freedomdwarf1
Posts: 6845
Joined: 10/23/2012 Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: thishereboi Well I suppose if there were a chance that a kid would come across a real car and think it's a toy and try to drive it, then yes, you might want to teach him some basics first. But that is highly unlikely. What is likely is a child who has been kept away from a gun finding it and because he has no fucking clue how to handle it, accidentally shooting himself or his buddy. In which case it might be helpful to teach them some basics before the tragedy occurs. As I mentioned a few posts ago, kids are well aware of their surroundings and will also be aware of the guns that are around them. Given the wider range of media available to them these days, they have much more access to violence involving guns than we did as kids. Kids aren't stupid and they pick up on stuff very quickly. Unlike cars, guns are small and fascinating for kids to play with. Until they are old enough to understand and appreciate the difference between a toy or replica and a real one (and I don't mean just the visual differences), guns should be treated as a dangerous object that they should be kept away from. In the US they grow up in a culture where guns are as common as the shopping. To my mind, you teach them to leave the friggin' shopping alone, especially the nasty stuff, and I would include guns in the same category. Only when they are old enough (and for me, that would be the teens at the least), and mentally mature enough to know and accept responsibility, should you even attempt to teach them about guns. Every kid is different. There are some that are mature for their age, others are still little kids when in their 20's. So to put an absolute age number would be ridiculous and inappropriate unless you make it the age of majority like so many other things. We don't have that problem here because the average Joe doesn't have a gun or access to a gun. But I think people should take the same attitude as with anything else dangerous - a minimum age before they are personally able to take charge and learn about it properly. That's why most people can't take driving lessons until they are much older and it should be the same for guns. If you are going to throw money at gun safety - throw it at the adults, not the kids. Kids do stupid things. Even sensible kids do stupid things. Kids will be kids. There are more than enough stupid adults out there that need teaching... so use the money to teach them. [/end-rant]
_____________________________
“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” George Orwell, 1903-1950
|