Got Guns?
There were some unfortunate stories covered in the news this past winter that made my husband start pontificating about the benefits of owning a gun. He grew up with a father that hunts regularly, he and his brother learned about appropriate gun use and safety, and there was never any incident with having guns in his house. I, on the other hand, did not grow up around guns and am fearful that having a gun in the house is just asking for trouble.
We have a piece of property that is pretty remote and sometimes I don't like to go there because I feel a little vulnerable, I suppose my husband hopes that a gun would make me feel safer. But we would never keep it anywhere we could get to it quickly if need be (and really, what are the chances of needing to?) and children are just too curious about things that are off limits (not to even mention their friends). So mamas, do you have guns in your home? How have you talked to your children (and others that come into your home, if necessary) about gun safety when they have reached the appropriate age?
We have 3 guns in our house and until we had my daughter we kept one in a drawer by the bed for safety. I grew up around guns and was always taught that they were a weapon, not a toy. As soon as we were old enough my brother and I were taken out to shoot the guns and also helped my dad clean them sometimes. Even as a kid once you shoot a real gun you understand it is not a toy. But despite that after we had my daughter my husband and I unloaded our three guns, got gun locks free from the Portland police and put them on the guns and then put them in our fire safe where we keep important papers (which locks with both a combination and key).
My child is now 6 and I have basically told her guns are not toys and she is not to play with them. I know I need to have more of a conversation with her about this as she gets older and is playing at other houses with less supervision than she is under at this age. I just know at this age I feel safer having them locked away so there is no chance that her or someone else who is visiting would get hurt by a gun. I also like that if another parent asks about this when they send their child to play I can give them a concrete answer to what I have done. Unfortunately even if you teach your child about gun safety it is not always a guarantee that another child who is inadvertently told about your gun will not find it and use it. Even though I am comfortable around guns I don't think I would get them back out from under lock and key until she is out of the house.
If I did not already own the guns when she was born I would never consider buying them now. If you feel unsafe at your property it is unlikely a gun will change that.
Posted by: mm | March 18, 2009 at 01:55 PM
No. No guns here. When my kids were little, I always volunteered the "no guns in the house" info to all the parents of the playdate kids. Generally folks will give a nervous chuckle and then tell you "yes" or "no" for their house as well. If they said "yes", I have know how the guns are kept at their house before my kid played over there. Can't be too careful.
BTW, I grew up in a "gun house". My parents were always careful to keep guns and ammo in separate hiding places or would dismantle the guns so no one could fire them accidentally. I did grow up in an area (The South)where kids did occasionally shoot themselves or a playmate. So sad.
Posted by: philomom | March 18, 2009 at 04:40 PM
We have no guns and I cannot imagine a situation we would own one. I was taught gun safety on my aunt's farm as a kid and shot airguns at targets there but do want one anywhere near my house.
I always ask if there are guns in the house before my children go for a playdate and if there is one, regardless of how it is contained, I only allow them to go if I stay while they play. I knew a boy when I was a child who was killed with his father's gun when a neighbor boy wanted to play with it. Even when the owners are responsible, there is still a chance and the incident from my childhood haunts me.
If I ever feel that unsafe I will take up martial arts.
Posted by: pdxmama | March 18, 2009 at 04:45 PM
No guns in the house, and we will not allow the kids to play at other houses with guns.
Would a dog help you to feel safer?
Posted by: mamatothree | March 18, 2009 at 06:24 PM
one of the things we did during my pregnancy to prepare for my daughters birth was to sell our old gun case (locked but glass) on Craigs List and buy a new steel gun safe with a combo lock. With that I feel perfectly safe - despite not liking the fact we have guns at home (but my husband is a fairly avid hunter)
Posted by: abby | March 18, 2009 at 09:15 PM
What I don't understand is how a gun in the house can make you feel safer. If your gun is unloaded, and the bullets and gun are locked up in different places for child safety, then there is no way you could unlock both places, and load a gun in the time it takes to defend yourself from a home intruder. And if you keep a loaded gun in a place you can reach, you risk the life of your child or another child in the house. So if you can't keep a loaded gun nearby for safety, and you are keeping your guns and ammo locked up under combo and key, leading to several steps to defend yourself against danger (imagine how likely you might be to mess up one of those steps when the home invader is climbing the stairs and your hands are shaking), why even bother to keep a gun in the house at all? I have heard of too many cases where the kids figure it out, or the parents might forget to lock the lock, etc, and tragedy strikes (granted, I may be remembering these stories from prime time tv, so don't ask me to give names and dates).
I agree, if it's safety you are looking for, a well trained dog is the way to go. If it's just that you want to own a gun because you like them and want to have target practice now and then, that is a totally different story.
Posted by: Debby | March 18, 2009 at 09:16 PM
Guns scare the shit out of me. It is a myth that one is safer with having one in the home. Don't want an unfortunate accident? Then don't buy one. The end.
Posted by: emma | March 18, 2009 at 09:52 PM
The thought that one of my kid's friends would have a gun in their home NEVER crossed my mind. Wow. What an eye opener. Scares the shiz out of me too.
Posted by: et | March 18, 2009 at 10:53 PM
When my daughter was little, people would often conceal that they had recently had head lice exposure that may have affected my daughter. So I never really had the expectation that people would be more honest about weapons in their home. It's good to ask, but it's not a 100% guarantee.
Posted by: ProtestMama | March 19, 2009 at 01:36 AM
I am completely against being anywhere near guns. I am with emma and et on this one...scary things!
Posted by: Rebecca | March 19, 2009 at 01:47 AM
We have guns in our home. We are one of those families that you would never guess had guns in their home. Very liberal, very peaceful, and very organic... Never let your kid go into a home that had guns? Please, you probably already have. Do you really ask every prospective playdate what their ownership status is? I am very interested in seeing the comment thread on this topic... I am in support of the new administrations gun "control" efforts (all guns must be registered with extensive personal info attached to each weapon), and I wouldn't have any issues giving up our guns if that were required of us. In the meanwhile, my husband is gone 24 hours at a time for work, and I do feel safer with them in the home.
Posted by: ja | March 19, 2009 at 08:04 AM
We do not personally own any guns. I do however feel that it is important to teach our son about gun safety. I want him to experience what a real gun is and what it can do. My husband grew up around guns and they were NEVER toys. Guns (even pretend ones with your hand) were NEVER pointed at people. When my son is age appropriate we will take him to his grandfather's (who owns guns) and learn about guns, how to use them, and what they can do. I've decided that I will learn too. To me, knowledge is the best antidote to fear.
Posted by: Kristi | March 19, 2009 at 08:30 AM
We don't have guns at our house. I've never been a gun person, and just don't see the need for one. And, yes, I have asked other parents when my kids go there. At this point, they don't go anywhere without me, but we still talk about it with the other parents. Despite not owning guns, my husband plans to have our children take a gun safety class when they are old enough, so they can learn more about them.
Posted by: mom22 | March 19, 2009 at 08:51 AM
One thing to remember with your kids, too, is to teach them that ANY gun is dangerous. As they grow, they may be in situations where paintball guns, BB guns, pellet guns, potato guns, etc. are present. A good friend in middle school lost his eye when he and a friend were playing with a 'toy' BB gun. They need to know, regardless of your own family's stance on guns, not touch, make sure they are pointed away from people, to leave the situation, tell an adult, etc.
Posted by: anon | March 19, 2009 at 09:17 AM
Has anyone ever considered a realistic looking BB gun, you know, something that might scare someone away but wouldn't be fatal if a kid got a hold of it? It might even be effective against an intruder who thought it was real, and the burn from the pellets might indeed make them think they'd been shot. Is there such a thing?
Posted by: S. | March 19, 2009 at 09:21 AM
I'm curious to hear the answer to Debby's question. I always read that responsible gun-owners keep their guns carefully locked and separated from the ammunition. Which would seem to entail that you'd have to go through several steps to get it ready to fire in case of an intruder: how does this make you feel safe? I'm not being snarky at all here; the situation seems like a paradox - gun in the house for protection, yet not ready to use when needed. How does that work?
Posted by: Zinemama | March 19, 2009 at 10:46 AM
We don't have guns and will never have them. I actually hate guns. Sabrina will be taught that guns aren't toys and gun safety. But still, kids are smart. Even if the guns are locked in a different place than the ammo, chances are that they can figure out how to get them. Kids are curious.
Posted by: aimee noel | March 19, 2009 at 11:16 AM
In answer to ja's question, yes, I HAVE asked other parents whether or not there are guns in the home before my child went on playdates. When I first heard another mom mention asking that question, it blew me away- I mean, I had NEVER thought about that! But then, it blew me away that I had never thought of that.
Am I a paranoid, anti-gun freak? No. But if I remember to ask about guns in the house I absolutely feel comfortable and in my right mind doing so. And if they say yes, they do have guns, it doesn't mean that my kids aren't going over to that house. It simply means that I want as much information as possible about the environment that my child is going to be in. That seems perfectly reasonable to me.
Posted by: R.E.Mom | March 19, 2009 at 12:37 PM
Ever considered a stun gun that you can lock up? I have one and even though it's locked up, my bedroom door has a lock on it and if an intruder enetered our house I would lock us in our bedroom (safe room)and may have enough time to dial 911 and unlock the stun gun.
Posted by: Kris | March 19, 2009 at 01:19 PM
I am vehemently anti-gun. My children will have no exposure to guns whatsoever - not as toys, not as part of "safety training." Period. You might say I'm setting up a forbidden fruit scenario. So be it.
When I was a child, a close family member was killed as a result of gun violence. The risks of gun possession far outweigh the perceived benefits.
I grew up in the NYC area, where private gun ownership had a very different slant than it does here. When I first moved to OR, I was shocked that questions about guns were part of a routine physical exam at the doctor's. But it opened my eyes to the need to be aware of the environments my child will be playing in.
I did, however, grow up with dobermans. So my advice? If you're so scared, get a dog.
Posted by: fembot | March 19, 2009 at 02:46 PM
Zinemama, I'll answer Debby's question, or how it applies to us anyway: We have a steel lock box under the bed (that has a numerical combination lock) and trigger locks on the gun themselves. We keep our guns loaded in that box. There is no possible way for anyone who doesn't know both combinations to use it. As far as scrambling to use it if an intruder were to actually enter... sure, that's going to happen. There's no assurances. The gun is no promise that something bad is not going to happen... We also have 2 large dogs (for pets, not protection) that make a serious amount of noise when the damn wind blows. Before you all go thinking I'm ready to build a moat around my home, and dig a hole for Armegeddon, remember - I'm the mom you would never dream had a gun in her home. I think asking other parents (where your child goes) if they have guns and how they keep them is necessary and reasonable. I know I do...
Posted by: ja | March 19, 2009 at 02:51 PM
I grew up around lots of guns: handguns, rifles, big gun cabinet. My father was a cop and a hunter and taught me to shoot when I was about eight or nine. The only thing that really stuck was that they were weapons, not toys, and my brother and I had no business around them unless my father was around, too. Don't have guns now, but a very sweet, well-trained, well-socialized, and well-loved pit bull terrier who adores children and also seems to scare the bejabbers out of the right people at the right times (like when I'm running in the park alone). I've recently given up on squelching my son's desire to make guns of Legos or a paper clip, or his hand. My disapproval has no effect on the desire.
I just wrote a piece on a kids BB gun club for the March issue of Portland Family--what both the parents and kids have to say might be of interest:
http://portlandfamily.com/sharp-shooters.html
Posted by: Stacy | March 19, 2009 at 05:50 PM
Haha I am married to a Lewis and Clark graduate, Birkenstock wearing, liberal police officer. I honestly don't even know how many guns he has, 10 I think? I didn't grow up around guns, I'm still not comfertable around them, though after being married to him for nearly 5 years, I've gone shooting, can load, etc. However, we keep them locked up in three safes (one in our room) when our son was born. Would I grab the gun in our room if I heard an intruder? Possibly...but it doesn't necessarily make me feel safer. My husband is a trained professional and he genuinely loves target shooting as a hobby.
I'm confident that he'll teach our son gun safety when he's old enough and that it is not a "toy." I hope other parents wouldn't keep their kids from playing with my son but frankly after knowing about my husband's job, and how safe we keep them, I doubt they're the kind of parents I'd want to be around.
Posted by: Alyssa | March 19, 2009 at 07:46 PM
I meant that as: after knowing about my husband's job, and how safe we keep them, if they still didn't want their child to be in our house, I doubt they're the kind of parents I'd want to be around.
Posted by: Alyssa | March 19, 2009 at 07:49 PM
Forget guns for a moment, and ask yourself whether you have an emergency or escape plan.
About a month ago, someone tried to break into our house while we were home, at around 7:45 on a Sunday evening. The patio chair in our backyard was pulled up to the kitchen window, which had been jimmied open. I think of how often my 3 year old wanders into the kitchen by himself, and my heart stops when I think he could have walked into an intruder. I don't know what scared this person away but I'm grateful for the wake-up call.
So this made us think... we have an security system with a motion detector, but what would we actually do if it went off in the middle of the night? Our bedrooms are upstairs with no easy escape route other than a cumbersome fire ladder. There really isn't a place to hide. It doesn't make sense to venture downstairs into the unknown. So, if we stay upstairs, how do we defend ourselves? If someone has the balls to break into a well-lit kitchen of an occupied house in the early evening, there is no telling what they're willing to do or how desperate they are to get whatever they're after.
Generally -- you don't know how you really feel about safeguarding options until you feel more vulnerable, as I have felt in recent weeks.
But rather than thinking about guns. vs. no guns, a topic that is highly charged, personal, I recommend every family have an emergency plan that you practice (for example, we've talked about where the boy and I would hide). You may not want guns, but you need a plan that you immediately know how to execute in the dead of night. You need your cell phone with you, not charging where you can't get to it. And consider stocking key locations in the house with super powerful mace that can shoot a far distance, and blindingly bright flashlights that immediately disorient if you shine them in someone's eyes.
Posted by: Suzame | March 19, 2009 at 10:23 PM
i've thought alot about it too, owning a gun. we have a dog so i feel ok at home, but camping, hiking and breaking down somewhere creeps me out. i'd want a gun for when we do those things, but even dismantled and locked away at home freaks me out. i have thought about getting a stun gun and think that might be the way to go. out kids are little so i wouldn't even let them know we had it so there wouldn't be any curiosity.
as for S's question about a BB gun looking *real* i have one of those and if you look closely at the barrel you'd know. but i wouldn't use it unless i was 100% sure the intruder didn't have a gun, otherwise they might shoot first and i'd have no real defense.
Posted by: shannon | March 19, 2009 at 10:55 PM
After commenting on this thread yesterday, I felt compelled today to revisit to see how the thread had developed. I simply am stunned to find out how many people do have guns or are thinking about them given concerns for safety! I lived in Portland for 5 years (now currently in Sweden) after having previously lived in St Louis and Atlanta (2 of the most dangerous cities in America)...and I have never considered having a gun.
Furthemore, being from Tennessee originally, I sort of expect this kind of thing from "those parts of the country" I know that I sound very judgemental on this point, but as a native Southerner, I feel like I can get away with it....But in Portland, wow...I would never have expected it!
The implications of this are so far reaching...it is such a regression to earlier times (colonial, wild west, or whatever)....we should be channeling our energies to help make society a safer place...which I personally think has all to do with closing the gap between rich and poor...rather than all taking up arms to protect ourselves. To improve our collective status rather than aggressively protect our individual status.
I certainly do not want to be judgemental. But I really feel that each new family that gets a gun for protection (no for recreation, work, etc)..we take one step away from what should be our higher goal.
Posted by: Rebecca | March 20, 2009 at 02:28 AM
I too have been very shocked to read how many families have guns in their homes. I am terrified of guns.
When my husband and I bought our first home in Washington it was in a very rural location and I was concerned about being alone with our sons overnight. My husband at one point mentioned getting a gun and believe me where we lived all of the houses around us had them. I put my foot down and said absolutely not. My husband is from Georgia and they lived on a farm and guns were very much a part of their lives. He and his brother had their first guns at about eight and went hunting by themselves all the time. Anyway, we never had any problems whatsoever. I grew to feel safe and just always kept my doors locked and my eyes open. Also getting acquainted with our nearest neighbors helped me to feel safer, exchanging phone numbers made me more comfortable as well.
Posted by: Heidi | March 20, 2009 at 08:28 AM
We don't have guns at home. There are other ways to keep your family safe than resorting to guns.
Posted by: warcraft gold | March 20, 2009 at 08:58 AM
Ignorance breeds fear. The only way, in my mind, for accidental gun violence - and that seems to be the greatest fear here - to be avoided is to educate both children and adults about the use and safety of firearms. By simply claiming "anti-gun" status and instilling fear into children, we breed a dangerous combination of natural curiousity and lack of knowledge.
Anything can be a dangerous weapon. Just as we teach our children not to touch the stove or play with knives, we should educate our children on the whys and hows of gun safety. If that includes letting them shoot one to understand the gravity of our safety warnings, all the better, but it should be accompanied - preceded - by sufficient education.
My husband and I have had long conversations about having guns for self defense and have decided against it. There are other ways of protecting ourselves that are as effective and less potentially dangerous. When I hike, I carry bear spray and bring my dog. I've taken self-defense classes and have worked with my 3 kids to practice reacting to dangerous situations. As Suzanne mentions above, being prepared and practicing are the best defenses.
That said, both my husband and I grew up around guns, hunting and target shooting. We had appropriate education and practice, and we both feel comfortable using guns. We've been exposed to our share of tragedy through gun use as well; my best friend was shot and killed in a hunting accident by her brother's girlfriend, who had never used a gun before. That horrible situation only drives home the importance of education and practice.
Nobody would know whether or not we have guns in our house. But it is apparent that we have kitchen knives and hammers and cords and many other potentially harmful devices. How is that different?
Posted by: lb | March 20, 2009 at 09:02 AM
I did not grow up with guns in my house, but my husband did. I am very anti-gun especially after getting my house broken into as a young 20-ish and my room mate who was not there at the time told me he would have shot the intruder. I did not even know he had a gun in my house. My hubby and I have talked about what we will do with his dad's stash of weapons when he passes and we can not come to a viable (in my mind) conclusion. No amount of locks will ever make me feel safe.
And the comment about the escape plan, I am so guilty of leaving my phone on the charger downstairs and often think how un-helpful it is down stairs when there is only one way to get to it. Time to re-evaluate!! Thanks for the reminder! With 2 young kids just getting through the day to day turmoil is exhausting, planning for the possibility of emergency rarely enters my mind. No time like the present!
Posted by: C | March 20, 2009 at 11:47 AM
I'm really fascinated by the amount of postings that have "I'm terrified of guns" in them, and those that have "Ignorance breeds fear" in them. Because, really - all it takes is educating oneself a little further than the daily paper talking about gang violence. And then the one who posted multiple times "I don't want to be judgmental", and then went on to insinuate that Southerners are stupid (but that's OK, I'm Southern), and those that own guns are far below some unnamed "higher goal". Good times... There's a lot of high horses on this blog, which of course, makes you the most judgmental of all.
Guns, tasers, dogs with teeth and training, bear spray... all meant to hurt or maim. And ALL of these other "weapons" can hurt or kill a child, which is what we're really talking about here, right?!
Posted by: high-brow or no-brow? | March 20, 2009 at 03:56 PM
I wanted to respond to Alyssa's comment that if parents don't want their children in her house because she and her husband have an arsenal of guns then they aren't "the kind of parents I'd want to be around." Unfortunately you can't force your children to like or dislike kids just because you don't agree with their parents' views and philosophies. Your child may really like another child, consider him/her a "best friend" and that child's parents may be staunchly anti-gun and deeply uncomfortable with allowing their child to play at the house of someone who has enough guns to have their own gun show. Just as it's your right to bear arms, you should be a little more open minded to the opinions of other parents who are uncomfortable with their children being in a home that has lots and lots of guns. What would you do if the mother of your child's best friend told you that she was vehemently opposed to guns in the home and was not comfortable with her child going to your house? Would you tell your child that s/he can't be friends with that parent? The reality is that often times we are not good friends with the parents of the children our children happen to befriend. What we need to do is respect each others feelings, esp when it comes to something as serious as gun ownership. Bottom line, yes, you have the right to bear arms so as long as you have obtained your gun legally you have a right to own it but you should also understand that a lot of people do not see the benefit of gun ownership simply for protection but rather see the potential dangers of it.
Posted by: dlb | March 21, 2009 at 08:35 AM
RE: lb's post - kitchen knives, hammers and cords, etc are VERY different than guns and even then my kids can't reach our knives (except the butter knife and I'm pretty sure it would take a good deal of time to cause any real damage using a butter knife). Our hammers and cords are also out of reach. How many people keep their work hammers in a place where their kids can reach them? That's a bizarre comparison.
I think what's more concerning is the level of paranoia in this country. Sure violence does occur, quite unfortunately, but I think we have become a very paranoid society (myself included) and it's a slippery slope, one that can eventually lead to people being afraid to leave their house without an arsenal of defense weapons. We're more likely to be maimed or die in a car accident than a violent attack by an intruder.
Posted by: sas | March 21, 2009 at 08:42 AM
sas,
I'm not quite sure of the age of children you're referring to - most gun accidents happen not with toddlers, but with older, school-aged kids...who can access knives, hammers, cords, etc., so I don't quite understand your claim that they're different.
And our kids, even the 3 year old, practice with hammers and nails for small motor coordination, something they enjoy and learned in Montessori school.
It IS about preparedness, awarenss, and education, as so many people have mentioned. I see very little judgement here, just an honest attempt to share views, which can only make us more informed and less reactive.
Posted by: lb | March 21, 2009 at 09:37 AM
to high brow or no brow....
I never said that Southerns were stupid. I simply implied that they were more driven by fear. And let me tell you, the fear is the product of racism. The world is very segregated in the South. And it is horrible!
I don't consider it "high brow" that I could never imagine harming, much less killing, another person. I was brought up as a Christian and I am currently a physician. It is a matter of "love thy neighbor as thyself" and "first do no harm"...those are the values I want to teach my children. And yes, this can be done in the presence of guns....but guns for recreation, work..not the presence of guns in the home for the reason of paranoia.
Posted by: Rebecca | March 22, 2009 at 02:48 AM
lb - when you read about an accidental gun shooting at the hands of a child (toddler or tween) it happens almost exclusively because the child is in the home of a careless gun owner who has made their gun accessible to children. How many incidents have you read about where children are bludgeoning their friends to death with a hammer just because it was out in the garage and they were "curious". This is not a judgment, it's reality. A normal older child (as you referenced older children) does not pick up a hammer or cord and try to strangle or beat their friend just out of curiosity. The fact that I don't make sharp kitchen knives and hammers readily accessible to my children doesn't mean that they aren't educated about them. But it is a bigger leap to assume that all parents should take their kids to the shooting range and teach them about gun safety because they may enter the house of a careless gun owner. Again, no one is making a judgment here, just thinking about all sides of the issue.
Posted by: sas | March 25, 2009 at 10:22 AM
"to high brow or no brow....
I never said that Southerns were stupid. I simply implied that they were more driven by fear. And let me tell you, the fear is the product of racism. The world is very segregated in the South. And it is horrible!"
WOW!!!!!
Posted by: Born in the South | March 28, 2009 at 02:16 PM
"to high brow or no brow....
I never said that Southerns were stupid. I simply implied that they were more driven by fear. And let me tell you, the fear is the product of racism. The world is very segregated in the South. And it is horrible!"
WOW!!!!!
Posted by: Born in the South | March 28, 2009 at 02:16 PM
What's wrong with: "Hi, MsNewMommyAcquaintance, while we're setting up this playdate for our kids, I gotta tell you, my 4-yr-old son, SweetBoy, hasn't a clue about guns, because we're not a gun-having household and he's too young (we believe) to start discussing gun safety, since he doesn't know what they are. If you have guns in your home, that's OK w/me personally, but I'd want to ask you some potentially awkward questions, like where they are/loaded?/stored?, and if YourKidIsSweetToo knows about them, and what your philosophy is about watching the kids when they are hanging out near where guns are stored. Are you OK if we talk about this before the playdate?" Her response (or his, if talking w/Dad) will tell me a lot! Sure, some gun owners will lie or soft-sell or downplay, but, I bet many gun-using parents would be (1) horrified that a gun-clueless child was coming into their homes & relieved to have a heads-up that extra caution would be needed; and (2) willing to "come out" if I'm willing to listen. (And, yes, as soon as he's a year older, you bet we'll be role-playing, talking, etc., about gun safety & peer pressure etc)
Posted by: WorriedButStrivingForTheMiddleGroundMamma | March 28, 2009 at 07:18 PM
No way on guns. Whatever happened to street smarts? As a former New Yorker who traveled a lot + seemed to love seedy neighborhoods, they'll get you far, even in your own home if need be. Martial arts or a dog w/ a good bark are also great choices. My mom used to keep a pair of scissors under her pillow when my dad was away (military) - it shocked me as a child to know she was a) scared + b) capable of such violence - I don't think these are good things for children to learn. I also think an intruder etc would be more likely to use his gun if faced with a gun. To me, guns are for the fearful. And they happen to be for the sole purpose of killing. No way would I ever have that in my home.
Posted by: L | March 31, 2009 at 12:15 AM