Guns and Kids

Now before I get into the actual topic of guns themselves let me get one minor safety rant.  

If you have kids PAY ATTENTION!!!

The number 1 rule about guns and kids is that guns are ALWAYS loaded.  I have guns around the house and we constantly have to be vigilant about where they are and which kid is near them.  Son #1 and #2 know not to touch "Daddy's dangerous guns".  With that said anyone who trust that their kids are actually going to LISTEN to what they say is being naive and that can be a dangerous mistake.  Here's some basic rules that can help (remember that these are my opinion).

#1: Introduce them to the gun.

If the kids only see them in passing their interest peeks to the point that they have to "peek".

#2: Depending on the children and your parenting style, explain what guns do.  

I don't mean turn on your best FPS (first person shooter) or the goriest shooting movie that you can find.  Explain to your kids that guns can hurt people.  My kids know that guns cause "big owies" and they only touch them when I let them.  They have tested the boundaries and they were reminded that the rules would not break.

#3: Keep the media violence to a minimum.

Every new TV show and movie has violence and killing in it.  Now don't get me wrong, I love me a good action flick but I watch movies like that before I even think about letting a kid be in the room with it playing.  The most violent movie that they are allowed to watch is Iron Man and we had to explain that people got hurt in the movie.  My kids understand that guns kill people.  I don't try to scare them, but without understanding comes ignorance.

#4: Teach them how to use them.

Take the time to teach your kids how and when to use a gun.  I don't think I even fully appreciated the destructive power that guns possess until I used one for the first time.  Not only will it give you great quality time with the kids but it will teach them that YOU respect guns and they should too.  As a plus everyone like shooting stuff.   The wife and I have discussed in detail when is the best age to start teaching the boys and we pretty much decided that we'd start at 6.  Whatever your thoughts are on the subject, that's our plan.

Always, always, always treat a gun as if it were loaded.  All you have to do is google search kids getting shot with guns and you'll find all kinds of stories about guns and the unintentional deaths that they cause each year.  All can be avoided.  Many could have been avoided if parents had just taken the time to spend teaching their kids.

I did say I was opinionated and I hope that I didn't ruffle to many feathers but gun safety is so important to the preservation of life.

-M.C.