Comments on: What Do You Teach Your Kids About Guns?

By: Amy

Amy — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 03:36:46 +0000

@tracy: I agree with you about parents needing to be involved and responsible. Not so much on the government. When the state takes care of everything people have a tendency to be less responsible on an individual basis.

@Katie: The toy guns no pointing rule is hard when you get to dart guns or water guns. I gave up on the no pointing rule, but plan to remove all toys if we ever get real guns. I really like the idea of separating the two.

@Crissy: 13 and he doesn’t understand about real guns? Yikes! That’s really scary.

Thanks so much for your comments and input everyone! I’m really enjoying it.

By: Crissy

Crissy — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:10:48 +0000

I grew up around guns and we were taught to respect them. They are not toys(Yes we had play guns) and should not be aimed at anything unless you were in mortal danger or hunting and will eat what you kill. I don’t own a gun but hubby is thinking about getting one and starting to hunt. I don’t have a problem with that and told him before a gun comes into the house he will have to sit down and talk to the kids about the difference in guns and what will and will not be acceptable for them to touch. Real vs play. He has a sister who when her son was born, stated that he will never play with any kind of gun. Since then he has several toy guns both dart and water. He doesn’t understand that pointing a gun at someone can kill or really hurt them. She believes it is okay for him to play with toy guns and not know about real ones. He is going on 13 this year. I let my kids play with toy guns and haven’t actually spoke to them about real guns but that will be coming very soon, they are 4 and 6 now so within the next year or two it will be time to sit down and discuss guns and what they do and how they work.

By: Katie

Katie — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:10:28 +0000

Amy, I grew up in a house with one rifle that we were told was not a toy and we were never allowed to touch. It was never an issue as it was in the back of my Dad’s closet and we just weren’t allowed in there. For as long as I can remember there was a gun hanging in the back entry way of my Grandparents house that we could look at but not touch, when I was a teen my Grandpa set it up on the picnic table and let me try shooting a target. Once was enough between the kick and the noise (what was hearing protection back then) Later when I married I married into a family of hunters, every child that was born was around guns pretty much from day one but with a reverance for what guns meant dinner. Even with toy guns you were never to point them at a person we shoot at only what we intend to eat. When my sister had her son she was adament about no guns until a neighbor kid with no knowledge of guns found one and the automatic reaction of kids is to point it, that is when she realized my other nieces & nephews had a power, the power of knowledge. All of my nieces & nephews now have knowledge of how you have to have total respect for a gun and how it is always to be treated as it is a loaded gun. I personally do not belive in guns for protection much as I think by the time you get to it get whatever protection you to keep your kids safe off and it loaded whoever you wanted to be protected from already has you.

By: tracy ho

tracy ho — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:18:45 +0000

I am agaist gun owning , government should have strich law to protect the young & innocent to owns a gun ,

Parent & all involve should be serious on this , life are short , appreciate our life ,

Tracy ho
wisdomgettingloaded

By: Raymond Chua

Raymond Chua — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 04:55:25 +0000

Hi Amy,

Our cultures really plays an important in shaping our thinking and behavior,