'Dear Abby' is a blissninny!

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obxned

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This letter to ‘Dear Abby’ appeared in the Saturday, October 27, 2007 Virginian Pilot:

Dear Abby:
My son recently started at a new school, and we are getting calls for play dates. So far, I have responded by offering to host, but eventually I will have to decide about letting my son go to a home I am not familiar with. I feel strongly that he should not go to a home where there are guns. How do I ask the question without passing judgment?
Signed: Atlanta Mom

Abby responded:

Dear Atlanta Mom:
Say: “He’d love to come. But before I agree, I have a few questions: Who will be supervising the children? Are there guns in the house? Do you plan on taking the children anywhere?” They are all legitimate questions. As a parent you have a right to know.
Signed: Abby

Now that just offended me mightily. After careful thought, and about an hour editing out 'blissninny', 'idiot', 'airhead', ‘twit’ (I might have misspelled that one), 'carpetbagger', and 'socialist cow', I submitted the following:

Dear Abby:
Atlanta Mom is smart to ask about guns at the home where her kids have a play date, since the majority of US households do have at least 1 firearm. If there are no guns in that home, is it because of felonies, insanity, domestic violence, restraining orders, alcoholism, drug use, or what??? I would certainly worry about that!

Shouldn’t she also ask about the sexual history of the parents – can they prove they have been in a monogamous relationship for decades and aren’t HIV carriers? What about their driving records, any tickets or accidents in the last 5 years?? After all, cars kill an awful lot of kids. Do all their pets have current rabies shots, and what size, number, and breed are they? What about knives, power tools, and sex offenders in the neighborhood?

Yes, there sure is a lot to worry about.
Signed: Mr. Grammaw

Not a perfect response, but certainly heartfelt. Perhaps a few dozen of you would care to add you 2 cents by sending a reply to:

http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/dearabby_form.html
 
That's awsome. In a perfect world, Abbie would have the stones to publish that letter... alas, she won't. :(


ETA: This was post 311 for me, and I used to have a Stevens 311. Gun numbers are in my head real bad lately.
 
I think people worry too much these days. When I used to go play with my freinds as a kid, my folks never called his folks and asked them about their lifestyle, or their homes. Guns were ok...expected even. I was told that you dont touch anything without permission, and you be on your best beheviour when visiting a friend. If I didnt act my best, my father would tan my hide when I returned home.

On a similar note, I leave the tv on for bacground noise most of the time. Last night I overheard a character on a sitcom who's name I dont recall. (I think it was about a hispanic family, but I'm not sure) The character said on 3 different ocasions he didnt belive in having guns in the home. I thought it was very silly, but typical of hollywood these days. :barf:
 
By the time we were 12 my buddies and I would ALWAYS bring our .22s to the others house and shoot squirls and cans for the majority of the day! This was encouraged by all of our parents. Now the in the county I grew up you aren't even allowed to do this! Grrr...
 
Growing up in West Texas, my mother would be distraught if the parents didn't have guns or dogs around. She was more concerned if they had ILLEGAL aliens working on the farm and if the parents were alcoholics (and this is the early 70's). Times they do be changin'.

Have a great gun carryin' Kenpo day

Clyde
 
"Dear Abbey" may very well be a blissninny, however, she was asked the question by "Atlanta Mom", "How do I ask the question without passing judgment?".
She simply answered the woman's question, which was legitimate.
 
Atlanta Mom is smart to ask about guns at the home where her kids have a play date, since the majority of US households do have at least 1 firearm. If there are no guns in that home, is it because of felonies, insanity, domestic violence, restraining orders, alcoholism, drug use, or what??? I would certainly worry about that!
Click to expand...

Um...a majority of households may have one gun, but a significant percentage don't. So I'd not consider this question particularly reasonable. Or, less diplomatically, it makes you sound unreasonable.

Though I agree, that in the original letter(s) the question should not be whether or not there are guns in the house, but rather whether or not those guns will be secured (and how the children will be supervised as well). The idea that an unsecured firearm might be handled by the kids (especially the other kid, since you haven't had the chance to teach him/her about them) is a valid concern. I'd hate to have my kid end up dead because either their new friend or the friend's parents were idiots. Bullets from negligent discharges don't always just kill the negligent parties.
 
Bullets from negligent discharges don't always just kill the negligent parties.
Click to expand...

Sadly, bullets from negligent discharges seldom kill the negligent party.

Just like drunk drivers seldom die in the accidents that kill others. :mad:
 
My son is starting to get requests to go to his friends houses to play (play date sounds kind of....funny) and I ask this question too, if the answer's affirmative I ask how they are secured.

There are a lot of people who think "They won't go into my nightstand drawer."

My son knows the 4 rules but is still young enough to be a little unpredictable, not to mention that the other kid(s) might not have been introduced to any safety at all.

I think Abby and the original writer handled the question well, at least she didn't say "I don't want my son going around those people" or something like that...she merely stated her beliefs and said she wanted to uphold those beliefs without passing judgment.

As a parent you have the right to ask any question you want as it pertains to the safety of your child. I have even introduced an on the fence couple to the world of shooting through their 5 year old son, who goes home talking about me cleaning my guns and teaching them terminology/safety, took them to the range, and I believe they own two handguns, a shotgun, and are spending more money on ammo and clay pidgeons than they would have dreamed possible.
 
+1 sigma.

My son used to go to a private school full of left wing granola types. Since it was in Maine they did ask about weapons in the house before "playdates" or sleep overs. I explained how I stored my guns and all was OK. They were even fine with their kids shooting the pellet rifle my son loved as long as it was supervised. I like to think that there a 8 or 10 boys in Maine who will perhaps grow up to enjoy shooting at least in part because they got their introduction at my house.

There are enough confirmed incidences of someone thinking a cocked and locked 1911 in the nightstand is OK in a house with kids for me to understand people's nervousness about the issue.

I try not to be like Ann Coulter and assign evil motives to everyone who asks me a question. People usually have decent motives and legitimate concerns, even those who have different political views.
 
+ another 1 sigma and just me.

I haven't been asked this, since I think all my friends with kids know I own guns and know I keep them safely, but while I would refuse to answer this question if asked by my pediatrician (though my wife, unfortunately, will) I have no problem answering it for someone sending their kid to my house.

And I've asked it of others, and even supplied one friend with a cable lock so he had a means of securing his pistol.
 
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