http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42665638/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/ This is for those who promote the 6 year old Texas kid who shot an alligator as the poster boy of unregulated gun ownership and unrestricted gun rights.
Ya this is a clear case of gun control not of parenting stupidity . I though that the ban gave you some wisdom , what happened to it ?
Actually it's a perfect example of the difference between kids that are raised with knowledge of firearms and how and when to use them vs those that aren't. This little one wasn't... And those are the ones that think they are neat and mysterious and sneak them out when the parents aren't looking and then someone gets hurt because they know zip about proper handling. Thanks for helping make my point.
We have speed limits because 'some' people can't drive through the city at 100km an hour. We have security because 'some' people can't be trusted. Many laws are created because 'some' people do the wrong thing. I'd say this is a perfect case to argue for stricter gun laws.
Pretty sure sending a kid to kindergarten with a revolver in his backpack is already illegal even in Houston. Every instance of stupidity isn't an occasion for a new law.
Fair point. I guess I'll wait to see the punishment doled out to the kids parents, or whoever made it available to him, before frothing at the mouth. You surely must agree that no 6yo kid should have 'unrestricted' access to a deadly weapon and it should be illegal, if it isn't already, for children to have access to them without supervision? Whilst we're on the subject, what age would you think a person who has, or hasn't, had training should be able to carry a gun with them?
On age, depends on the location. If you're living on lots of acres where everything that moves will sting you, bite you, or eat you, the age where unsupervised use occurs is a helluvalot lower than if you live in a metro area like Houston. The strictest rules about firearms are taught by responsible parents in areas where possession of a weapon is typical. If a kid is raised with supervised/knowledgeable parental training early on it removes the mystique of getting to touch "the forbidden thing" and makes them a helluvalot less likely to harm themself or others with a firearm when theyre in possession. I once taught first grade boys target competition with BB guns at RA camp. In any training scenario, there's probably more time spent up front on the safety aspect as on actual targeting instruction. Whether it's a guy like me teaching kids at a camp or the scenario where I taught my son to use a shotgun when he was so young it knocked him over... but he wanted to try it... the object is to teach safety and respect for what the thing can do FIRST. Face it, if you're the guy standing there in front of a kid (or a dozen of them) armed with something that'll put an eye out or blow off a limb, it's in your own interest to make sure they know proper safety and handling procedures and follow 'em to the letter. Most kids I grew up with started with BB guns and pellet guns when very small, graduating to pellet guns and 22s, then shotguns and rifles. I remember my grandmother explaining to me at a very young age that you cant fire at snakes on her stock pond from a flat angle because a 22 ricochet off the water could travel a mile or so and well off their land. Wasn't allowed to fire a 22 at something in a tree at her place because a miss could land 2 miles away. We were learning about ballistics and the way different types of rounds acted well before we were 10. As kids in small town Texas we were known to store our rifles in our locker to go hunting after school on occasion, but that was a different time, never be allowed now. Access was much greater then than now, yet there were no school shootings. The thing was just a tool we all knew how to use. We weren't scared of what the law would do if we misused them, cause the law would be nothing compared to what our dads would do if we screwed up. We went hunting carrying rifles strapped to our bikes... the woods were on the south end of town. You go to a gun range or competition around here and you'll find government regulation has nothing on a Rangemaster who watches a firing line for safety violations, or even the regular members and competitors. The community that uses / competes with / practices with firearms regularly are extremely safe with them. At SASS competition there are literally hundreds of people walking around with handguns, rifles, and shotguns, and the etiquette and safety regs are stringently enforced. It's dilettantish dorks that get their hands on a gun with zero knowledge or preparation who are most likely to get someone hurt.
I don't know about that. Most people committing the shootings (large scale) seem to be well trained on guns. It's all very well to say that most people (such as yourself) will treat guns with respect but there's a lot of people that don't think like you. McVeigh, Columbine etc.. Plus, being scared of what dad will do is becoming scarcer. I think it's the law that holds the most weight with today's generation as most know mum and dad won't punish them (albeit because they don't know how).