Same here,my father had his rifle and shotgun in a shed by our main barn.
I knew that they were not to be touched or the wrath of God would be a more pleasant alternative to what would happen to me.
Whether an accident or intentional lack of parental discipline and control is prob the cause.
I don`t know if a 6 year old has an inherent knowledge that this would be wrong.Understand most parents probably will not tell their kids at 6 years of age that they should`nt kill their brothers/sisters.They should let them know it is wrong to hurt them,usually by hitting,scratching,etc at that age.
I suspect that this is where the breakdown started,never saying "that is wrong, don`t do that again or there will be consequences".
Lack of responsibility/punishment for actions went to the extreme degree here.I can`t help but to think that allowing some of the video games out today add to this problem.My parents wouldn`t even let me watch the old King Kong movie until I was almost a teenager.
"Back in the day", you couldn't hardly walk into someone's house in my neck of the woods that didn't have a gun rack mounted on the wall, loaded with guns...Guess people liked to show 'em off...And sometimes, the guns were loaded...
Guns are no more dangerous now, than they were then...As we know, the problem isn't the guns...The guns haven't changed, the people have...