General Geoff
Member
I'll say this from the beginning: I am not a parent, nor do I provide care for any children. This is just an observation/hypothetical that I thought up while reading the thread about doctors asking their patients' parents about guns. Anyway...
Growing up, my family was relatively anti-gun. My mom would have nothing to do with them, and my dad, though rather neutral on the subject itself, consented to Mom, and as such there were no firearms in the house until I was 19 and bought my Mosin Nagant. Thinking back on my childhood, I'm presented with a few parallels and equivalents to firearms, however.
My dad was (and still is) the very definition of handyman, and in particular has a passion for carpentry and woodworking of all sorts. He had a shop in the basement will all manner of woodworking tools, from hammers to table saws, jig saws, band saws, radial arm saws, drills, drill presses, belt sanders, etc... When I was growing up, I used to love going down to the basement to watch him work his magic on things. I oftentimes expressed desire to learn how to do these things my dad did so well, and wanted to learn how these awesome, loud, powerful tools worked. My dad, being the great parent he always was, took it in stride and started teaching me the first day I inquired. He taught me about hearing protection, eye protection, hazardous chemicals, proper power tool safety (you think guns are dangerous? Try using a radial arm saw!!
), and most of all, respect for all the equipment.
The upshot of this is that from a young age (I'd say around 7 or 8), I knew how to use most of his power tools safely and effectively. I never abused them, played with them, or suffered any injuries during their use. My dad supervised me while using the power tools till I was about 13, at which point he granted me permission to use them on my own, if I needed to. Even then, I never had a problem using them safely.
I'd imagine that in a proper environment, firearms could (and even should) be treated just like my dad's power tools were when I was growing up, in the sense that early instruction and guidance in their safety and use would preclude the likelihood of a child misusing the firearm(s). I am supposing this because of a few observations: Even a child who's 12 years old, if he/she is trained and proficient with the use of a rifle or pistol, could conceivably stop a home intrusion if the child has access to a firearm. Not to say I think it's a good idea to leave them laying around the house, but in the same kind of storage my dad had for his tools; in their own specified area (in a cabinet, for example), with ammunition nearby if not in the gun.
I guess this boils down to a question. Do you think it's plausible to leave firearms accessible to your (slightly older) children who have earned your trust and proven their responsibility and sense of safety? Any comments are welcome.
Growing up, my family was relatively anti-gun. My mom would have nothing to do with them, and my dad, though rather neutral on the subject itself, consented to Mom, and as such there were no firearms in the house until I was 19 and bought my Mosin Nagant. Thinking back on my childhood, I'm presented with a few parallels and equivalents to firearms, however.
My dad was (and still is) the very definition of handyman, and in particular has a passion for carpentry and woodworking of all sorts. He had a shop in the basement will all manner of woodworking tools, from hammers to table saws, jig saws, band saws, radial arm saws, drills, drill presses, belt sanders, etc... When I was growing up, I used to love going down to the basement to watch him work his magic on things. I oftentimes expressed desire to learn how to do these things my dad did so well, and wanted to learn how these awesome, loud, powerful tools worked. My dad, being the great parent he always was, took it in stride and started teaching me the first day I inquired. He taught me about hearing protection, eye protection, hazardous chemicals, proper power tool safety (you think guns are dangerous? Try using a radial arm saw!!
), and most of all, respect for all the equipment.The upshot of this is that from a young age (I'd say around 7 or 8), I knew how to use most of his power tools safely and effectively. I never abused them, played with them, or suffered any injuries during their use. My dad supervised me while using the power tools till I was about 13, at which point he granted me permission to use them on my own, if I needed to. Even then, I never had a problem using them safely.
I'd imagine that in a proper environment, firearms could (and even should) be treated just like my dad's power tools were when I was growing up, in the sense that early instruction and guidance in their safety and use would preclude the likelihood of a child misusing the firearm(s). I am supposing this because of a few observations: Even a child who's 12 years old, if he/she is trained and proficient with the use of a rifle or pistol, could conceivably stop a home intrusion if the child has access to a firearm. Not to say I think it's a good idea to leave them laying around the house, but in the same kind of storage my dad had for his tools; in their own specified area (in a cabinet, for example), with ammunition nearby if not in the gun.
I guess this boils down to a question. Do you think it's plausible to leave firearms accessible to your (slightly older) children who have earned your trust and proven their responsibility and sense of safety? Any comments are welcome.
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