Be careful with gun and children at home

[AvidshooterTX]

Hey AvidshooterTX: Just to correct your reply, I did not indicate that you said anything about 4 year olds, I merely asked you what age you believed was appropriate--yes I was a bit sarcastic and for that I apologize. You followed this comment with the be all and end all of our conversations---being a libertarian and not appreciating the government being involved in my life, I agree with you that it is up to the responsible members of the family to make this decision about a child and a gun--we may absolutely disagree on this (and obviously we do--we come from very different areas and very different environments) but we do agree that this responsiblity and the ultimate criminal/civil liabilities associated with making a bad decision should rest with the family and g-d help you if your decision was really very very bad. I still find your decision to "hang your hat" on the issue of "guns in the hands of children will minimize the predator/kidnapping risk" to be a bit "reaching". The NRA mags only report the good stories and conveniently leave out the tragedies (I am an NRA member). I still appreciate your comments on many threads and do understand your point of view even if I disagree with it.

No problem and no offense taken. No young kids left in my house anyway.

[WJN Firearms]

My friends, we can argue and dispute our opinions until the cows come home, but in the end it comes down to one thing....personal responsibility. Whether you believe that letting them handle guns early is right or not, locked storage is right or unnecessary, as a parent, one is directly responsible morally and legally for what occurs in the home. It is very possible to have a firearm easily available and still out of harm's way for a young child to get into it if this is a concern to you. It might cost a few bucks to do it, but who said parenting isn't somewhat costly anyway. You have to take into consideration other young visitors to your home if you have kids. There is a responsibility to them while in your home whether you believe that or not. It often makes no difference if other parents are present or not as I found out myself. Don't be naive to this fact. I have never had the duty to deal with a child related firearm tragedy in my day job and I'm very thankful for that. I'm hoping to retire with this personal record intact.

My three boys grew up in a home with learning and appropriate disclipline. They were never in trouble in school or elsewhere. Still, I took nothing for granted in what they could get into as a childs thought processes are a bit different from their adult counterpart's. Safety above all.

[kelcarry]

Hey Avid and WJN: Writing comments can sometimes be misleading and inappropriate when read by someone else. I think we all agree on defensive carry and firearms and, ultimately, the responsibilty that comes with these choices. I wish Avid had not stuck his last sentence in there but I'm far from perfect when it comes to some of my comments. Let us all be safe with our decisions and only have to practice and write to forums about our opinions on these subjects. I'm 68 and never have had anything happen that remotely approached any need for any form of defensive action be it firearm, martial arts, or even calling for an LEO--I hope this continues to be the case for me and for y'all.

[AvidshooterTX]

Hey Avid and WJN: Writing comments can sometimes be misleading and inappropriate when read by someone else. I think we all agree on defensive carry and firearms and, ultimately, the responsibilty that comes with these choices. I wish Avid had not stuck his last sentence in there but I'm far from perfect when it comes to some of my comments. Let us all be safe with our decisions and only have to practice and write to forums about our opinions on these subjects. I'm 68 and never have had anything happen that remotely approached any need for any form of defensive action be it firearm, martial arts, or even calling for an LEO--I hope this continues to be the case for me and for y'all.

You're right and my attempt at humor was ill-advised. I have edited and removed the offensive line. Since I don't have a dog in this fight I'll leave it to those of you with young uns.

[mccallisterbrian]

I have carried a gun for work for 20 years now. During that time I was a gunsmith and a NRA instructor. When I was a Fire Arms instructor I would only teach women and kids. Now that I have a 9 year old daughter i continue with that same train of thought. With every gun that I own I have sat down with my daughter and tough her how they all work inside and out. She is safer that most adults that I know. I have taken the time to show her what to do if she might come across a loaded firearm any were she might go . It is the responsibility of the parents to teach there kids what to do around guns. if they dont know then they need to find a professional and have them do the teaching for them. I can leave any of my guns out loaded and she will not touch them. The reason kids mess with guns is because they are curios about them because there parents have not taken the time to take that curiosity away.