Not sure I understand. Did you mix threads?ironsights wrote:This is truly sad and I agree that the loss of his child is punishment enough. ... I feel awful and it's not even my child.
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Return to “Teaching Gun Safety to Kids (Long)”
- Fri Oct 03, 2008 1:02 am
- Forum: General Gun, Shooting & Equipment Discussion
- Topic: Teaching Gun Safety to Kids (Long)
- Replies: 10
- Views: 1687
Re: Teaching Gun Safety to Kids (Long)
- Thu Oct 02, 2008 11:38 pm
- Forum: General Gun, Shooting & Equipment Discussion
- Topic: Teaching Gun Safety to Kids (Long)
- Replies: 10
- Views: 1687
Teaching Gun Safety to Kids (Long)
Another thread here about a newspaper editorial reminded me of this rebuttal I sent to a community paper that had published a story based on American Association of Pediatrics recommendations that if you have kids you shouldn't have guns in your home and that you should query your children's playmates' parents about if they have guns in the home. I thought the author (and the AAP) totally missed their mark and wrote this response, which the very liberal paper published in toto after I shortened it to their word limit.
I'm offering up this lengthy letter for any of you who may need material to counter the antis.
The funny part is that they published the anti-gun story on the same page as a story about Brunetti at Camp Perry that included pics of her shooting her AR. (We were amazed that this particular paper published the pics of the teen with a rifle.)
(Names have been changed of course.)
The juxtaposition of the article on my daughter’s success at the National Rifle Championships and the article by (Ms. M), “Is there a gun in the house?” was an amusing dichotomy.
(Ms. M's) article is so strewn with misconceptions that her message becomes diluted. (Ms. M) states that her grandchildren face a proliferation of guns that previous generations did not experience. This is absolutely incorrect. Many in my generation owned firearms as youths. Accidental firearm deaths are down 89 percent since 1975. Statistically, the odds of a child dying in a firearms accident are 1 in 1,000,000. Access today is much more restricted.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations (cited in Ms. M's article) are ineffective. I wouldn’t approach the National Rifle Association for recommendations on my child’s vaccine schedule, why would I rely on the AAP for recommendations on gun safety?
The only proven method to gun-proof your child is to teach them gun safety at an early age. This will demystify guns and instill basic gun safety. If asked, “You want to see my Daddy’s gun?” the answer would be an emphatic “No!” They’ll know guns are not toys, you don’t point guns at people and if the gun comes out they leave. The only way a child can be injured by a gun is if someone points it at them and pulls the trigger.
It is impossible to screen playmates’ parents for all potential hazards to our children’s safety. Asking parents if they own guns will be viewed as an invasion of privacy. Would you ask parents if they keep alcohol in the house or if they smoke marijuana? Are the playmates current on their vaccinations? What about access to car keys? Are first-person shooter games accessible? Psychology professor David Grossman maintains that exposure to violent video games causes significant harm and is a more accurate prediction of a child’s predisposition to violent crime than exposure to firearms.
The AAP argument that firearms should be removed if there are children in the house is sensationalist and encourages abdication of parental responsibility. Some of the AAP recommendations suggest virtually no experience with firearms. Do (Ms. M) and the AAP have a restrictive firearm ownership agenda camouflaged under the ruse of child safety?
The most certain method of reducing gun accidents and gun violence among youths is through gun-safety education in our schools and parental involvement in disgracing gun violence that is popularized through media and video gaming. The U.S. Department of Justice, the Centers for Disease Control and even the AAP suggest that the introduction of children into recreational shooting sports appears to reduce teenage violence.
Sadly, too many are quick to embrace efforts to disarm. <SNIP> Let’s not be too anxious to forget our own history and right to self-defense.
For more information on teaching gun safety to your children, contact the NRA: Eddie Eagle Safety Program (This program does not encourage gun ownership nor NRA membership.) Disclaimer: I am not an NRA member. Another useful link for parents is http://www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie/infoparents.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
Ira Tollah
21 August 2008
This newspaper did allow the author to submit a rebuttal to my comments, but basically all she did was reiterate her previously unfounded emotional argument.
I'm offering up this lengthy letter for any of you who may need material to counter the antis.
The funny part is that they published the anti-gun story on the same page as a story about Brunetti at Camp Perry that included pics of her shooting her AR. (We were amazed that this particular paper published the pics of the teen with a rifle.)
(Names have been changed of course.)
The juxtaposition of the article on my daughter’s success at the National Rifle Championships and the article by (Ms. M), “Is there a gun in the house?” was an amusing dichotomy.
(Ms. M's) article is so strewn with misconceptions that her message becomes diluted. (Ms. M) states that her grandchildren face a proliferation of guns that previous generations did not experience. This is absolutely incorrect. Many in my generation owned firearms as youths. Accidental firearm deaths are down 89 percent since 1975. Statistically, the odds of a child dying in a firearms accident are 1 in 1,000,000. Access today is much more restricted.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations (cited in Ms. M's article) are ineffective. I wouldn’t approach the National Rifle Association for recommendations on my child’s vaccine schedule, why would I rely on the AAP for recommendations on gun safety?
The only proven method to gun-proof your child is to teach them gun safety at an early age. This will demystify guns and instill basic gun safety. If asked, “You want to see my Daddy’s gun?” the answer would be an emphatic “No!” They’ll know guns are not toys, you don’t point guns at people and if the gun comes out they leave. The only way a child can be injured by a gun is if someone points it at them and pulls the trigger.
It is impossible to screen playmates’ parents for all potential hazards to our children’s safety. Asking parents if they own guns will be viewed as an invasion of privacy. Would you ask parents if they keep alcohol in the house or if they smoke marijuana? Are the playmates current on their vaccinations? What about access to car keys? Are first-person shooter games accessible? Psychology professor David Grossman maintains that exposure to violent video games causes significant harm and is a more accurate prediction of a child’s predisposition to violent crime than exposure to firearms.
The AAP argument that firearms should be removed if there are children in the house is sensationalist and encourages abdication of parental responsibility. Some of the AAP recommendations suggest virtually no experience with firearms. Do (Ms. M) and the AAP have a restrictive firearm ownership agenda camouflaged under the ruse of child safety?
The most certain method of reducing gun accidents and gun violence among youths is through gun-safety education in our schools and parental involvement in disgracing gun violence that is popularized through media and video gaming. The U.S. Department of Justice, the Centers for Disease Control and even the AAP suggest that the introduction of children into recreational shooting sports appears to reduce teenage violence.
Sadly, too many are quick to embrace efforts to disarm. <SNIP> Let’s not be too anxious to forget our own history and right to self-defense.
For more information on teaching gun safety to your children, contact the NRA: Eddie Eagle Safety Program (This program does not encourage gun ownership nor NRA membership.) Disclaimer: I am not an NRA member. Another useful link for parents is http://www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie/infoparents.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
Ira Tollah
21 August 2008
This newspaper did allow the author to submit a rebuttal to my comments, but basically all she did was reiterate her previously unfounded emotional argument.