How can I ask you....

N

Nathan

New member
I read this article and was thinkng that there are a lot of pro gun and anti-gun parents that want to ask this question when setting up a time for kids to come over to your house. So how can parents ask.....
Are there unsecured guns in your home?

Im ok with that question, i think. How would you like it asked and how would you answer?

My answer would be any guns i have will be secured when your child comes over. Depending on the person, i might add that they will be locked up or on me, period. I might also mention that still there are other household hazards like cleaners, gas, whiskey and oil that are unsecured.....does your child have a history of getting into things that their friends tell them not to?
 
The obvious answer anyone who asks that question is looking for is "no".

Should be easy enough to figure out that that is how you answer it, unless you don't really want their kids to come over, or you really want to have a discussion on gun control with them.
 
Pro or anti-gun is irrelevant in this case. There are enough flat out careless/stupid firearm owners that this is a very legitimate question and I would be happy to answer the question if asked.
 
"No maam, I have no "guns"."

(A gun being an artillery piece, be it mobile, fixed or shipborne)
 
Last edited:
What guns?
We do have a nice selection of very sharp knives in the kitchen drawer, and a chainsaw in the garage, though.
 
Let's see. I guess I should ask was the head of your agency forced to resign due to witness tampering on fellow staffer's wife beating case when she served as counsel to the Govenor of NY? Then appointed to a new position in the Fed as a party faithful?

Yes?

Ok then how about you find somebody more honest to lead the "Bureau of Justice Assistance" because the irony is killing me?

And no I never asked when my kids went over to a another kid's house to play. Two reasons:

- They would never be allowed to play anywhere that I did not know the parents well and trust them implicitly.

- My kids aren't morons.
 
Pro or anti-gun is irrelevant in this case. There are enough flat out careless/stupid firearm owners that this is a very legitimate question and I would be happy to answer the question if asked.
Click to expand...

I like the way you think!
 
It's none of your business. And I don't have to tell you about the alcohol, the prescription medication, non prescription medication, gasoline, lighters, and anything else that I have at my house.

Mind your own business and teach your kid not to mess with other people's stuff. Show your kid the NRA's Eddie Eagle course about gun safety. Take some responsibility for your own kid and gun safety, which will be far more effective for protecting your kid than silly questions that really are none of your business.
 
I would not be offended by the question. I don't see any reason to be. I would simply answer honestly: I would tell them I think that is a good question, and no there are no unsecured guns in my home. I would not offer any additional commentary, such as, "I always have a gun secured on my person" or any other indication of what guns I own, how many or how they are stored. My answer should be sufficient. If it is not, the kids will not be invited over.
 
I did not bother to read the article.
I can understand why folks would not want to talk about the firearms in their house.For those,I suggest that it is perfectly acceptable to say "I prefer not to answer the question".You CAN decide it is no one's business. Then let it go.There is no need for tight jaws.

But there are two sides to this story.It does happen that kids discover and monkey with firearms.It does happen people are wounded or killed that way.
Any parent has the right and responsibility to ask questions regarding the situation they are putting their kids in.

They get to make choices based on the answers.Its OK if they take their kids home.

Example? A CAD designer I worked with kept a.357 where HIS 12 yr old kid could access it.His 12 year old kid accidentally shot and killed a guest kid.

I was at a Christmas Party given by a University Dean(wife's boss).Suddenly a child guest about 5 ran up to my daughter,about 6, with a real cap and ball revolver,pointed it at my daughters head,and started "bang,bang,bang"

The gun was hung in the host's bedroom closet.The guest kid found it.I took the gun from the kid.His father said "Don't worry,its not loaded"
I said to my wife"We have to go,right now".

I applaud the parents who ask the questions.

Answer,or not,as you choose.They can leave the kids as they choose,or not.

"They are secure" is a reasonable answer that does not reveal too much.

And,frankly,to the folks who are rankled by the question,if you have unsecured firearms the question is best avoided by not allowing child visitors.You probably should tell your kids they may not have guests over.Then you won't have to answer the question.

There is a problem with " Your kids should take Eddy Eagle Training"(Good idea) While having a household of unsecured firearms and kids.I believe you will find the same NRA that gives the Eddy Eagle training would agree.
 
Last edited:
Asking "Do you have any unsecured firearms in the house?" strikes me as a pretty neutral way of assuring kids' safety. It doesn't imply to me any prejudice against gun ownership, because a "No" can mean either that there are no guns, or that guns are present but secure.
 
Not a question i have ever being asked, but i would have no problem answering if asked. My firearms are secured that no one can have unsterilized access to them, just like everyones should be.
 
Like 45_Auto first replied, obviously if they are asking this question, they are looking to get the answer they want. If my firearms scare people for some dumb reason, then they don't need to come over. Just my humble opinion. :rolleyes:
 
If my firearms scare people for some dumb reason, then they don't need to come over. Just my humble opinion.
Click to expand...

Maybe they are asking because children are killed accidentally by firearms, and they doint want their child to be a statistic.

The official government tally — 69 deaths among children younger than 15 in 2013 — likely undercounts the true number of children who die from gun accidents by half, according to an investigation published by the New York Times in 2013. According to CDC estimates, 538 children under 15 were injured as a result of gun accidents in 2013 alone, and 9,818 were injured between 2001 and 2013
Click to expand...
 
Nathan? said:
Im ok with that question, i think. How would you like it asked and how would you answer?
Click to expand...
How about, "Do you have any unsecured guns in your house?"

My answer right now would be, "Yes." But I don't have children living at home, and no friends who visit with children. Most of my firearms are locked up, but the one I keep upstairs next to my bed remains upstairs, next to my bed.

When my daughter was under 16, all firearms were locked up except the one I was wearing.

[Edit]After re-reading the responses preceding mine, I'm going to leave that here so y'all can see my initial thoughts, but now I would change my answer. I live in a generally anti-gun area, and it's really nobody's business whether or not I own guns. Which means I don't know how I would answer, because I don't care to acknowledge owning firearms, yet I also don't care to lie.

Color me conflicted ...
 
Last edited:
Yeah, and 69 per year is nothing compared to the number killed by drug and alcohol overdoses every year. Nevertheless, I'm not going to ask you about your prescriptions, your alcohol, your guns, and whether they are properly secured from my child in your own house while he's a guest there.

Certain things are private, and my guns, and how I store them, are none of your business. Neither are my prescriptions. Or my booze, or my lighters....
Do your best to teach your own child and hope he learns for those times around other kids when they aren't in anyone's home and there aren't any adults around.

JMHO.
 
As far as I know, my parents never asked about guns unless there was known to be an issue. They did ask about pools and who would be supervising (a much more pertinent issue considering the death rates of both). The one time a friend brought out a shotgun from under his bed to show me, I left immediately and made family aware. That was before I had ever even touched a real gun (about 12 years old) but I knew what to do in the situation.

Parents have the power to make informed decisions about where to let their kids spend time. I don't see it as a necessarily improper question but I think the character of the family in question is more important. My family has taken several school friends shooting with their parents' blessing.
 
Hmm. Originally I was going to say something along the lines of, just ask the parent politely if there are going to be unsecured guns around the house when my kid(s) are going to be there? However, based on some of these posts I've changed my mind.

First, I'd tell my kid to ask their kid about it. Kids generally will tell their friends the truth more often than not. Then after I got that answer, I'd go an have that face-to-face with the parent and see if they were willing to lie to me about it. And I'd ask as bluntly as possible so that I could read their face/body language as accurately as possible.

Of course, if they did lie to my face, then it goes without saying that my kid wouldn't be hanging around that household ever again. Liars are on the same level as pedophiles, IMO.

For myself, when kids are scheduled to come over, I secure all firearms in the safe, except the one I'm carrying, along with the booze and any potentially dangerous meds. First, because it's called being responsible, and second, if anything happened to any kid on my watch , much less mine, I'd never forgive myself.

Just my two cents.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top