Irresponsible owners leave loaded weapons where children can find them.
Should irresponsible gun owners, who leave their loaded weapons around were children can find them, allowed to have guns? I don't think so.
They must not have loved me very much, lol.
Hoo Boy!
That's some dangerous ground, right there.
Ever tell a kid to leave something alone? Some will, some are going to take a little 'educating'.
If a child wants to locate something, they will, sooner or later.
Can a determined child find my guns (well some of them)? Sure. A determined child can find a penny in a grain bin. The trick is to dampen that determination by teaching kids what not to do.
My father had a closet in which resided all long guns. It was open, the ammo was on the shelf. We had been told that if we wanted to go shooting, we were to ask. (rural setting). If, however, we ever took a firearm without his express authorization and approval (and supervision), we not only would not be allowed to shoot for a year, but we wouldn't (when we were older) get to go hunting that year, either.
We didn't mess with the guns, we didn't let our friends mess with the guns. Period.
We knew where the handguns were, too, and that they were loaded, but we did not mess with them at all.
Now, there are those who might debate this, but I don't see my father as irresponsible. He just raised responsible kids.
YMMV, one size does not fit all.
“Should irresponsible gun owners, who leave their loaded weapons around were children can find them, allowed to have guns?”
Was my Dad irresponsible? I always knew where his guns were, and knew better than to bother them. I also learned from him how to safely use and correctly care for the guns.
Was I irresponsible? My daughter always knew where my guns were, for a long time the long arms were on a rack in the dining room. I now keep them all locked up, but not because of her, but in case someone breaks in while I am not home. My teen daughter going to the range with me has been a great bonding experience.
Neither I nor my daughter were kept in the dark about guns. We learned at an early age to respect them.
Interesting point there. Not sure how one would preemptively identify “irresponsible gun owners”.
Children who are brought up around and taught to respect weapons, taught proper gun safety and educated in the use of firearms are MUCH less likely to pick up and “play” with weapons than children who are not.
Some time ago, I read about a study done in Virginia in which inert (non-firing) guns were left in classrooms; closed-circuit cameras monitored childrens’ reactions to the guns. What the study found was that children who had been taught gun safety and proper handling left the room and reported the presence of the gun in the classroom, whereas children who had not immediately picked them up and started playing with them, including aiming them at their classmates and “shooting them”.
You cannot childproof a gun. My Dad had trigger locks. I learned to pick them. What kept me from doing naughty things with them? I was taught to respect them as dangerous tools.
You cannot childproof the world, but you CAN world-proof your children.
Start teaching responsible gun handling in Grade school. Right along with knives and fire.