How to Talk to Your Kids about Gun Safety

[dhoobler]

http://time.com/4282444/how-to-talk-to- ... un-safety/

[Jusme]

Maybe I missed it, but besides asking your kids if any of their friends have access to guns, there was no advice or suggestions. I also don't understand the part where it says they have no been able to come up with a program that prevents kids from playing with guns. The NRA has several programs that have proven to work.

Of course that may mean they would have to consort with the enemy.

[Charles L. Cotton]

http://time.com/4282444/how-to-talk-to- ... un-safety/

Why are you posting anti-gun articles that are replete with false information, links to bogus so-called studies, and that promote a blatant anti-gun agenda? You are not offering any critique or counterpoints, so all you are accomplishing is putting anti-gun propaganda on the Forum.

If you want to post a link to an article, then offer a counterpoint of some sort. Otherwise, to the casual reader of the Forum, it appears that as a group we are buying into the Bloomber-supported lies.

Chas.

[dhoobler]

http://time.com/4282444/how-to-talk-to- ... un-safety/

Why are you posting anti-gun articles that are replete with false information, links to bogus so-called studies, and that promote a blatant anti-gun agenda? You are not offering any critique or counterpoints, so all you are accomplishing is putting anti-gun propaganda on the Forum.

If you want to post a link to an article, then offer a counterpoint of some sort. Otherwise, to the casual reader of the Forum, it appears that as a group we are buying into the Bloomber-supported lies.

Chas.

If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles. Sun Tzu

[RoyGBiv]

My Yankee sister finally relented and let me talk with her kids (teens) about guns.
After giving them a short lecture about the rules, I showed them an unloaded gun, let them hold it and look at it.
Then I loaded it (loaded mag, empty chamber), set it on the table and said "ok... let's sit here and watch it until something happens"

After a very long pause I said "So, what did we just learn?"
<silence>
"We learned that if you don't touch the loaded gun, nothing will happen".

And we carried on from there.

Dispelling myths and fears of inanimate objects. Four Yankees at a time.

[The Annoyed Man]

Dispelling myths and fears of inanimate objects. Four Yankees at a time.

Would you please try that in DC?

[C-dub]

http://time.com/4282444/how-to-talk-to- ... un-safety/

Why are you posting anti-gun articles that are replete with false information, links to bogus so-called studies, and that promote a blatant anti-gun agenda? You are not offering any critique or counterpoints, so all you are accomplishing is putting anti-gun propaganda on the Forum.

If you want to post a link to an article, then offer a counterpoint of some sort. Otherwise, to the casual reader of the Forum, it appears that as a group we are buying into the Bloomber-supported lies.

Chas.

If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles. Sun Tzu

Did you not see the part about the casual reader?

[RoyGBiv]

Dispelling myths and fears of inanimate objects. Four Yankees at a time.

Would you please try that in DC?

All my DC relatives (in-laws) are big into shooting and hunting.
I'll look for stragglers next time I'm up there.
I don't think they'll let me work the WH or Capitol.

[Pawpaw]

I started my kids out very young. Every six months or so, I would bring my unloaded revolver and shotgun out to the living room, spread out some newspaper on the floor, and spend family TV time cleaning them. Since I was down at the kids' level, they could come over when they were interested. They were able to watch and even handle the guns, with my supervision. Depending on their age and level of interest, I explained things to them with special emphasis on safety.

The payoff came when my son was 6 or 7. He was out playing with some friends when they found a pistol. My son stood guard over it and had the other two come get me. We got the police out there so they could take it and all was right with the world.

When my daughter got married, she very proudly told me how she had laid the law down to her new husband that there would never be any guns in their house. I told her I thought that was odd, coming from someone who grew up with guns in the house. She had completely forgotten about those cleaning/teaching sessions. It was such a normal part of life, it became a non-issue for her.

[Bitter Clinger]

http://time.com/4282444/how-to-talk-to- ... un-safety/

Why are you posting anti-gun articles that are replete with false information, links to bogus so-called studies, and that promote a blatant anti-gun agenda? You are not offering any critique or counterpoints, so all you are accomplishing is putting anti-gun propaganda on the Forum.

If you want to post a link to an article, then offer a counterpoint of some sort. Otherwise, to the casual reader of the Forum, it appears that as a group we are buying into the Bloomber-supported lies.

Chas.

If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles. Sun Tzu

Did you not see the part about the casual reader?

Maybe he was confused and he meant to quote this one:

Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness.

[LTCTLB]

http://time.com/4282444/how-to-talk-to- ... un-safety/

I followed what I felt was a natural progression for my now 12 year old son since my wife was almost anti-gun (scared and uneducated about firearms).

1) I started him with a slingshot
2) after a year or so we progressed to a BB gun (Ryder)
3) later we upgraded to pump pellet gun
4) started training him on my personal handgun
5) he now has his own 22lr Mossberg Plinkster

After they were educated about the dangers and how to respect a firearm - or any other weapon - my wife now owns her own handgun and is approaching applying for her LTC.

My wife and son can now make educated decisions about firearms and could defend themselves if the need arose. For my son that means only if I were taken out first and he took my firearm from my side. His 22 is locked up when I'm not with him.

[jimd1981]

I tell this very true story in all my CHL/LTC classes. It's long. I've never written it down before.
The tl/dr is: Teaching kids gun safety saves lives.

My sister-in-law was seriously anti-gun (having lived and grown up in some very urban areas) and was visiting us for the evening with her 10 year-old son (hereafter referred to as "J") and her 8 year-old daughter. I was just back from shooting at PSC, and was cleaning my Garand when the doorbell rang.
Not wanting to start any kind of fuss, and fully knowing her position on guns, I was walking to the safe to put the rifle away when "J" ran in.
"Wow! Is that a Garand?"
"Yes, it is."
"Can I touch it?" he said, reaching for the rifle.
"You'll have to ask your Mom, first, J."
The kid turned towards his Mom, and pleaded. You could see from her expression that the idea made her very uncomfortable.
With a worried expression on her face, she turned to me and asked, "Is it safe?"
"Yes, ma'am. And we'll go over the rules before he touches it."

And so, her son received her, cautious, blessing -- and I got to lay the rules down...he got to repeat them when I said:
"First, always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction."
"Second, always keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot."
"Third, never load a gun until you're ready to use it."
He had repeated those rules to me while I held the rifle. Then, channeling my Eddie Eagle, I laid this down:
"Finally, 'J', if you EVER find a gun, you need to stop and go and tell an adult. Don't touch it!"
And here, I leaned in closer and said "Because if I find out you DID touch it...I'll BREAK YOUR FINGER!"
His eyes got wide, and he promised. So I showed him the Garand was unloaded, and he got to carefully pick it up.
"It's heavy!" He got to hold it awhile, then he was bored with it and I put it away.
We were by the safe, and he saw some other guns that he'd "fired" in some video game or something.
Each time he wanted to pick one up, he'd have to say the 3 rules, repeat the admonition I'd given him, and then I'd show the rifle was clear and he'd get to touch it, and I'd tell him about its history and so on.
Each and every time.
After about 10 minutes, when he'd "had enough", he handed me back the last rifle, thanked me, and ran off to play.
His mom was camped by during the whole time, silently watching.

We got a phone call later that year from the sister-in-law.
Seems that their whole family was house sitting for some friends that owned a beach house in Galveston.
Everyone was just getting settled in when "J" came running to his mom.
"Mom! Mom! There's a GUN! There's a GUN! Tell Mr. Jim I didn't touch it! Tell him I didn't touch it!"
And, sure enough, the owners had kept a loaded revolver in the under-arm storage of one of their easy chairs by the T.V.
He was alone in the room when he swung the armrest open and saw it just laying there. He did the right thing.

She called the owners and found out that there were several firearms secreted around the house.
I never did ask her what she did with them. I think she packed everyone up and left.
Her voice was shaky when she called my wife. She didn't know what would have happened if I hadn't told "J" what to do.
She was convinced that our talk had saved his life, and maybe it did.

Later, I thanked her for letting me tell him. And, now, his mom has let "J" has come target shooting with us several times.
He's always careful and knows the rules. She's considering getting an LTC, herself, which is amazing.

It's important to teach kids what to do, and what NOT to do if they see a gun.

[Jusme]

I tell this very true story in all my CHL/LTC classes. It's long. I've never written it down before.
The tl/dr is: Teaching kids gun safety saves lives.

My sister-in-law was seriously anti-gun (having lived and grown up in some very urban areas) and was visiting us for the evening with her 10 year-old son (hereafter referred to as "J") and her 8 year-old daughter. I was just back from shooting at PSC, and was cleaning my Garand when the doorbell rang.
Not wanting to start any kind of fuss, and fully knowing her position on guns, I was walking to the safe to put the rifle away when "J" ran in.
"Wow! Is that a Garand?"
"Yes, it is."
"Can I touch it?" he said, reaching for the rifle.
"You'll have to ask your Mom, first, J."
The kid turned towards his Mom, and pleaded. You could see from her expression that the idea made her very uncomfortable.
With a worried expression on her face, she turned to me and asked, "Is it safe?"
"Yes, ma'am. And we'll go over the rules before he touches it."

And so, her son received her, cautious, blessing -- and I got to lay the rules down...he got to repeat them when I said:
"First, always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction."
"Second, always keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot."
"Third, never load a gun until you're ready to use it."
He had repeated those rules to me while I held the rifle. Then, channeling my Eddie Eagle, I laid this down:
"Finally, 'J', if you EVER find a gun, you need to stop and go and tell an adult. Don't touch it!"
And here, I leaned in closer and said "Because if I find out you DID touch it...I'll BREAK YOUR FINGER!"
His eyes got wide, and he promised. So I showed him the Garand was unloaded, and he got to carefully pick it up.
"It's heavy!" He got to hold it awhile, then he was bored with it and I put it away.
We were by the safe, and he saw some other guns that he'd "fired" in some video game or something.
Each time he wanted to pick one up, he'd have to say the 3 rules, repeat the admonition I'd given him, and then I'd show the rifle was clear and he'd get to touch it, and I'd tell him about its history and so on.
Each and every time.
After about 10 minutes, when he'd "had enough", he handed me back the last rifle, thanked me, and ran off to play.
His mom was camped by during the whole time, silently watching.

We got a phone call later that year from the sister-in-law.
Seems that their whole family was house sitting for some friends that owned a beach house in Galveston.
Everyone was just getting settled in when "J" came running to his mom.
"Mom! Mom! There's a GUN! There's a GUN! Tell Mr. Jim I didn't touch it! Tell him I didn't touch it!"
And, sure enough, the owners had kept a loaded revolver in the under-arm storage of one of their easy chairs by the T.V.
He was alone in the room when he swung the armrest open and saw it just laying there. He did the right thing.

She called the owners and found out that there were several firearms secreted around the house.
I never did ask her what she did with them. I think she packed everyone up and left.
Her voice was shaky when she called my wife. She didn't know what would have happened if I hadn't told "J" what to do.
She was convinced that our talk had saved his life, and maybe it did.

Later, I thanked her for letting me tell him. And, now, his mom has let "J" has come target shooting with us several times.
He's always careful and knows the rules. She's considering getting an LTC, herself, which is amazing.

It's important to teach kids what to do, and what NOT to do if they see a gun.

Great story.
Reminds me of how i taught my oldest son a similar lesson when he was about 3. I had gone over all of the rules, and told him if he ever found a gun to immediately go tell an adult. After the "lesson" I intentionally left my gun safe door opened. All guns were unloaded with ammo stored out of his reach. I waited in the living room, and sure enough, in a few minutes, he had "discovered" the open gun safe. he didn't touch anything he just came running in yelling "daddy, daddy, your "gun slafe" ( pronunciation was not his strong suit at the time) is open! I praised him for doing the right thing by not touching anything, and coming to tell me. He now has his own son to pass along the lessons. I am constantly amazed by those who are afraid of guns not wanting to teach gun safety to their children. Would they have the same attitude about teaching them driving safety when they are teenagers? I guess they just hope they will learn on the fly when they get behind the wheel.

[RottenApple]

I started my kids out very young. Every six months or so, I would bring my unloaded revolver and shotgun out to the living room, spread out some newspaper on the floor, and spend family TV time cleaning them. Since I was down at the kids' level, they could come over when they were interested. They were able to watch and even handle the guns, with my supervision. Depending on their age and level of interest, I explained things to them with special emphasis on safety.

I remember those times quite fondly. I learned a lot that way. And always at my own pace. You never once forced us to sit with you.

The payoff came when my son was 6 or 7. He was out playing with some friends when they found a pistol. My son stood guard over it and had the other two come get me. We got the police out there so they could take it and all was right with the world.

I very vaguely remember that!

[allisji]

After a very long pause I said "So, what did we just learn?"
<silence>
"We learned that if you don't touch the loaded gun, nothing will happen".

According to this article you should have started and ended with this image lesson. Except you probably shouldn't have inserted the loaded magazine. If the primer gets too close to the firing pin, bad things might happen.