Teach children to safely handle firearms instead of screaming at them “Don’t Touch~!” My father taught me to shoot at age five and also my siblings when they were young. No accidents ever happened even though the firearms were “Unsecured” and many in number in our home.
You are absolutely correct. We’ve taught people to be terrified of guns instead of knowing how to handle them, use them, and even potentially disarm an attacker. I learned to handle a gun at age 8. Both handgun and rifles. A few years ago a guy I was dating and I went out to a family place for a summer get together. We were far enough out that we could take target practice from the back porch! Needless to say, even though my gentleman was conservative by nature, it scared the hell out of him! When I found him hiding inside in the living room I asked what was wrong? He said he was ‘shocked.’ I laughed and reminded him that there were 5 Marines on the back deck who more than no how to handle a gun. He finally came out and took a few potshots.
But, the point of my little story here is, modern city people are terrified of guns.
I think the number the article is trying to quote isn’t just accidents. Willful murder isn’t an accident.
I have several clients that have a shotgun sitting by the front door. One asked if they should put it away while we were doing house/pet visits for them. I explained it was entirely up to them, but everyone on our team is a concealed carry and while we could defend ourselves; walking in on someone using their shotgun isn’t something we want staff to encounter.
Same here. When he was three, my son asked if he could see my guns. It had been many months since he had seen any guns. We went up to my room and I pulled a couple of them out. I went through the safety rules except the one about not putting your finger on the trigger until ready to fire.
I handed him a small .380 and he held it, trying his hardest to stretch his little finger across the trigger guard. That’s at the age of three.
I’ve always believed in gun proofing your kids instead of kid proofing your guns.
3 of my four kids are gun owners. The fourth isn’t opposed, just hasn’t bought one yet.