Monumental Stupidity

[iratollah]

Are Syrians our allies?

No, they are not. On 09/11/01, Syrians were dancing in the street and celebrating...shooting their guns into the air in joy.

[WarHawk-AVG]

Are Syrians our allies?

No, they are not. On 09/11/01, Syrians were dancing in the street and celebrating...shooting their guns into the air in joy.

Not all of em...can't hold everyone accountable for the actions of a few pinhead extremists..just saying

[Oldgringo]

Are Syrians our allies?

No, they are not. On 09/11/01, Syrians were dancing in the street and celebrating...shooting their guns into the air in joy.

Ehh-yep, those are the images I recall. So, now there's one less?

[iratollah]

No, they are not. On 09/11/01, Syrians were dancing in the street and celebrating...shooting their guns into the air in joy.

Not all of em...can't hold everyone accountable for the actions of a few pinhead extremists..just saying

I'm curious how you choose your friends, WarHawk.

Excerpts from the U.S. Department of State website: Syria is included on the Department of State's List of State Sponsors of Terrorism. A number of terrorist groups that oppose U.S. policies have offices in Syria. In 2006, the U.S. Embassy in Damascus was attacked by terrorists armed with guns, grenades, and a car bomb. The Syrian Government has allowed anti-U.S. demonstrations to occur; the latest was on March 3, 2008. Anti-U.S. demonstrations date back to September 2005, some of which have turned violent and led to damage to Western embassies, including the U.S. Embassy.

Now the above ain't just 'tollah sayin', it's the gubmint. Sometimes our gubmint don't know who's our friends, I sure don't recollect any instances of Syria doing anything to get on our good side. So I agree, not all Syrians were dancing in the streets shooting their guns to celebrate 9/11 since some of them are too feeble to dance and some of them don't even have guns. Typically our allies don't have track records which include things like the 1982 raid on Hama where they killed 30,000 of their own citizens.

[barres]

who in their right mind would hand a gun to a 2 year old?

I do. I did just this past weekend. After triple-checking it was clear (I was cleaning it, so that was easy); there wasn't even any ammo in the room. My two year old was curious about it, and I had just let my eight year old handle it. If I hadn't handed it to my two year old, I would have had to deal with a screaming fit, and the pistol was clear. He looked it over for a little while then handed it back and went back to watching "Franklin" on TV. I will not demonize firearms to my children. Both of them can handle any firearm I own any time they want to. I will ensure that it is done safely, with no ammo anywhere near them when they handle the firearms. (Except when I take my eight year old to the range to shoot the .22, but he knows the 4 Rules of Firearm Safety.)

[CompVest]

Way-to-go Barres. Great way to take the mystery out of the gun and assuage your two-year-olds curiosity.

[Hos]

I don't think there's a right or wrong answer to that, but personally I would not do that to a 2 year old since they are not capable of knowing how to handle it. They will surely at some point point it at someone or themselves which you never do, unloaded or not. Just like I wouldn't ever give a 2 year old a baseball bat, large drink without a spill proof top, or a big bowl of cereal to walk around with... learned that last one the hard way.

[bryang]

Way-to-go Barres. Great way to take the mystery out of the gun and assuage your two-year-olds curiosity.

+1 I have always had firearms in my home and raised two daughters. From the beginning I instilled the rules of firearm safety, but the main thing was to take the mystery out of "what is it? Why can't I touch it?". If you simply tell a child to leave it alone and don't touch it.... what will be the first thing they will do when you are not around and believe me you can not hide a gun good enough for them not to find it. I remember when I was very young and was over at a friends house. He said he wanted to show me something...he proceeded to drag a chair over to the kitchen cabinet climbed up on the top of the counter and reached way up on the top shelf and pulled out his dad's pistol! Thank the Lord my dad had taught me about guns and taught me shoot his .22 rifle... I told the kid to put it back, and I went home.

Under safe conditions I would let my girls hold my pistol and look it all over and at the same time constantly instilling the rules of firearm safety...never point the gun at anyone...all guns must be treated as if they are loaded...never put you finger on the trigger, much less pull it...and etc. And then I would take them out side and set up a melon or a jug of kool-aid and SHOW them WHAT A GUN CAN DO. Let them hear the blast and see the destruction. Their little eyes were big as saucers, but they never forgot it. I also had a little .22 that I taught them to shoot, along with the safety rules, of course. I highly endorse educating you children while they are young. Take the mystery out of it, show them what a pistol is capable of doing, and if they ever see an gun at their friends house or anywhere, do not touch it and immediately go and tell an adult.

Okay, I'll get of my soap box now...
-geo

[paadams]

who in their right mind would hand a gun to a 2 year old?

I do. I did just this past weekend. After triple-checking it was clear (I was cleaning it, so that was easy); there wasn't even any ammo in the room. My two year old was curious about it, and I had just let my eight year old handle it. If I hadn't handed it to my two year old, I would have had to deal with a screaming fit, and the pistol was clear. He looked it over for a little while then handed it back and went back to watching "Franklin" on TV. I will not demonize firearms to my children. Both of them can handle any firearm I own any time they want to. I will ensure that it is done safely, with no ammo anywhere near them when they handle the firearms. (Except when I take my eight year old to the range to shoot the .22, but he knows the 4 Rules of Firearm Safety.)

Ok, maybe I should have specified about handing a loaded gun to 2 yr old and then not paying attention to them. If I had kids, I would do the same as you. I'd rather they learned about them from me than someone else.

[Purplehood]

who in their right mind would hand a gun to a 2 year old?

I do. I did just this past weekend. After triple-checking it was clear (I was cleaning it, so that was easy); there wasn't even any ammo in the room. My two year old was curious about it, and I had just let my eight year old handle it. If I hadn't handed it to my two year old, I would have had to deal with a screaming fit, and the pistol was clear. He looked it over for a little while then handed it back and went back to watching "Franklin" on TV. I will not demonize firearms to my children. Both of them can handle any firearm I own any time they want to. I will ensure that it is done safely, with no ammo anywhere near them when they handle the firearms. (Except when I take my eight year old to the range to shoot the .22, but he knows the 4 Rules of Firearm Safety.)

Those were controlled circumstances, so I don't have a problem with that. I would also assume that a large percentage of this site's membership were raised in gun-friendly households that do not "demonize" firearms.

[DoubleActionCHL]

In the afterlife, there will be 144 virgins and a Class A misdemeanor awaiting him. Darwin material, indeed.

[KaiserB]

Rule Three: Never hand a gun to a two-year old regardless of rules One and Two.

This case reminds me of the one from a few weeks back where the mom told the toddler "Don't touch the gun it will give you a boo boo"