Should guns be kept in the home with children?

I do understand a lot of it is a cultural thing and the way you're brought up. I never said anything about outlawing guns; that's not what I meant at all. I'm not really sure where I stand on that--I can see arguments for both sides.

And I do understand some people are hunters or collectors. I assume most of those people take care and lock up the guns and ammunition separately, use gun locks, or other precautions.

I guess I'm thinking of the arguments I've heard from some that since the kids are taught about guns and the dangers at a young age, they understand and would never do anything to hurt themselves or anyone else. That's the one I have trouble with. I've taught my kids from a young age we don't load up on brownies before dinner. But if they really thought mom wasn't looking and maybe, just maybe, they could get away with it just this one time, I'm sure they'd consider diving into that pan on the kitchen counter. Couldn't guns have the same appeal to a child?

There are so many risks that our kids face all the time, that's just one I'm not willing to take in any way, shape, or form! But that's our family and what works for us. Of course, others will disagree and that's okay!

JaMae brings up a great point about the different uses for guns. That is so important. A hunting gun is very different (in my mind at least) from a protection gun. We also have so many other weapons in our homes such as knives and toxic chemicals that cause accidents on a regular basis.

I think guns get singled out because of the few bad people who abuse their priviledges. I definitely support those responsible individuals' right to own a gun for a hobby, collection, or even protection. The problem in our country is that it is so hard to sort out people's intentions. I think people who support anti-gun laws only do so out of a heart to protect innocent lives, not to limit other's right. It's a tough one to judge.

Debra

JaMae-that's a good point...I hear more horror stories living near a city than I do from small-town areas.

We live in a nice hunting community and I think every house here has guns, some of them are generations old and family accidents are at zero. I know they occur but in a community with multiple gun owners the actual number is zero. The actual number of using the guns for protection is also zero. I think families with children can and do safely keep guns in their home.

Brian-Thank you for those facts. I've been wondering about the statistics overseas where guns were banned--I didn't think they could be good, but had never heard the facts on it. I completely agree that it should be every family's individual right to decide whether or not they will own guns. I mean the right to bear arms is a foundational piece of our governmental history--particularly for the purpose of protecting ourselves from the government. I don't want that right ever taken away. I don't know if this is the choice for our family. We've discussed it and hubby has been considering taking up hunting because we love venison, but as of yet no decisions have been made on gun ownership.

This is one of those topics that I feel people often tend to take things out of context and really run the wrong way with them. First we don't have guns in our home because we don't, but not because I am dead against it. I agree with Brian that the tragedy that happened to that 8 yr old boy is shocking and very unsettling. So are the other gun accidents that have occurred throughout history, yet I am still a supporter of a family owning a gun if they should choose.

Growing up in a family full of hunters and a couple gun collectors I know the statement "I keep my guns locked up in the gun cabinet." This statement was never intended as a rationalization for people carrying a gun for protection, perhaps some have used it when they were put on the hot seat, but really those who keep their guns locked up do so because they are for hunting and collecting and they are kept locked up to preserve the gun.

As a little girl I went on countless hunting trips as did all my cousins. My daughters have gone out and shot a riffle and really enjoyed the experience. I look forward to the day that my son will have the same opportunity. Having guns in the home is a positive experience for thousands of families, yet we never hear those stories, the ones of fathers bonding with their sons as they go to gun shows and long hunting trips. It seems we only hear those stories being passed around among the families that enjoy them.

I can tell you they are passed around, and even with the tragic accidents that have occurred, millions more are really building on a way of life. I see no harm in families with children owning guns and I support families who teach their children the skill of hunting at an early age. I have to say I strongly believe this falls under a parents choice and no one elses and is always done with love, joy and responsibility.

Mikki Hogan
Publisher of UniqueParenting.com

Hi Cheryl, Debra,

The example that Cheryl posts about an 8 year old getting killed is an unfortunate tragedy. And certainly if you do not want guns in your house that is your choice and I would support your choice for your family. So long as that choice does not intentionally or unintentionally extend to my family. There are risks to owning guns. But I believe there are risks to not owning guns as well.

Take England as an example, crime was not supposed to rise after handguns were banned in 1997. Yet, since 1996 the serious violent crime rate has soared by 69%: robbery is up by 45% and murders up by 54%. Before the law, armed robberies had fallen by 50% from 1993 to 1997, but as soon as handguns were banned the robbery rate shot back up, almost back to their 1993 levels.

When Anne Pearston, a leader in the anti-gun campaign was presented with these figures, she dismissed them with, "But this completely misses the point of what we were trying to do. We never thought that there would be any effect on illegal gun crime, because this is a totally separate issue. What we were campaigning for was to make sure that a civilian could not be legally trained to use a handgun."

In her 1943 book, God of the Machine, Isabel Patterson described people like this as humanitarians with a guillotine. She states, "Most of the harm in the world is done by good people, and not by accident, lapse, or omission. It is the result of their deliberate actions, long persevered in, which they hold to be motivated by high ideals toward virtuous ends."

Britain is not alone in its experience with banning guns. Australia has also seen its violent crime rates soar to rates similar to Britain's after its 1996 Port Arthur gun control measures. Violent crime rates averaged 32% higher in the six years after the law was passed (from 1997 to 2002) than they did the year before the law in 1995. The same comparisons for armed robbery rates showed increases of 74%.

During the 1990s, just as Britain and Australia were more severely regulating guns, the U.S. was greatly liberalizing individuals' abilities to carry guns. Thirty-seven of the 50 states now have so-called right-to-carry laws that let law-abiding adults carry concealed handguns once they pass a criminal background check and pay a fee. Only half the states require some training, usually around three to five hours' worth. Yet crime has fallen even faster in these states than the national average. Overall, the states in the U.S. that have experienced the fastest growth rates in gun ownership during the 1990s have experienced the biggest drops in murder rates and other violent crimes.

Again, the tragedy with the 8 year old was something that should not have happened. But incidents like these can not be prevented by a government fix or banning guns. The gun is not the problem, the real problem is a left-liberal society that makes criminals the victims, and imposes tyranny on the law-abiding citizens. And too often the anti-gun crowd argues for their cause by alluding to "the children" as its main thrust. You have every right to raise your children as you see fit and if you do not wnat a gun in your house I would support your decision. But remember that for every tragedy you read about there are 60+ million responsible gun owners that did not have an accident.

Hi Cheryl,
I also have a "NO WAY NO HOW" policy on guns. I chuckled at your analogy of if its out of reach for children means its out of reach in emergencies. That is so true!

I believe guns cause more harm than good. Those of us who are not properly trained (and even some properly trained people) can act before we think in emergencies. I would hate to shoot at a friend planning a surprise for us because I heard a strange noise.

Also, I have been reflecting on how I would feel if I ever killed someone, even if in self-defense. Could I live with the guilt? Should I kill someone just because I thought they would kill me first? What if I lose the case in court? Could I go to jail for protecting my family?

A gun does not make me feel safe. Actually makes me feel more unsafe. It's just not for us.

Debra