TX: Houston 4 and 6 year olds die in separate shootings when they find a gun

[philip964]

https://www.click2houston.com/news/chil ... ctives-say

6 year old kills himself with a gun he found in his house.

https://www.click2houston.com/news/4-ye ... police-say

4 year old kills himself with a gun he found in grandmother's house.

RIP little kids, died a day apart for the same reason.

Lock up your guns, if you have children around your house.

[puma guy]

Tragic results of negligence on the part of the gun owners. Prayers for the families of the children.

[Chaparral]

if there is even the remotest possibility of children, teenagers, or even visiting adults in your home, then all loaded firearms should be either securely holstered on your person, or locked up. Period. Quick-access safes are available for when things go bump in the night.

[oljames3]

if there is even the remotest possibility of children, teenagers, or even visiting adults in your home, then all loaded firearms should be either securely holstered on your person, or locked up. Period. Quick-access safes are available for when things go bump in the night.

The safest place for my pistol is on my person. My M&P lives in its Safariland ALS. My wife's Walther PPS M2 is in its Nemesis in her pocket. Pistols not being worn are secured in a case or with a cylinder or cable lock.

[Deltaboy]

I doubt kids are anymore curious than we were but we were taught never to touch a gun with out dad! This was reinforced with a belt! So I mark these sad stories to poor parenting and poor gun storage though Dad kept a 12 gauge loaded by the backdoor! The fact I was told no and the absolute fact Dad would use that belt curbed my curiosity!

[ml1209]

Yikes, that has got to be my most fear as a gun owner. I am really paranoid about my firearms when kids are around.

[flechero]

The fact I was told no and the absolute fact Dad would use that belt curbed my curiosity!

So true... we did a lot of crazy things as kids but there were certain lines you didn't cross... As a 47 year old man, I can still hear leather clearing belt loops anytime I think of Dad's belt... and to this day it still makes me cringe!

Although 4 & 6 year olds are pretty young... those guns needed to be holstered or locked up.

[crazy2medic]

I doubt kids are anymore curious than we were but we were taught never to touch a gun with out dad! This was reinforced with a belt! So I mark these sad stories to poor parenting and poor gun storage though Dad kept a 12 gauge loaded by the backdoor! The fact I was told no and the absolute fact Dad would use that belt curbed my curiosity!

My children were taught by the age of 4 to shoot, they were taught that touching my pistol (the only loaded gun in the house) would get them a whipping that wouldn't allow them to sit for a month, my daughter never had much interest, my son was definitely interested, he would go with me to shoot, when we got back from shooting i'd field strip it, show him the parts, explain what they did, let him handle the unloaded reassembled pistol, once it was loaded, told him if he so much as put a finger on it i'd wear out his backside! When I bought his mother a taurus m85 he showed a marked interest in that! He was 6yo, bought 50rd box of 38s, i made him shoot all 50 rds, he wasn't nearly as interested in it after that!

[crazy2medic]

The fact I was told no and the absolute fact Dad would use that belt curbed my curiosity!

So true... we did a lot of crazy things as kids but there were certain lines you didn't cross... As a 47 year old man, I can still hear leather clearing belt loops anytime I think of Dad's belt... and to this day it still makes me cringe!

Although 4 & 6 year olds are pretty young... those guns needed to be holstered or locked up.

Ditto, i'm 57 yo and the sound of a belt popping thru belt loops still gives me cold shivers up my spine!

[WildRose]

https://www.click2houston.com/news/chil ... ctives-say

6 year old kills himself with a gun he found in his house.

https://www.click2houston.com/news/4-ye ... police-say

4 year old kills himself with a gun he found in grandmother's house.

RIP little kids, died a day apart for the same reason.

Lock up your guns, if you have children around your house.

The sad thing is that these types of tragedies are always avoidable.

My heart goes out to the families involved and I can't imagine what it would be like to have to live with the knowledge a kid killed themselves due to my negligence. That's just not something I think I could live with.

[RoyGBiv]

My kids were 6 or 7 when they started shooting. I stopped worrying (as much) about gun-curiosity when they stopped wanting to go to the range with me.

[PriestTheRunner]

My kids were 6 or 7 when they started shooting. I stopped worrying (as much) about gun-curiosity when they stopped wanting to go to the range with me.

Ding Ding Ding....

My 7-year-old daughter shoots "her" Ruger Mk IV Tactical at my parent's range (her grandparents house). At all other times it is kept in the safe at home.

I have the utmost confidence that she understands the severity and consequences of "playing" with firearms, whether at home or at a friends.

Just like how my parents let me try alcohol at 15. Wasn't too interested and it removed the peer-pressure aspect of 'drinking' when you have it before (and you have an 'out' by bragging about how cool your parents are). Experience removes the taboo aspect that fuels peer-pressure.