Okay, how many times do you have to read a headline that says “Child shoots…” or “Child takes gun to school…” before people will stop having them in their home??????? For Christ’s sake, people, these are CHILDREN! Sure, some people say they keep their guns locked. Whatever! I keep my cookies up high too, but if someone really wanted one, they’d find a way to get it. Locks can be broken!
How about the parents who take their kids out to the woods and teach them how to hunt? Then you wonder why an 8 year old shot his father and his father’s friend. Hello!! Children don’t have the consequence thing down yet. How many of us have said they hate their parents, or have been so mad at someone that you think you want to strangle them? Would we do it? Sane people, no. Children, usually not. SOME people/children – YES. Enough do it that we should be thinking about where we keep our weapons and how much we tell children about it.
Anyone who says ‘you can’t hide them from it’ deserves a kick in the ass. You can, and should, hide them from it until they’re mature enough to make that decision. Why do you need a gun in your house? If you do – your children should NOT know you do. We are supposed to protect our children and keep them safe. Not have them worry about intruders or ‘bad’ people. You can’t tell them these things and expect them to process it like adults. Many adults don’t know how to process it for heaven’s sake.
So next time you read a headline where children are using guns – instead of pointing fingers at who is responsible – take steps to make sure you’re not one of them. Have a good one!
1 COMMENT
danigirl1977
16 years agoBonnie,
I absolutely agree with you. My hubby and I have talked around and around about this. He had a bow and arrow set and a gun set in the house. I found my son playing with this set at five years old. Mind you there were no arrow tips on them, but that doesn’t matter. I told my hubby I wanted them out of the house NOW! So he took them down to his parents’ house. Now he wants to teach my son how to shoot a 22. I told him NO. He said, “Well I did it when I was 8 and I turned out fine. It is the kids that don’t know anything about guns that end up killing others. The kids that are trained don’t have problems.” Trained I said? You train the kids to use the bathroom which usually includes months of sitting on the toilet with tons of accidents. Yet, you show your child how to use a gun once or twice and they are trained enough now to try? Give me abreak!!!!