Guns and Kids

[DJlaysitup]

Now don't get me wrong...I am not a person who believes that private citizens should be deprived of the right to own guns. I personally own three and certainly would not like to have to give them up.

This post is about kids (little kids) and guns.

On Monday I checked out my usual internet news sites and there were two articles that caught my eye. First one - a Deputy took a friend into his house at a Bar-B-Que to show off his guns. His wife and a 4 year old followed. Apparently he left a loaded handgun on the bed while maybe distracted showing off another one - the 4 year old picks up a loaded gun and pulls the trigger and kills his wife...Wow.

Second - A four year old and a six year old were playing together and the four year old goes into his house and comes out with a .22 rifle (maybe to show off) and manages to shoot the 6 year old in the head. Fatal.

THEN...on Tuesday...I hear what sounds like laughing or crying when I am going back to my office (glorified cubicle)..I wonder what the h#ll is going on - it was LOUD. One of the ladies was on leave and fixing to have a baby and I thought - Oh No - please not a miscarriage.

No, that wasn't it, the lady two offices down had just gotten word that her nephew (3 years old) that she had been raising for her sister - and who had gone to visit Dad in South Carolina had apparently found a gun that was left out - and fatally shot himself. The dad isn't a drug dealer/gang banger - he is a military policeman in the National Guard who has done a stint in Iraq.

Holy Cow. It made me think. Surely for every fatal incident like this that makes the news, there are probably ten such incidents where a kid just wounds himself or shoots the wall or the TV.

Gun safety is KEY in my opinion. How can so many people be so careless with deadly weapons?

It's frightening. I can't imagine what my co-worker is going through now - we sent cards and flowers - but she just lost a child that she was raising because of a hugely stupid mistake - that she had no control over. (shaking my head).

While I firmly believe that guns should be legal - they can't be treated casually. Three and four year olds (especially boys) are just at the age where they have the physical strength to pull a trigger - and way too young to really understand the possible consequences.

Edited April 12, 2013 by DJlaysitup

[macdaddy]

I'm so sorry to hear about that. There are no simple solutions but I agree it is a real problem. When you have kids you really start to think. Knowing other families with guns in their house you always wonder when your kid goes there to play. Its hard to get the nerve to question everyone of your kid's friends parents about the security of their guns, but unfortunately there are a lot of people who don't have them secured well enough.

[frosgrim]

Given the number of guns in the country it is amazing there are more gun-related deaths (even though there are a lot of them). "Accidental" discharges account for a significant proportion of those. Gun cabinents, gun locks, storing ammunition seperately, and not keeping your firearm loaded until you are prepared to fire are all key elements to preventing these sorts of stupid tragedies.

Interestingly, these simple measures actually prevent a terrrific number of suicides which account for a lot of the gun deaths.

[AHF]

I won't have a gun in my house because the risk to my kids is so much greater than the likelihood that I would access and successfully use it in an emergency situation.

[Admin]

I'm a firm believer that every American should have a gun in their home, or at least the right to.

I heard a guy call in on talk radio the other day and said he'd never allow a gun in his house and when the host asked him what he'd do if someone tried to break into his home and harm his family he said "well then I guess that it's just my/our time" and I'm sorry but while I believe in God I certainly don't believe in the "my time" thing and I would do everything in my power to try and protect my family. That same guy was an elementary school teacher and they asked him about whether teachers should be taught to use guns and if so should they be allowed to have them locked up in class and he said absolutely not. They asked him what happened if an armed shooter came into his class and he said he'd get in front and take the 1st bullet, to which the host was just dumbfounded as that seemed like a pretty ridiculous response because at that point the shooter would just move on to shooting children. On the other hand if you had armed guards or off duty police officers like most businesses do at school then you'd be able to protect the children much better. Heck we even have those in my college but for some reason they don't at lower level schools.

I believe that children should be taught how to properly use a gun and that they are not toys and that's how it's been in my family for generations and there's never been an accidental discharge because kids respect the guns and know what they're used for. Now that doesn't mean we just leave them out in the open, they should be locked up in a gun safe or locked in a lock box next to the bed or something where kids don't have access to them, but to me it's just asking for trouble not having the ability to protect your family. But if someone doesn't want to have guns in their house or they don't want their kids coming over to my house because I'm a gun owner then I'm not going to hold that against them or change what they are allowed or not allowed to do.

Some of you may just consider me to be a crazy Texan or think that I feel this way because of my military experience but I just see it as living how the founding fathers intended for us to live.

[AHF]

I am on board with the right to have them, but for me personally it isn't the right thing. If someone tries to break into the house, I think the odds of someone like myself (who has shot at a range but does not do anything with guns the other 364 days in a typical year) being able to access the safe, produce and load the weapon, and get back my family to a safe spot all at the same time is pretty low whereas calling the police and grabbing the baseball bat gives me better odds. For someone who more regularly uses weapons, the equation shifts.

The biggest reason is the kids, though. I have enough problems keeping them from finding Christmas presents and while I think they could be trusted with most things (they aren't playing with electric saws for an example), the risk is just too great for the low % chance that our house ends up being invaded while we are in it and I manage to access the gun in an effective way to prevent or minimize harm.

[HawkItus]

Gun owner. But, I live in with a healthy fear of what I own. Not just kids, but me and wife. People snap sometimes for unknown reasons. Having a gun in the home turns what might have been a bad incident into a tragedy. All because of accesss. I don't have any answers.

[frosgrim]

The epidemiology clearly indicates that the greatest risk factor for being shot from a gun is having a gun in the house. There are several factors that go into this including domestic violence and suicide. Big point is your more likely to be killed by someone you know than an intruder.Re armed guards: Columbine had guards and they were the first victims so I don't buy the armed guard argument as a solution.I support ownership but I don't buy all the claims of safety because the epi data doesn't back it upSent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

[Admin]

I am on board with the right to have them, but for me personally it isn't the right thing. If someone tries to break into the house, I think the odds of someone like myself (who has shot at a range but does not do anything with guns the other 364 days in a typical year) being able to access the safe, produce and load the weapon, and get back my family to a safe spot all at the same time is pretty low whereas calling the police and grabbing the baseball bat gives me better odds. For someone who more regularly uses weapons, the equation shifts.

The biggest reason is the kids, though. I have enough problems keeping them from finding Christmas presents and while I think they could be trusted with most things (they aren't playing with electric saws for an example), the risk is just too great for the low % chance that our house ends up being invaded while we are in it and I manage to access the gun in an effective way to prevent or minimize harm.

I don't have kids but I can certainly understand the concern about having one in the house knowing how curious kids are. I do have nieces and nephews and personally grew up with guns in the house and in my family kids learn what guns are at an early age and learn that they aren't a toy. It's the same way that you'd teach them about a power saw not being a toy but most people have those in the house and I'd bet in 90% or more of those houses they aren't locked up.

I will also say this, most gun owners that I know, heck maybe even all of them, keep their handguns loaded and locked in a case next to the bed and you can get into that in 30 seconds with the key or better yet with the boxes that open up with a hand print. Keep in mind that the standard police response time is anywhere from 13-20 minutes in most places and that's a long time to try and hold off an armed burglar.

[DrReality]

its not gun control that we need.....................it's 'people control. whatever that means.

[DJlaysitup]

I will also say this, most gun owners that I know, heck maybe even all of them, keep their handguns loaded and locked in a case next to the bed and you can get into that in 30 seconds with the key or better yet with the boxes that open up with a hand print. Keep in mind that the standard police response time is anywhere from 13-20 minutes in most places and that's a long time to try and hold off an armed burglar.

.

That's a very good point Dolfan...I would even take it a tad further. (and this applies to AHF's earlier point also)...there is an old saying "when seconds count - the police are only minutes away".

But to be fair - if you are a parent - best thing you can do is live somewhere that the bad stuff is unlikely to happen. I know, I know,...we should all live together in a Kumbaya community...but if you are like me - you are a risk manager. I never had an available gun in the house that any of my kids could get there hands on...and I didn't need one since I was a safe area.

Fast forward to now - kids are grown - wife and I got tired of each other (divorced)...live on my own in what would be generally called a more dangerous area (Dekalb Co. GA) in order to be closer to work (driving time)...I keep a highly effective home defense weapon (AK-47) that I can access in seconds..fully loaded - ready to go. I have no interest in shooting it out with my handgun against a home intruder's handgun...chances are they would win....you wanna fight me you are gonna face some serious firepower.

But I never have kids coming into my place - if I did I would do different.

All that said...the best family home defense weapon is a 12 guage - long barreled shotgun...(pump variety)...even if you have it technically "loaded" as long as their isn't a shotshell in the chamber it is pretty safe and can be accessed for defense in seconds.

Edited May 2, 2013 by DJlaysitup

[DJlaysitup]

The epidemiology clearly indicates that the greatest risk factor for being shot from a gun is having a gun in the house. There are several factors that go into this including domestic violence and suicide. Big point is your more likely to be killed by someone you know than an intruder.

.

That's a very good point frosgrim and exactly why I feel gun ownership (for home defense) is a "risk management" issue. If you are smart and have put your family in a low risk situation...then gun ownership for home protection isn't much of an issue at all.

If..on the other hand...you enjoy guns for the sake of hunting or target shooting...there is certainly nothing wrong with that - just keep em penned up - away from the kids.

Really - this is nothing new - I used to play golf at a little par three course just outside of Charleston, S.C. (Goose Creek). So one night I was pounding balls on the lighted driving range (about the last guy there) and the night guy came over. He was a semi-friend so I said could I finish up my bucket? He said "hey man - you know me..no problem...I just wan't to show you this little .22 that I got for my kid".....who was 6.

We sat there and shot golf balls for awhile.

Edited May 2, 2013 by DJlaysitup

[PlayaPat420]

its not gun control that we need.....................it's 'people control. whatever that means.

People can't and shouldn't be controlled. Dangerous materials can and should, IMO.

[Admin]

People can't and shouldn't be controlled. Dangerous materials can and should, IMO.

Where do you draw the line on what is dangerous? Seems like a very dangerous line you're drawing.

[DJlaysitup]

Where do you draw the line on what is dangerous? Seems like a very dangerous line you're drawing.

I would agree that it's a dangerous line to draw - and it probably will never really be drawn. I believe most new handguns come with trigger lock mechanisms - but they have to be used. I hate it when it's obviously the fault of the parent/adult).

I suppose kids getting shot is really nothing new. My ex-father-in-law told me the he was shot through the mouth by an errant .22 round when riding his bike home from school in rural Idaho. I personally was shot in the rear end by my best friend with a .22 rifle when we were mid-teenagers out fooling around in the woods. It was just a flesh wound and we laugh about it now - but the Doctor at the time said that if the bullet would have hit three inches higher I would have probably been dead or paralyzed.

I guess it's somewhat like teen auto accidents (new drivers) - all you can really do is preach safety over and over and hope that people take things seriously.

(that said - I remember as a young driver me and my buddies used to go out on an old paved country road that was pretty straight and do what we called "silent running" after a few beers. We would get up to about 50mph and then aim the car as straight as possible - then turn off the headlights and see how far we could go before we heard the noise of gravel under the tires - meaning we were leaving the pavement - then turn them back on and correct - nuts.)

Edited May 24, 2013 by DJlaysitup