Start by teaching kids to respect firearms...
Apr 26 '00
I have just read some excellent reviews relating to the subject of kids & violence and kids with guns. The 2 that stand out the most with me are the one by Anj27mom and GrouchyDMX. They can be found at http://www.epinions.com/kifm-review-68F3-1683DC6A-390480C5-prod5 & http://www.epinions.com/kifm-review-5414-87FF75-39062BC3-prod4 .
Just like Anj27mom, I am part of the minority. My children are allowed to play with toy guns. My children will be allowed to go hunting with their father. I may not like the idea of killing Bambi or Thumper, but I still respect hunters and if my boys choose to hunt with their dad, then so be it. If not, well that is just fine with me too.
I was brought up with respect for firearms. I was taught at 5 years old while holding my dad's Smith & Wesson that you do not point the gun at anyone whether it is loaded or not. I also remember the time when he was cleaning the gun and allowed me to hold it, how I pointed it to the wall and asked if I could pull the trigger. His words were (in a rather very upsetting tone I may add) "you never pull the trigger, you could shoot someone down the street!" I said "but Dad it is not loaded." His reply was " it does not matter, you never ever pull the trigger just for the h*ll of it!" Since then, I have had such respect for firearms. Thanks to my dad of course.
In my old apartment with the kids dad, we had a shotgun. Was it out in the open? NO. Was it hidden? NO. Was it out of reach of the kids? YES. Does it have a safety lock? YES. When I say hidden I mean was it put away but my 5 year old knew about it? YES. When we would go to Florida to see the kids grandfather, he has a carry permit. Which means he can carry his Beretta on his side, hidden, 24 hours a day if he wanted. Did my 5 year old know about the gun on grandpa's side? YES. Is my 5 year old allowed to touch one of the real guns? NO. However, when the guns would get cleaned, he would be allowed to sit right there alongside with them and learn the same respect as I was taught at his age.
I know many people do not agree with me. But I am entitled to my opinion. Right? If you are against guns that is fine. But you cannot shelter your kids and pretend guns do not exist. Teach them the respect and safety for firearms. Sit down and talk to them. You can tell them how when not used properly, guns will hurt people, but what about the person behind the trigger? Just like how drugs may be bad, but is the dealer who just sold your 13 year old a kilo of cocaine at fault? YES YES YES! More at fault than the drug itself.
I recently read somewhere how kids who get a hold of guns are the ones who are curious. Lets look at an example. John's dad has a gun but it is hidden in the attic behind furniture, in a safe, with 3 different pad locks on it. John is not allowed to have a toy gun, John is not allowed to mention guns, and John's dad is not allowed to show Johnny the gun. So Johnny gets curious with his friends and they go looking for dad's gun. So they found dad's gun but there is no ammo. So then venture out looking for ammo. Down in the basement they found another safe. Ah….the ammo. Lets load this puppy and play. Oh no, a shot fired, poor little Johnny now has a bullet lodged into his foot. ( I did not want to get graphic or have a really bad story here!) So who is at fault here? The gun, Johnny, or mommy and daddy? Well for starters, it is not the guns fault. It did not go off by itself. Is Johnny to blame? Not entirely. Johnny was just being curious and wanted to see what the big deal is about guns and why mom and dad think they are so bad, but yet have one for themselves. How about mom and dad? Well sorry to say, but yes. Why deny that guns exist? Why not teach Johnny the respect for firearms so that he does not have to go out looking for dad's gun? Another example would be that Johnny's dad does not own a gun, but Billy's dad does. Billy was brought up with respect for firearms, so while playing at Billy's house, Johnny gets curious about Billy's dads gun. Billy then has to teach Johnny about respect. Why should Billy have to do that? He is just a kid for crying out loud!
People try to say that guns are the root of evil. But what about a knife? What about the car that the drunk is driving? What about the box cutters that kids are taking to school these days. Do we try to ban them? No. Little Angela can cut up Little Debbie with a box cutter since she cannot get a hold of a gun. Debbie can push Angela out of third floor window at school much more easier than taking a gun to school and shooting her. So why is it that guns is the only thing getting everyone's attention with kids and violence? When I think of such things other than guns, a bumper sticker comes to mind. While it may be in poor taste, it certainly is true in my case. It reads "My gun has killed less people then Ted Kennedy's car." Do we try to ban cars because drunks get behind the wheel? No that would be absurd. But yet we try to ban guns because kids are not being educated on the matter.
Now when I say respect for firearms, I do not mean go out and buy your 5 year old a BB gun or a 12 gauge shotgun. I am talking about making them aware of the facts. And no matter what laws Congress passes, we will never live in a gun-free world. If they did a complete ban on guns, the criminals will still have their guns, but now the law-abiding citizens will have no means to protect themselves, and the criminals will be very aware of that. A complete ban on guns would hurt the hunters who hunt for their food. Or how about the single mom who lives 20 minutes outside of New York City and god forbid someone broke into her home to harm her or her kids, how would the 5'6" 120 pounder protect herself? With a steak knife?? I think not. And to own a gun to protect herself is her right, and should not be taken away because children these days are not taught the proper respect for firearms.
So, that all being said, I am just expressing my rights and my opinions. We are each entitled to our own. I am expecting lots of hate mail and lots of NR's because people do not agree with me. Or just think I am off of my rocker. That is fine too. You are entitled to think that of me, just like I am entitled to think you are wrong for sheltering your kids about the respect for firearms. Just like GrouchyDMX's kids killing kids epinion, I may not agree totally with her views, but it was a very well written article, where she also made some excellent points. And I just hope even if you do not agree with me, you will feel the same way as I did with Grouchy's epinion.
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Epinions.com ID:
tiffer0220
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Member: Tiffany
Location: Florida
Reviews written: 278
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About Me:
And baby makes...us CRAZY! I am trying to get motivated to write again!
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