# Raising children safely around guns



## WoodstockDoug (Nov 30, 2006)

In another thread, the topic of home defense wandered into the real question of how much access you give your children to guns, and when. It is something I struggle with... I obviously want to keep my children safe, and teaching them gun safety their whole lives, just the same way you teach them how to safely cross a street or how to pet a dog without getting hurt, is important. Still, there are some streets I won't let them cross until they are much older, and some dogs I want them to stay completely away from. In the other thread, CSquared wrote:



> Only thing I would add is my 2 cents on the kids not seeing your guns.
> 
> I INTENTIONALLY left some guns where the kids could, and WOULD see them while they were growing up (NOT loaded, of course). By the time they were old enough to run through the house, a gun laying on the table was no more of an interest to them than if it were a hammer.
> 
> ...


I have some really mixed feelings on the guns-around-kids issue.

First, my two-year-old is almost three, and going through the terrible twos, and while she is a GREAT kids and every parents dream, she still goes through phases where if I tell her not to do/touch something, she immediately does the opposite of what she is told. She takes down and plays with fragile things, she eats foods she isn't supposed to, she will take a toy from her brother and make him cry... she's two. She's testing her boundaries. We deal with her firmly and calmly, and we don't give in to her tantrums, and she learns that there are consequences for actions, but, just as you didn't want a gun to be an item of curiosity, I don't want a gun to be something she is told "no" over, lest it become attractive for that reason. She will pick up the oddest things and make "play toys" out of them... brooms, cd cases, a torpedo level, a flag... you name it, she'll latch onto it and spend 24 hours dragging it around the house and wanting to take it to day care. I can't have a gun be one of those things, so I just keep them out of her sight and, for now, keep her ignorant of their existence.

Likewise, I only carry semi-auto handguns, and I no longer keep a round in the chamber. I would prefer to carry with a round chambered, because in the situation where I am drawing my gun to use it, I want to be able to shoot without fumbling to get the gun ready. But my daughter picks up EVERYTHING and presses every button on everything she touches. If she picked up a gun with a round in the chamber, she WOULD fire it. However, she doesn't have the hand strength to rack a slide, or the knowledge to do so, and that is the safety I need in case she ever did lay her hands on my gun.

As far as my infant is concerned, he is at the stage (9 months) where he is crawling, and putting everything he finds into his mouth. I don't want him drooling on or sucking on any of my guns because no matter how well I have cleaned them, I'm sure they are still a source of lead and other toxic metals/chemicals, and our pediatrician has recommended his intake of lead be limited to a few paint chips a week. Plus, baby drool probably rusts guns, and he's not allowed to rust my guns until he can clean them afterwards. Those are my rules and I'm sticking to them.

CSquared, I think I will agree with you more when my kids are older and more rational&#8230; maybe once the youngest is five or six. At that point, I may begin the process you mentioned, leaving the guns in view and allowing my kids to get used to them, to demystify them. But I just don't see taking that step now.

I'm extremely curious what others think on this issue&#8230; I try to be the best parent I can be, and I'm always looking for input, especially on controversial issues. The more opinions I hear, the more informed my final choices are. Thanks in advance to anyone who participates.


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## Csquared (Sep 5, 2006)

Doug, I can tell by reading your posts that you will make the right decisions.

One thing to remember though. A child the age you've described doesn't know the difference between a $500 Glock or a $5 plastic toy. The point is don't treat 'em like they're tabu.

My intent when they were growing was two-fold, but the main thrust was that if they were at a friends house, possibly a friend who wasn't exposed to guns very much under controlled circumstances, and they "found" one, my kids would know what to do, instead of being awestruck.

Anyway, it worked well for us. Guns in our house are like artwork, or actually even like me......they get noticed occasionally, but rarely get handled!!!!


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