Hanover Animal Control officer/Improper storage charges

[ScottS]

Sure, I plan to educate my son on how to handle a gun safely, but that doesn't mean that I am not going take measures to prevent him from making a deadly mistake before he has reached the age of reason. I am not talking about locking my guns away and hoping he doesn't discover them. I am talking about securing my guns so that he doesn't accidently hurt himself or someone else.

Let's be sure to recognize that there is a lot of middle ground between Massachusetts storage laws and leaning a gun against the wall in an area where children play.

My point is your defiintion of "the age of reason" and mine, or MA's, or the Brady Bunch's, are different, and I'm not interested in you (or MA, or the Brady Bunch) asserting your definition on my kids.

Comments like yours seem to overlook the fact that many (most? all?) of us grew up in homes with loaded firearms, and without trigger locks and storage laws. Somehow, we made it through, and did the many generations before us.

 

[TimMcG74]

My point is your defiintion of "the age of reason" and mine, or MA's, or the Brady Bunch's, are different, and I'm not interested in you (or MA, or the Brady Bunch) asserting your definition on my kids.

Comments like yours seem to overlook the fact that many (most? all?) of us grew up in homes with loaded firearms, and without trigger locks and storage laws. Somehow, we made it through, and did the many generations before us.

Understood, and I never said that I had any desire to impose my value system on anyone else. I might think it is unwise and irresponsible to allow unsupervised access to kids, but I honestly don't care what anyone else does inside their own four walls. Like I said, there is a lot of middle ground. The fact that I secure my guns doesn't mean that I am in league with the Brady Campaign.

 

[GSG]

Sure, I plan to educate my son on how to handle a gun safely, but that doesn't mean that I am not going take measures to prevent him from making a deadly mistake before he has reached the age of reason. I am not talking about locking my guns away in hopes that he doesn't discover them. I am talking about securing my guns in a reasonable way so that he doesn't accidently hurt himself or someone else.

I agree with this 100%. A 1-2 year old child is going to have very little understanding about what a gun is, how to use it, the fragility of human life, etc. etc. I'm not suggesting that every toddler's toybox should have a .45 in it. I think that before they can be taught proper gun safety they shouldn't have unsupervised access to guns (and in cases with Autism, Downs Syndrome, or other developmental/behavioral issues, it might take much longer than it would with other kids; however, I would still leave this up to the parents).

But it is ridiculous to say that a child is as much or more likely to drown in the toilet than to shoot himself with a loaded gun left lying around. That mindset only provides the opposition with talking points.

It really isn't. In the US, more kids die in accidental drownings than do in accidental shootings every year. Your child is literally more likely to die in a car accident, accidental fire or accidental drowning than they are to die in an accidental shooting here in the United States. More kids do drown or burn to death in the US each year than get shot. The "news" media reports whatever sells, which nowadays is scary gun stories, not scary drowning stories. But water kills far more kids than guns, that's a fact.

Let's be sure to recognize that there is a lot of middle ground between Massachusetts storage laws and leaning a gun against the wall in an area where children play, which is the point that started this thread.

I don't see an issue with this in general (although as I said above, in some cases it's a bad idea). Kids need guns just as much as adults do in the home.

After Being Shot, 11 Year Old Boy Defends Against Armed Home Invaders With Rifle

Child shoots intruder during home break-in - Port Allen, Loiusiana

Oh, and for the record, my signature was quoted for humor, not fact.