. It’s never because they didn’t raise their children properly. Responsibly needs to start with the parents. If they spend the time teaching their children what they need to know, the children are better prepared to handle what’s to come in their life.

This involved gun safety and responsibly. If you choose to be blind to what you need to teach your children about firearm safety, even if you don’t own a firearm, then you can expect your child to improperly handle a firearm. That’s when you have, “accidents.”
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Wow. 390+ replies on that post/question. This has been a hot-running topic since the first post dated 7/2004
 
Well said.

It took a long time for my Sister to realize that & she's asked me to talk with my nephews.(I gave her some of the Eddie Eagle stuff over the summer) I'm not sure if I'll get them to the range any time soon, but it's a start.

CD
 
I just wanted to post some of the comments from that site.

We don't allow our child to have toy guns because we have real guns in the house. my husband collects guns and enjoys target and skeet shooting. my child is being raised to know how to use guns responsibly.
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Now that pretty reasonable. [roll] That's like saying we don't let our kids have bikes because my husband has a Harley.

I live in a urban area where guns are only used for one purpose and that is not hunting. However, I have family that live several hours away and part of their way of life is hunting. I have no problem with my cousin's children playing with toy guns or hunting because that is how my cousins grew up. I choose not to let my son play with toy guns because like I said in my area we have a lot of violence linked to guns and I don't want my son pretending to be a gang member. I would let him play if we lived in my cousin's area because he would more likely be imitating Elmer Fudd. I think this is a hard question because guns are scarey period. My Mother's best friend had a child shot and killed in her home because her son picked up her husband's gun. This was in a good suburban home and her husband is a police officer. His gun was locked up and her son knew better. Things happen and I feel that I am doing my job if I teach my son that guns are very powerful and that they can do powerful things that we can not take back.
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Wow I don't even know where to start with this one. The toys she lets her kids play with are dependant on where they are located. [roll]

I do not allow toy guns in our home. I was not allowed to have them growing up either. If we go to someones home and thier kids are playing with toy guns I do allow my son to have fun with the other kids and play thier "gun games" but once we are in the car on the way home we discuss how dangerous real guns are. Kids will use any object as a toy weapon once they are introduce to the idea of guns.I think it is just in their nature,but I still will not allow toy weapons of any kind in my house. We live in a state where many homes have guns because so many people hunt here. If we do go to a home where their are guns I ask if the guns are placed in a area where the kids can not get to them and also ask if the ammunition is kept in a separate location. I would rather be safe then sorry.
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How would you like this clam for a mom? [roll]

Looking at this poll makes me disgusted. I can not believe how many parents in this world are as unintelligent and uneducated as the parents in this poll.
Children learn through play. That is one of the most basic concepts of early childhood development. Children learn what is and isn't acceptable through actions and interactions, so how can we make exceptions for playing with weapons just because they are plastic. I really hope none of my children go to school with parents who think toy guns are "just fun". No wonder we have incidents like Columbine. No one is taking these issues of violence seriously. How do we expect our children to do better if we don't show them what's right and wrong.
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Hmm, take off the tin foil hat lady. I'm sure toy guns were the reason why Columbine happened. Do you think the killers at Columbine knew what they were doing was wrong? Nah, they thought the guns they were shooting were toys. [roll]

We want to bring up our children with Christian beliefs, so we teach them that violence and war are wrong. In Matthew 5, Jesus told us to love our enemies.
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These poor kids are going to get their asses kicked in school. [lol]

I'll end this post with a logical, factual, and non-emotional post from that site.

I live in Texas. Guns are a part of life, but we teach children to have a healthy respect for them. Yes, I let my son play with toy guns, but I do not allow him to point them at people or animals. My son and I talk all the time; we have a very close relationship and he is used to me monitoring everything. If he watches a questionable movie, I watch it with him and let him ask questions. If he gets a questionable toy, he's usually only allowed to play with it with me or his Dad until he understands how to and how not to play with that toy. This includes toy guns. Guns are not a way to express anger, even in play. They are a useful tool, much like a hammer or saw--both of which can kill, but people don't snatch them out of their kids hands. Also...people hunt for healthier meat. Venison is FAR healthier than any variety of beef or even poultry.
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I would be willing to bet his kids are responsible. [wink]
 
This sounds like one of you guys..

I guess the next poll is when do we let children play with toy tools and eat with real knives at the dinner table.

This is getting out of hand.

Do people not know that most violent crimes are preformed with a hammer, or baseball bat, or a kitchen knife?

Guns are not the problem. It's the education and parenting. When the country wakes up and understands that guns are just another tool that can be used in home defense, sport, or hobby the better we will all be.

We teach our kids that a knife is sharp, yet we have toy kitchen sets. We teach our kids that you can smash your finger with a hammer if you're not careful, but we give them toy tools.

It's the same with a toy gun. The children need to be educated. You can’t blame issues like Columbine on toy guns. That’s a cop-out. That’s an issue with the parents not taking the time to raise their children. Like the other person said, this needs to start in the home. If you can’t accept that you’re not raising your children with the knowledge needed, then you shouldn’t be a parent.
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And is this our Ken?

"I'd love to talk to one of the parents that think guns are ok AFTER one of their children die of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound."

Well, Donna, do have any idea just how many children actually do that? According to the Center for Disease Control's numbers, fewer children are shot and killed each year than drown in their bathtubs, many times fewer than are drown in swimming pools or are killed by cars while riding their bikes. Even then, it's almost never themselves or another child who pulls the trigger, but usually a so-called adult. In the extremely rare instances where a child actually shoots himself or another child, the it's usually a child who has been interested in guns for a long time, but whose parents won't let him learn in a safe environment. As a result, when he's over at a friend's house and the friend says, "Hey, Stevie, you want to see my dad's gun?" the kid decides to learn for himself. Not satisfying a child's natural curiosity about guns in a safe manner keeps kids safe in the same way that telling them that sex is bad and harmful and they should never have anything to do with it prevents STD's and unwanted pregnancies. Knowledge is safety.

Ken
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C-pher - well put. And that HAD to be Ken...it "sounded" just like him. [wink]

I can't blame parents for being scared of something they have no knowledge of. You're always afraid of something when you have no training with it, especially when it's something that can kill.

Now, that being said, I have no patience for anyone who's shown the numbers, the FACTS and STILL keep their heads up their butts. <insert raspberry sound here>
 
Well, I guess you know my thoughts on this. Both granddaughters live in homes with firearms, one of which has a handgun in it.

I grew up in a gun shop, my kids grew up around firearms. I don't believe in childproofing a home. I believe in houseproofing the kids. Securing cabinets is acceptable, though.
 
Am I that obvious? Okay, I confess. I figure after raising a son and daughter, plus spending a lot of time babysitting two granddaughters I'm entitled to lecture these twits.

Ken
 
I had to look, and just HAD to post a response.

There's an awful bunch of "Liberal Victims" there with a "Gas Chamber Mentality". There's also some decent folks, trying to do the right thing.
 
after reading a bunch of these people, I remember what comedian George Carlin said, "Think of how stupid the average person is; then imagine how stupid half of the people below the average are!" I think I found some of that missing half :)
 
I grew up in a house that drew the line at real guns. I could have toy guns and play army when growing up, but if I wanted to buy a gun I'd have to wait til I was 18 and then stored at my friends house. Only know that I have to live back home and did show true 'responsibility' to my father did he let me keep the safe in the basement (HUGE shock to me and my friends. Growing up he was 100% anti-gun but I think looking at all the laws they pass against them and how crime gets worse figures it aint the objects fault.)

I do talk to my nephew about firearms safety when he starts to inquire about my guns. My sister is delusional and will hide that kind of stuff from him. I got lucky in that her new husband though not a gun-owner doesn't turn down many invitations to go shooting so also teaches him gun safety.
 
Not yet having kids (but with luck some day soon 8) ) I like to think about how I will handle guns and my children.

Of course I had all sorts of violent toys (Knives, guns, swords, and all sorts of GI Joes and the like) , and we all know that if you teach your kid to be responcible, respectful, and to use common sence, they will cause "Violent Behavior" about as often as mashed potatos do.

What I AM having resurvations on are BB/Pellet Guns and Airsoft. I'm just thinking that these things are "Almost Real Guns" and I'd rather give my child a .22 to use with all the proper safty precautions, rules, and super vison. I just see these "Almost Guns" as a breeder of Bad Habbits.

This is just somthing I'm thinking about, I wonder what you guys think.

-Weer'd Beard
 
Weer'd Beard said:
What I AM having resurvations on are BB/Pellet Guns and Airsoft. I'm just thinking that these things are "Almost Real Guns" and I'd rather give my child a .22 to use with all the proper safty precautions, rules, and super vison. I just see these "Almost Guns" as a breeder of Bad Habbits.

This is just somthing I'm thinking about, I wonder what you guys think.

-Weer'd Beard
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You can do the same with a pellet gun. It's a good starter. Besides if you can't shoot the neighbors window out with a pellet gun you can be a boy. [wink]
 
derek said:
Weer'd Beard said:
What I AM having resurvations on are BB/Pellet Guns and Airsoft. I'm just thinking that these things are "Almost Real Guns" and I'd rather give my child a .22 to use with all the proper safty precautions, rules, and super vison. I just see these "Almost Guns" as a breeder of Bad Habbits.

This is just somthing I'm thinking about, I wonder what you guys think.

-Weer'd Beard
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You can do the same with a pellet gun. It's a good starter. Besides if you can't shoot the neighbors window out with a pellet gun you can be a boy. [wink]
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I used a Baseball myself 8) Never had a Pellet Gun

Arrrr

-Weer'd Beard
 
A BB Gun was another thing I wasn't allowed to have. My first gun was a 22 cal Pellet Gun, though, a Crossman 140. Just big enough to be a real gun, not so big as to get me into trouble.
 
Our nephew is 8. His dad (Ed's brother) just bought him a bb gun for Christmas. Christmas night, Ed sat him (the nephew) down and gave him the basics in how to handle it. Then, Auntie Lynne quizzed him. He did very well. I also told him that he needed to remember what we told him, because I was going to give him unexpected pop quiz's when I see him.

We also gave him a cable lock (and dad's holding the key) for him to use on it, as well as some shooting glasses. We also made sure he understood this was a REAL gun and not a toy. This actually shoots something and he cannot play with it without one of us or dad around.

Ed took him to the range on Monday and they shot some targets. He did okay (at least got them in the black - mostly anyway), but then Ed had some empty soda cans and he set them up. When the little one started shooting them and hitting them (and seeing them blow backwards), he had THE best time. It's different when you see the target move rather than just hitting paper. :D
 
I believe that a BB gun is a great training tool to teach muzzle direction and firearm safety.

Also, you can take a box and fill it full of news paper and shoot it in the basement.

It's a great way to go over things with the kid in a controled environment.
 
I never thought of it that way.

See that's why I ask questions here...because damn good answers are soon to follow!

Arrrr I love this forum!

-Weer'd Beard
 
Notice in the negative replys the guns are assumed to be laying about like coasters on the living room table, though in the origonal post there is no mention of whether they are or not.
 
I started teaching each of my daughters about safe gun hadling when they were 5 years old. They are now 19 and 22, are safe with guns, have no morbid curiosity about them, and sometimes bug me to take them to the range.

We handled alcohol the same way, starting when they were a little older. Same results, no problems.
 

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