I wrote this the other night, intended as a public service message - and put it out on social media. It gained a lot of acceptance even from non-gun owners.
Thought I'd share:
Parents; free tip.
Since they don't teach gun safety in school anymore (zero tolerance to talk about guns), it is unquestionably YOUR responsibility now to teach your children about gun safety.
Teach them this.
"If you see a gun"...
1. Stop.
2. Leave the area.
3. Tell an adult.
Many modern guns are indistinguishable from their modern Airsoft toy counterparts. Weight, action, feel, shape, and size is identical in most cases. I've picked up airsoft guns before, and had to STUDY them to tell if they weren't the real thing. And I've been shooting for 20 years.
So, there's a fourth lesson.
4. Assume anything that looks like a gun IS a gun.
If they follow the first three rules, tell an adult, the adult can take the appropriate action.
Gun accidents do not happen. Negligence happens. When a child who has not been trained on firearms safety finds one, becomes curious, and misuses a gun and hurts themselves or others, it is 100% the *parent's* fault for not teaching children about firearm safety.
Read that last paragraph again.
Children should be taught never to handle firearms of their own accord. If you are a gun owner and wish to teach your children, this still holds true! The only time children should handle firearms is under the direct, personal, and "hovering-close" supervision of an adult in a strictly one-on-one environment.
Hiding the fact that guns exist from children almost guarantees your child will be ill-prepared to respond to a situation when they first encounter a firearm, and this could lead to deadly consequences. Even if you abhor guns, you are doing a grave misservice to your children by omitting the existence of firearms from their young lives!
Guns exist.
Teach them to respect them and to act accordingly!
End of public safety message.
(Continue on with the pictures of puppies and goats and arguments about politics.)
Thought I'd share:
Parents; free tip.
Since they don't teach gun safety in school anymore (zero tolerance to talk about guns), it is unquestionably YOUR responsibility now to teach your children about gun safety.
Teach them this.
"If you see a gun"...
1. Stop.
2. Leave the area.
3. Tell an adult.
Many modern guns are indistinguishable from their modern Airsoft toy counterparts. Weight, action, feel, shape, and size is identical in most cases. I've picked up airsoft guns before, and had to STUDY them to tell if they weren't the real thing. And I've been shooting for 20 years.
So, there's a fourth lesson.
4. Assume anything that looks like a gun IS a gun.
If they follow the first three rules, tell an adult, the adult can take the appropriate action.
Gun accidents do not happen. Negligence happens. When a child who has not been trained on firearms safety finds one, becomes curious, and misuses a gun and hurts themselves or others, it is 100% the *parent's* fault for not teaching children about firearm safety.
Read that last paragraph again.
Children should be taught never to handle firearms of their own accord. If you are a gun owner and wish to teach your children, this still holds true! The only time children should handle firearms is under the direct, personal, and "hovering-close" supervision of an adult in a strictly one-on-one environment.
Hiding the fact that guns exist from children almost guarantees your child will be ill-prepared to respond to a situation when they first encounter a firearm, and this could lead to deadly consequences. Even if you abhor guns, you are doing a grave misservice to your children by omitting the existence of firearms from their young lives!
Guns exist.
Teach them to respect them and to act accordingly!
End of public safety message.
(Continue on with the pictures of puppies and goats and arguments about politics.)