Parent, Children & Guns.

[FUD]

Another trend (I wanted to post the link to it but I can't seem to find it now) got me thinking about this ...

I like to think of myself as a responsible gun owner. Any firearm that is not in my direct possession, is properly secured & hidden (and not just with a trigger lock) so that it can not accessed or removed (bolted down strong box, safe, etc.). I don't do this because of any legal penality but because if anything ever happened to my child due to an unsecure gun, the punishment would be far greater than anything the government could ever do to me.

I like to think that most gun owners do something similar. However, there is a percentage of gun owners who are very careless with their firearms.

As a gun owner, would you be offended if the parent of your child's friend started asking you questions about guns ("do you own any?", "how are they secured?", etc.) and conversely, would you (or have you considered) asking similar questions of the parents of your child's friends with regard to your child's safety?

Share what you know, learn what you don't -- FUD

 

[Miss Demeanors]

That is a good question FUD. I sort of think that it is none of my buisness to ask another parent if they own a gun and if they are secure, I try and teach my daughter what to do if she should be around an unsecure firearm. If someone asked me I guess it would depend on who it was. I see the point of a parents concern, that is perfectly understandable, but at the same time it really is none of their business. I don't own a gun yet, but when I do I am going to lock it up, no child will have access to it. If my daughter had a friend coming over and the parent asked me, I guess I would just simply say "Any firearm I own is safely locked up" This is really a tough question, like I said it really is none of anyones business if I own a gun, but there is nothing wrong with concern either. If they said "Oh you own a gun my kid can't play with your kid" well then I'd be pissed that I answered the question. But if they didn't say anything and were happy with my answer of the gun being locked up, I wouldn't take it offensively. (Does that even make sense?)

Now thinking about my kid going over to someone elses home kind of turns things around if I didn't *know* the parents. These idiots that live across the street from me come to mind, if they owned a gun and my kid went there I would be worried. I see the Dad driving the kids on his motorcycle, with no helmets on, doing about 60 down a side street. The kids are always out of control and are outside way past curfew. People like that would make me think. It's NOMB if they own a gun but if my kid is there playing I don't think I would feel too comfortable not knowing if there is a gun laying around. I trust my daughter but I don't trust those kids. Guess the best thing would be to use your judgement.??

What does everyone else think?

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[JJR]

I can't be offended if the questions are asked in a mature manner... it's a legitimate concern. I've been asked about my gun collection many times by parents in subtle, clever ways ("So... do you hunt?", "do you think gun safes are a good idea?" "we're thinking about getting an alarm for home protection, what do you think?"). I know the real purpose behind these questions but I guess I don't mind. I have to respect parents who care about their kids.

I make it a point to get to know the parents of my kids friends before I allow my children to spend time at their homes. Usually, my concerns about gun safety are answered by observing how they treat other aspects of their lives. People that are responsible with their chain saws, kitchen knives, pets, toilet cleaner, etc. are usually responsible with their guns. Just talking to them about raising kids, school and whatnot can often give you a good idea about what kind of people they are and what to expect from them. I don't need to know about the location of their safe, does dad carry or not, how many/what kinds of guns do they own... I just want to know that my children are spending time with responsible people.

 

[Don Gwinn]

Haven't had to deal with this yet--but maybe you could deal with it diplomatically by raving about what a great gun safe you have and what a great deal you got on it. Then read the responses:

1) Their eyes get all wide, their mouths open and close, but no sound comes out. This indicates a non-gun-owner who is horrified that you would own guns. Talk in soothing tones about how strong your safe is and how impossible it would be for the kids to even touch your guns.

2) They own guns, in which case they'll probably ask about the safe or make a comment that the safe is unnecessary. From there you can draw out what they use and decide from there.