The debate has gone off in this house about guns. The Man wants one, and I wouldn't mind it, since I really enjoy shooting. I've pointed out the danger of keeping a loaded gun in the house, and he pointed out the retardedness of keeping the bullets 15 feet away from the weapon...which does seem pretty stupid if we're keeping it for protection purposes. The time needed to get the gun, unlock the bullets, and load the gun would render it totally ineffective against anyone dangerous, and would probably mean it would be used against us.
The compromise we settled on is an electronic finger-print safe, which would be locked to our fingerprints only. As far as I can tell, they are impossible to open unless someone cuts my finger off, and then we're already in trouble. The cost at this point is prohibitive.
I don't think the kids would be told if it was in the house, at least at the age they're at right now. Perhaps when we start hitting pre-teen age, some shooting lessons and safety talks would be necessary. But if they can't physically access the gun, I don't think they'd need to even know about its existence.
1st off, hello.
2ndly.. to the issue of kids.
I understand this rationale of yours.. I see/hear it all the time. Unfortunatly tho we forget that as kids we knew things about our parents that they had no idea we knew. we knew what o ur Christmas presents were (sometimes) because we found the hiding place for them one year on accident.. we knew that mom had black lacy panties and bras..we knew like to have some weird green weed in his drawer (what? was that only at my house HA!)... the point? we knew these things because as kids we were curious..
I was raised with guns. My g/father was a pro-shooter in the Marines so at a very early age, I was target shooting. I was never 'interested' in guns like my friends were because they were a normal thing to me and not some great taboo.. At 13 a friend called me over to see what he found under his dad's side of the bed, it was a pistol. I was like "and.." but he was awed by it because he'd never seen one, much less held one..
and those are the youngest kids that are killed by accident.. who pull the gun to show the older brother and it goes off killing him, who bring the gun to school to show off because he's just found the ultimate of taboo's and who wouldn't show it just as they would show the orange and black snake they found in the garden..
ask yourself this, how many trailer trash redneck kids accidentally kill themselves or someone else each year? how many bring t he gun to school to show off? whenever it happens you always here the parent say "But we had it in a safe"
Don't get me wrong, what you are thinking is the responsible, adult approach.. but sometimes the best approach is the 'redneck way'.. the less of a 'taboo' the gun is to your kids, the less likely they are to even really care about it.. Think about any new 'toy'.. the 1st few days they are crazy about it, but within a month it's setting in the bedroom corner forgotten because the novelty has worn off.. I don't know the ages of your children, but mine have been around guns since before they were in school.. and they really couldn't care less about them.. but most importantly, they understand them and what they are capable of and know that they aren't toys to be played with or items to be used for 'show and tell'..
case in point, recently we had a scare with a crazy cousin of mine.. long story short, hubby went away for the weekend and I told him to leave the 'pump' shotgun for me.. he set it in the back of the living room, propped against the wall, in reach of anyone and everyone.. the only thing my kids (19 and 14) said was "God, we're soooo ghetto"... but, if the crazy cousin made good with his threats, each of us knew how to handle the situation...
it had become a part of the furniture to them.. but a part that they are capable of using if the need ever arises..
anyway... I would encourage you to think about this side of it before feeling complacent because you have an expensive safe and you think you've hidden the knowledge of the gun from them...
and I welcome you to the site..
