[LurkedLongEnough]

I thought this piece was much more balanced than some of the stuff coming out of ABC News. The fact that it even mentions that the NRA has a program for kids, and includes a link to it, is amazing. Also amazing is that a link to the ASK program, referenced in the last paragraph, is NOT included.

Demand for handguns has skyrocketed in CT since 9-11, so there are probably many more trained carriers than ever who might think about this program for their kids.

Anyone else in CT might want to write to Mike Lawlor about the importance of ~educating~ kids about guns rather than let Hollywood ideas grab hold of kids.

[tet68]

Obviously Child safety locks and restraints are called for,
perhaps something to cover their mouths too, and certainly
they should be kept in locked closets and any parents held
responsible for their behaviour.
Perhaps a permit, requiring a state certified safety permit
before intercourse!

[MrB]

"More often than not they're gonna play with it whether or not they've been through that program."

This person has no data to back this up.
Do an objective study and publish the results, otherwise, shut yer damn mouth.

[IronJack]

so the question is what can be done to prevent another tragic shooting from happening.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. We needn't bend our laws to accommodate the freak accident and tragedy born of negligence. Every one of these incidents then becomes leverage for additional restrictions on our right to keep and bear arms, although those restrictions have already proven ineffective in preventing these incidents.

[Leisler]

"...Quinnipiac Avenue in New Haven Monday. Last week in Hartford, ..."

I take it these addresses aren't next to the golf club. More like it's getting dark, bar the door and lock shut the windows neighboorhood.

"Ute shoot ute in urban slum" Standing headline. Fill in the city.

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

"It seems as though from studies done it doesn't mean a kid that sees a gun is gonna call an adult," he said. "More often than not they're gonna play with it whether or not they've been through that program."

Apparently State Representative Mike Lawlor not only needs to brush up on his grammar, but the statistics for his state regarding accidental firearm deaths in children.

According to

THIS Website

which records vital statistics on the SAFE START program in Ct--

* There were 23 total firearm deaths of children and teens in 1998 including

6 suicides

15 homicides

2 accidents

0 of unknown intent

Rep. Lawlor says the best way to guarantee kids' safety is to keep the children and the guns separate.

Perhaps Rep. Lawlor would be open to providing each citizen who wishes an armed guard 24/7 then, because I'm sure most of the firearm owners whose sole interest lies in protecting the very kids he feels should not live with guns aren't going to willingly subject themselves, and thus their children, to the threat of some maniac attempting to enter their house at night.

[Joe Brower]

[Teacher317]

Does Connecticut law do enough to keep kids safe from gun violence?

This very question (and the prevalence of similar ones) is the exact problem. It immediately open the floodgates for those in power to do something, anything, to "fix" a problem that is simply unavoidable in a free society. Their solutions inevitably fail (without consequences to those who implement them), the problem inevitably gets worse, and the majority of the sheeple beg for more government intervention, espeically from the federal level. This spiral is why our nation is failing as a Constitutional Republic.

[Copernicus]

Does Connecticut law do enough to keep kids safe from gun violence? That question is being raised after two separate incidents with kids and guns had deadly consequences.

Probably not as Connecticut has no doubt followed the lead of so many other states in restricting the possession of weapons and training of citizens and youth in marksmanship and gun handling.

It is time to re-install rifle ranges in our public schools and re-establish the American tradition of the 2nd Amendment.

Children should be taught from infancy up how to properly behave around weapons and when to handle them and how.

They should learn from the cradle about the 2nd Amendment- this critical foundation of a representative Constitutional Republic and practice its tenets until they are established in the very fiber of their being.

Otherwise the media inspired education of willful ignorance will continue to kill the youth of this country in these unnecessary incidents.

Best regards,

[meyer]

Judging from the sudden onslaught of child kidnapping (based on the news media's sudden interest), I think an article ought to be written describing "Keeping kids safe with guns".