Parents, Do you think that kids should be able to own guns?
Do you think they should have to register them as well, and have to take safety classes?
Should parents be held responable for anything that happens with htese guns?
2009-02-23T23:00:34Z
I asked this question because of the 11 year old boy that shot his dad's girlfriend.
He had a gun, a child's gun.
Guns are marketed for kids.
I don't allow my sons to have a gun, because they are dangerous. Ye I know the arguement guns don't kill but people do,. But how many adults out there are responsible and keep their guns locked up ...
2009-02-23T23:04:40Z
Sara- It seems that you have taken the steps to help teach your son about the safety and also do the samrt thing and lock them up, so not onluy can your kid not get a hold of it but any other kid as well. Thank you
2009-02-23T23:20:47Z
Amber= I agree that while some kids can have guns and have responable parents that can show them and teach them , and to lock them up, kids showed be able to use them with adult supervision. but as we all know their are adults that are even more childish then the kids so how do we keep everyone safe and let kids experience this ?
And if children having guns is so wrong why do they make and market specific guns for children? Should their be some kinda of law? Where do we draw the line?
2009-02-23T23:31:46Z
For all of you tha read the whole question let me resay this again,
My children do not have guns, my husband does have a gun and it is locked and the bullets are not even kept in the house . I don't beleive kids should be able to own guns just like I don't believe that many adults should not own them either.
2009-02-23T23:39:04Z
I do not know the exact make of them as I am dumb when it comes to guns in general, I mean I know safety issues due to I was rasied with guns in the house. But like I know that bb guns are marketed towards children, I know that air pistols are marketed towards children and I have heard of others but I dont know exactly what , Sorry. people will say bb guns don't kill but htey do, people can say that air pistols can't kill but they can as well, any weapon can be a potential death tool.
Vagabond2009-02-23T23:01:25Z
Favorite Answer
No, children should not be able to "own" guns; but they should be able to legally posses them under limited circumstances, and then only under an adults direct supervision.
By this I mean that children can learn to safely handle a firearm, but in order to do so, they must actually handle it. There are shooting clubs and other organizations that promote safety training and marksmanship for children, and they should continue to be able to do so.
These circumstances are quite limited, however; and there is no reasonable purpose for a child to posses a firearm otherwise.
If they come from a family of hunters, then yes.. as long as they have had hunter's safety classes, and as long as the gun is kept locked up in a safe place while it's not being used!
This is a touchy subject for me right now.. The stuff that is all over the news. That woman and I use to be friends while I was living in New Castle about 8 years ago. It's all very sad.
I think that ultimately the boy should not have had access to the gun in the first place. In our state he has to be tried as an adult because there is no juvenile charges for homicide, or murder. Someone as young as 10 years old can be charged with murder.
This kid is sitting in a county jail right now, and the jail can't house him, as all the other inmates are adults. They can't even find clothes to put on the kid that fit even a little bit!
At 11 years old there was a reason he did that, I don't know the reason.. only he does at this point...and that is IF he has even really done it...as he has not admitted to it yet.
The media is leaning towards his motive as being "jealousy" if that is the case... then he shouldn't be put on death row, he should be put in an institution until he is of a certain age....or gets better.. He should also undergo psychological screenings!
My brothers had guns passed down from the family at the age of 12... this is a family tradition when a boy wants to go hunting.. They have to go through a hunter's safety course, and the gun is kept locked up except when it's being used... Now i think that if my mother had enough sense to do this... being the way that she is... then there are several others that do this as well. But i do understand that many don't do this because they don't ever think something like this ever would/could happen... Those are the people that don't need guns!
It's not a stupid question as some may think. In the South, kid's are raised around guns and learn to hunt at an early age. My nephews were +/-8 years old when first carrying a gun and hunting on their own. Their Father was always with them or near by, but we all know anything can happen.
Safety classes should be a requirement for anyone.
I've hunted with adults that have scared the life out of me with the way they act with a firearm. Of course, I've refused to ever go hunting on future trips, if these people are going also. They are going to kill themselves or a friend by their ignorance. I'd rather hunt with my 8 year old nephew. He has more respect for the weapon.
Kid's cannot legally own guns. They own guns that were purchased by their parent(s) and thus are registered to the parent(s). So, the parents are ultimately responsible.
Also, as an adult, I've had accidents happen that luckily were not deadly but could have been. I've climbed a tree with my gun, only to drop the gun once I was getting settled in the tree. The gun fired when it hit the ground ! Could have killed me. Lesson, Don't load the gun until your in the tree and settled in. Also, I've trip walking in the woods with the gun, only to realize that I stuck the barrel of the gun in the dirt when I trpped and the end of the barrel was clogged.
I just saw your additional details. What's a child's Gun??
Well I think it could be good or bad.Depends on the individual them selfs that is teaching them or showing them.If it's agood person then they will show them what is right, if not than yes it could be bad cause there is the stupid people that dont care that just show there kids how to shoot and nothing about safety.There are so many different answers that I can't honestly say what is the best answer.I guess it depends on the individual themselves.I have guns and a 20yearold and a16yearold both boys.But I brought them up to respect them like I do.Hope this helps you in someway.
By kids, I assume you mean under 18. Nobody under 18 (and some people over 18) has the maturity to properly handle such a lethal weapon. It's a good idea to have kids take safety classes and also use guns under trained adult supervision - they develop a healthy respect for how a gun is used/not used properly - so when they do turn 18 they are likely to be a responsible gun owner.
On the other hand, there's a least one study that disputes the benefit of early education (http://www.gunguys.com/?p=1154), so keeping guns away from kids in general is still the best practice.
Any adult that provides a gun to a kid under 18 should be held fully accountable for any outcome.