Guns And Small Children

[Allykat23]

So as a single mom -- especially in light of recent events -- I've always found it a great comfort to own a small firearm (or two or three lol). I'm just wondering how everyone here dealt with the mix of firearms and children. My son is four, and I found it worked best for my style of parenting to unload the pistol and show it to him. I explained what it was and what it was for. I let him touch it briefly. Then we talked about how dangerous it was and how much I'd miss him if he played with it and something were to happen. I showed him where Mommy kept it and put it on a shelf I knew he couldn't reach. I've never been a fan of hiding things from my kid. I want an open and honest relationship with my son so that he knows what he sees is what he gets.

Because I've had zero experience with small children before becoming a mother, I was wondering what the rest of y'all have done in regards to this matter.

[LONEWOLF]

I would not show a child that is under 10. I would make put it up HIGH, we're the chid can not get to the gun.

[breaksk81]

my daughter just turnd 5 and she knows how to shoot. ive tought her the right and wrong she knows how to shoot a rifle i havent had her shoot a handgun yet shes not ready but she dose know right and wrong now mind you i dont leave a loaded weapon laying around anywere and even when i go to bed at night my clip comes out of mine and sits next to me but i think if you have weapons in your home your kids need to understand and learn about them so they dont try and get curious

[Vigilant]

Yes I am a strong believer in explaining to your children what guns are and how dangerous they are even if I don't have handguns. I do have a rifle, but that doesn't mean that someone else has a handgun. I don't want her playing with any gun if I'm not there. So I have taken her out with my 30-30 and helped her shoot it. I will also be buying her her own rifle here in the next couple of years. I think it is always wise to make anyone child or adult know about guns and how to be safe around them. Most deaths from guns are complete accidents because people are naive and don't respect the gun for what it is or what it can do. I think you made a smart move Ally.


The Matador is in rough seas

[breaksk81]

guns don't kill people....people who don't understand or know better kill I love how texas makes you take a class to get you handgun permit I think more states should be like this my fav video on the internet is on youtube and its the I think shes 13 but shes a compitive shooter and she is bad ass go look it up

[CAG JB]

If I owned a firearm I'd get arrested as it's illegal to over here In the uk unless u have a permit and they just don't hand them out like raffle tickets

[Vigilant]

If I owned a firearm I'd get arrested as it's illegal to over here In the uk unless u have a permit and they just don't hand them out like raffle tickets

That is no bueno. I know your crime is probably lower for it but I don't know if I could live there without a gun. Some people are not so smart or kind with guns.


The Matador is in rough seas

[Lethal Blade]

Well at first my cousins and I learned to shoot with bb guns, then as we got older we were able to shoot at the mountains. As far as where my uncles kept their guns at home, they stored them in a gun safe so there was no way any of us were getting to them.

[Wolfhunter0313]

Ally, I feel that is the best way to show the firearm, teach him it is not a toy and whenever he wants to see it let him see it, the more he see it the less likely he would be to "sneak" and get it when he is older. As a cop the more firearm knowledge
parents hand down to children the better.

[o RESPECT II o]

So.. First off I own many firearms. Assault Rifles, pistols, hunting shotguns, home invasion protection shotguns, even high caliber long range rifles. I keep them all in a 7 foot y'all gun safe. Except for my night stand .45 Cal S&W 1911 and a shotgun with a few different surprises inside(buckshot/slug). I have a 3 year old son who loves toy guns and has a few that he plays with through out the day. I am okay with having my three year old play with toy guns because we all did as we were growing up. Playing cops and robbers, cowboys, etc. I have a small safe for my nightstand where I keep my 1911 tucked away from him, it requires an access code or fingerprints to access it, the shotgun I had one of my Air Force buddies build a holster that goes under the bed attached to the bed frame, the only way to get that off the rack is with a lock that is specially made to maintain the gun in safety with the trigger pulled. He can reach that one but can't even move it an inch or even play with it. I have made it very clear to him that those are not you guns and that he should never handle them or touch them. Also another thing I do for safety, on neither weapon that is exposed I leave a magazine but no hot round in it, I have to cock it if anything. In the shotgun is a pump action and is the same thing I don't have a hot round until it's off the rack and I pump it. Either way I am very on top of everything. Specially me being a 3 tour veteran I always sleep with something within my reach and first strange sound I hear at night I'm there to respond. But always keep up away from children in a safe or up where they can't reach it since there have been lots of accidents involving small 5-8 year old children shooting their parents or family members by mistake.




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