Kids and guns.

Read the thread about the 4yr daughter.

I think with some schooling my 4yr son could be at the same spot. He's aware my GF is a LEO and knows that she's has some pistols and deliberately stays away from them, but still plays with toy guns like he's an action hero. He seems to understand that you only use guns on "bad guys", etc.

I like the idea of running him through the Eddie eagle program and getting him on the track of treating any "gun" like a real loaded one. But at the same time, I don't want to take away the fun of rubberband/Nerf guns and maybe later paintball and airworthy based on that.

How do you guys handle that with your younguns?

I would take him to the range, but as it would have to worked out with the ex. She's not anti, but not interested in guns herself and definitely doesn't feel comfortable with little kids knowing their parents have guns based on some experiences from her childhood.

We had an inadvertent test once about a year ago.

Before we moved in together she had spent the night and had gotten up to shower on a sat. She had taken all of her stuff out of her pockets and set them on a high shelf before going into the bathroom. He woke up and wandered by the bathroom on his way to the kitchen and looked up and saw her KT P3AT and immediately came to wake me up and tell me there was a gun! It was out of his reach anyways and she felt terrible leaving it out uncovered like that as she's very adamant (more so than me and I am very) about hiding them from him, but we both rewarded him greatly for doing the right thing and telling one of us immediately. He seemed a bit freak out as this was the first time he'd ever seen one so I used it as an opportunity to reestablish (what id told him before) that what he did was exactly right. He was to immediately tell an adult, furthermore dont touch it and if some other kid has one or picks up one they found to leave and tell an adult, don't try to argue with the other kid.

Since we moved in all of my guns are stored out of reach (hell almost out of mine) on a high shelf in our closet until we can get a safe (a whole different issue) and have instructed him to never go into our room or leave our eyesight while in there without our permission. Which he follows to the letter. Even to the point where he will knock on the door and I tell him it's ok to come in, but he won't unless I open the door and lead him in.

csa77 said:

i dont have kids but i would imagine that rotten.com could help drive the point home. it would be better suited for older kids like 12 and up, any younger it might traumatize them for years to come

i have only been to that site once in my life and that was one too many.

Click to expand...

Ah, I remember that site. I certainly drives the point.

If it where up to me solely, I think between 5-8 is a good age depending on the kid. Before we divorced the Ex and I brought up the subject when my grandfather decided to give me some of his old .22s (my first guns) and she said that she didn't want them to be in the home unless we had a safe and she didn't want him to know they existed until he was around 12, then we could think about teaching him about them (I was pushing hard for them as a right of passage).

For a little background her only experience with guns was when she was around 7-8 and her step father had gone off the deep end on drugs. He's a wonderful guy today, been clean a little over 10 years, but obviously had some judgmental issues back then. She said he'd left a pistol unlocked and sitting in his nightstand drawer and when he was coming down the birds outside would bug him so he'd get pissed off and go outside and shoot at them.

Really kinda freaked her out ever since. She's smart enough to know that they're inanimate objects and all that. She just really doesn't like the idea of guns in the house when kids are there, even if they're locked up.

Now I know a lot of people probably have had similar relationship issues in the past surrounding guns and have some thoughts about what I should tell her. But we really are good friends and on good terms, but above all we're still raising a kid and we have to work together and stay consistent if he's going to grow up right.

I suppose the next step is a talk with the ex. She's a reasonable person, but I fear if I start off on the wrong foot it could put her off entirely.

On the side:

You guys might check out the 10/22 take down. They look pretty nifty.