219 replies to this topic

[Logan]

Very possible my sister's neighbor had a gun in their house. They kept it locked up with ammo locked separately. Their 9-yr old son watched and knew where it all was. He had a friend over, his Mom was downstairs. The kids got into the guns and be shot and killed his best friend. And he wasn't the least bit "off."

Well, if the nine year old knew where it all was and how to unlock it, then it really wasn't secured from him in the first place. My son knows where all of my stuff is, but he doesn't know the combination to the safe, it's a 4 number combo and the dial goes from zero to 99 and it also takes a key to unlock the dial so the dial will even spin. With a 100 million possible combinations and the numbers are not written down anywhere, I don't think he's getting in to it without my knowledge. That's secured. Kids with knowledge of how to get into it is "NOT secured".

[chris v]

My son knows how to properly handle, load and use correctly all my guns. But he has no idea how to get to them. Nor is he curious to go look because I have educated him about them.

[supermom]

My guns all have locks on them.. and they are secured in a manner in a vault that a burglar would not easily find. However, my children do know how to get to my guns and get them out. They cannot unlock them. the key is in a place they would never dream of looking to find. And they have never tampered with the guns or vault while Im gone. I know this because I know how to check for tampering. I am not going to hide from my children that I have guns. They know. They know I go to the range. I put the targets on the wall and evaluate them when I get home. Even though I clear my weapons at the range I still clear them in a clearing barrel before walking in the house as a sign of respect to the household (remnants of military drills and etiquette on safety). Every part of the process of collecting, transporting, using, and cleaning my weapons are treated with extreme respect in my home.

[mando]

Baseball Bats - think about these stats for a while...

The difference is that baseball bats don't kill or injure when correctly used.

[cw68]

However, my children do know how to get to my guns and get them out. They cannot unlock them. the key is in a place they would never dream of looking to find.

I'm not doubting you at all, but my sister's neighbors didn't think their son knew either. I don't know the specifics, this was 20 years ago and I lived in a different state than my sister, other than the gun and the ammo were each locked separately and the parents didn't think he knew where/how to get them. That's why I do not want my kids in a house with a gun. (IMO, it's an easy thing to avoid for my peace of mind and it's my right, as a parent, to decide.)

[Chris]

I'm not doubting you at all, but my sister's neighbors didn't think their son knew either. I don't know the specifics, this was 20 years ago and I lived in a different state than my sister, other than the gun and the ammo were each locked separately and the parents didn't think he knew where/how to get them. That's why I do not want my kids in a house with a gun. (IMO, it's an easy thing to avoid for my peace of mind and it's my right, as a parent, to decide.)

I had guns before I was married, before I had kids, while I had kids........ My youngest is now 15. Guns were always out of reach and locked up when they were young. No ammunition was left laying around and it was locked in a steel box, only I had the key, and the key was with me, on me, at all times. When all of my children were young I taught them never, ever be around guns while over a friends house. I taught them to immediately run away and leave the house if anybody brought a gun out. I told them never to let a gun be pointed at them and if so to avoid it at all costs and run away. I told them to assume that a gun is aways loaded, all the time. I drilled it into them..........

When I was young my Dad had an old .32 revolver under the house..... He showed it to me, showed me where it was, and told me never to touch it. I never did. One day a buddy was over and we were hanging out in the garage........ He comes out with the .32 revolver and says "look what I found". I told him to put it back where he found it........ I remember that incident well to this day. Of course the .32 was no threat in our house as we never had any ammo for it. I still have it to this day but I disabled the firing pin so it would not fire as the thing was very old and dangerous. If you don't have a gun safe a trigger lock is a must. It is common sense and I think it's the law in many states. I know it is in CA. Chris

[tsukiji]

The difference is that baseball bats don't kill or injure when correctly used.

Are we trending towards not being reasonable anymore? What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet. A club by any other name would be just as deadly. So, deaths as a result of a bat are not the same as a death by a rifle? If there are 3 deaths caused by a bat for every death caused by a rifle, that's acceptable because of the 'intended' purpose of the club/bat?

Are you forgetting that LEO's use rifles to stop/prevent people from being killed and injured? When a rifle is correctly used, it can also prevent tragedies. Are you aware that many responsible, law abiding (as difficult as this is given the irrational set of of laws that currently exist) are just as proficient, and perhaps more so, than may LEO's?

Any tool can be used for good or bad intentions. There is a net effect that needs to be considered.

This analogy may be too subtle but it might be a thought to consider: a computer system administrator is one of the most thankless jobs.

[supermom]

Yes. I guess you've been practicing to use your weapon(s) but you've never had to actually use it for what it was designed to do ( My firearms...no..other firearms, oh well I do know what Paul Revere meant when he referred to the whites of their eyes). With the exception of guns designed strictly for target shooting (for sport), real guns (i.e., guns that shoot real bullets) are designed to kill or injure. Exactly which guns do you think are designed strictly for target and not for kill or injure?

I think it's bizarre that people think that this is a bizarre idea.

Let me show you something someone posted on my facebook. Maybe the picture can express better than my opinion, how I feel about firearms.

[tsukiji]

Unkind? Inappropriate? If you have a disturbed child you should not have guns in the house. Very simple.

How about knifes? Clubs/bats? Hammers? Shovels? Nail guns? Axes? Picks? Chains?

How about cars? Cleaning fluids? Rope? Wire? Gasoline/Propane tanks? Matches?

What if the parents are well regarded, responsible members of society -- bankers, lawyers, shop owners, whatever -- but are attractive targets for criminals (home invasion)?

[MSgt]

I'm not sure it is wise to advertise the fact that you have weapons stored in your house on this forum. People can troll forums like this to gain information and set up a shopping cart for home invasions. All I am saying is be careful. I am sure I will get some rationalization from some of you on this but why take the chance? You can state your case without revealing sensitive information. You are not always home to defend it. Be safe out there. If you wish to consider deleting some of those comments I would be happy to help you.

Some of you are implying that you would never even touch a gun. If it came to protecting your kids I am sure most of you would use what ever you had available to you at the moment. I am not a gun person, but I would not hesitate in using one to protect my family. If I had a gun I would make sure I was proficient in using one. It could be lethal to have one and not have the proper training. The shooting range at Mather has an excellent series of training classes.

Not being a gun person, still I understand people who have the desire to arm themselves to protect their home and family. It is dangerous out there and we cannot depend on our government for total protection. To think otherwise would be naive.

[the_professor]

How about knifes? Clubs/bats? Hammers? Shovels? Nail guns? Axes? Picks? Chains?

How about cars? Cleaning fluids? Rope? Wire? Gasoline/Propane tanks? Matches?

What if the parents are well regarded, responsible members of society -- bankers, lawyers, shop owners, whatever -- but are attractive targets for criminals (home invasion)?

Disconnected from reality a disturbed person could not slaughter 26 people with those objects as quickly they could with guns. Again, if you live with someone that is mentally ill you should not have guns in your home. Edit

[mando]

Are we trending towards not being reasonable anymore? What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet. A club by any other name would be just as deadly. So, deaths as a result of a bat are not the same as a death by a rifle? If there are 3 deaths caused by a bat for every death caused by a rifle, that's acceptable because of the 'intended' purpose of the club/bat?

Are you forgetting that LEO's use rifles to stop/prevent people from being killed and injured? When a rifle is correctly used, it can also prevent tragedies. Are you aware that many responsible, law abiding (as difficult as this is given the irrational set of of laws that currently exist) are just as proficient, and perhaps more so, than may LEO's?

Any tool can be used for good or bad intentions. There is a net effect that needs to be considered.

This analogy may be too subtle but it might be a thought to consider: a computer system administrator is one of the most thankless jobs.

I am being reasonable. LEOs carry guns because in the course of their duties they may need to actually kill or injure a bad guy to protect someone else. But it is simply a fact that guns are singularly designed to kill. Would you buy one (as a real gun) that isn't?

Bats are designed to hit baseballs. Sure you could misuse them for nefarious purposes, but you still need something to hit baseballs. It is also harder to kill a dozen persons in ten minutes using a bat.... or knives, or ice picks, or piano wire, or pillows, and so on. Many times we do outlaw objects because their legitimate uses are outweighed by safety concerns.

I understand that it is sometimes simply the threat of use that a weapon exists for, but the effectiveness of the threat absolutely depends on its actual use being lethal. So, yes, guns are designed to kill. Step back and think about it clearly.

This is why baseball bats are different from guns.

Again, I'm not saying that we shouldn't have guns - I'm saying that we need to find a reasonable balance between providing self defense and pubic safety.

[Priscilla]

I am being reasonable. LEOs carry guns because in the course of their duties they may need to actually kill or injure a bad guy to protect someone else. But it is simply a fact that guns are singularly designed to kill. Would you buy one (as a real gun) that isn't?

Bats are designed to hit baseballs. Sure you could misuse them for nefarious purposes, but you still need something to hit baseballs. It is also harder to kill a dozen persons in ten minutes using a bat.... or knives, or ice picks, or piano wire, or pillows, and so on. Many times we do outlaw objects because their legitimate uses are outweighed by safety concerns.

I understand that it is sometimes simply the threat of use that a weapon exists for, but the effectiveness of the threat absolutely depends on its actual use being lethal. So, yes, guns are designed to kill. Step back and think about it clearly.

This is why baseball bats are different from guns.

Again, I'm not saying that we shouldn't have guns - I'm saying that we need to find a reasonable balance between providing self defense and pubic safety

That is what I was trying to say but it seems people would rather go "target practicing" because its "fun" to shoot assault weapons....uuughhh