AST (After Sean Taylor)-To gun or not to gun?

[mheisig]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

But you're assuming the child is properly trained. You can't assume that all parents are going to be responsible about guns and train their kids like you were trained. It's up to the parents, and if the parents are irresponsible, like so many are, the poor kid is subjected to a situation over which he has no control.

It's not like a 7 year old is going to go out and seek training. If his dad isn't as good a parent as your father was to you, he's up a creek. When it comes to adults accidentally killing themselves because they have no training, I have little sympathy, because you reap what you sow. But a 7 year old? He's the victim of poor parenting, and you can't dismiss that with the old 'you reap what you sow' argument. The children need to be protected from their own parents at times.

I don't know how you do that effectively, mind you. But I definitely disagree that kids aren't a valid argument against owning a gun. In your situation, I'll agree. But not for most.

I still maintain that moving away from crime to safer neighborhoods is the most effective way to provide a safe life for you and your family.

From that standpoint I would agree with you. Irresponsible adults should not own guns, and irresponsible adults with untrained children should not own guns.

They should also not own about a thousand other common household items.

You don't seem to be arguing for a total gun ban, so I'm not saying it from that standpoint. So many times, though, people argue that all guns should be banned "for the children," which is simply throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Working in the projects I saw young kids being the victims on a regular of poor nutrition, emotional, physical and sexual abuse far more often than. No, those aren't life ending the way a firearm can be, but when idiots have kids, bad stuff happens. You are absolutely right that stupid parents put their kids in situations where the kid is a victim. That's going to happen whether a gun is there or not. The kids life is a clusterfuck at that point and is probably exposed to any number of dangerous situations day in and day out.

When I speak of the "average citizen" having a gun for self defense, I'm really more referring to your lower-middle class and up folks. People with a decent job, provide for a family, kids go to school, parents work hard. What I would characterize as the bulk of America.

Yes, I agree that some idiot living in a hole who lets their kid do whatever they want all day and never parents them, absolutely should not have a gun. Or a car.