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All too often we hear the same old tired excuse "I dont want guns in my house because I have kids!"

Seems to me that an intelligent and level headed parent who is trying to do their best to keep their children safe would adopt the direct opposite mindset, no?


Do they really think that a gun in the house is more dangerous than a rapist/armed robber?
Who is going to protec them in the event of such?
Why is spending big $$ on a vehicle with extra safety features wise but a firearm foolish?
Why spend all the time, effort, and energy working to get a good paying job, so you can live in a nice neighborhood, so you can send your child to a decent school and push them to get a good education if your not going to take the steps which might just make it possible for that child to live out those dreams?
Why not take steps to ensure that YOU as parents are alive to watch that child grow up if your faced with a life or death situation?
Where is the "mommy, arm yourself so youll be at my wedding" right after the "daddy, stop smoking so youll be at my wedding" commercials?

Seems to me that the more I think on it, the more selfish and irresponsible these people are.

Discuss

ex_dsmr wrote:Seems to me that an intelligent and level headed parent who is trying to do their best to keep their children safe would adopt the direct opposite mindset, no?

I couldn't agree more so long as the parent also takes the proper steps to baby-proof the weapon. Just as they install latches on cabinets and baby gates on stairs; purchasing a quick access, pushbutton handgun safe and using it religiously should be all that is necessary to keep curious hands away while ensuring it can be reached in time to serve it's intended role.

Well from my experience parents who don't want guns in their house to protect their children are usually either
A. Afraid of guns because they are unfamiliar with them
B. Have the belief that guns bring nothing but violence and misery into a home (often left leaning but not always)
C. Not as common but I have met people who don't trust themselves or loved ones around firearms. I think they actually are afraid that a family member or they could use it on each other in a fit of rage. These people are probably right not to own firearms.

I am sure there are others but these are the ones that come to mind.

For a long time I felt that way for a while, not because I was against firearms (I mean my dad has several), but I felt that I was not ready to take on the responsibility yet. It is a HUGE responsibility. It is just now to a point where I feel safe having them in my house.

When I hear someone say that I just say "well it is a big responsibility and should not be taken lightly."

While I don't agree with all of these answers, these are some that you may hear:

ex_dsmr wrote:Do they really think that a gun in the house is more dangerous than a rapist/armed robber?
Who is going to protec them in the event of such?

Stastically, the odds of a home invasion are quite low. Still existent, but most people feel these things happen to "other" people.

ex_dsmr wrote:Why is spending big $$ on a vehicle with extra safety features wise but a firearm foolish?

Accidents are significantly more common than an armed encounter. Firearm ownership can be foolish if someone does not want to learn how to handle one.

ex_dsmr wrote:Why spend all the time, effort, and energy working to get a good paying job, so you can live in a nice neighborhood, so you can send your child to a decent school and push them to get a good education if your not going to take the steps which might just make it possible for that child to live out those dreams?

I think these people are taking steps to make these things possible...just not one that we choose to, ie gun ownership.

ex_dsmr wrote:Why not take steps to ensure that YOU as parents are alive to watch that child grow up if your faced with a life or death situation?

Again this idea is (unfortunately) so far removed from most people's radar. Call the cops....

ex_dsmr wrote:Where is the "mommy, arm yourself so youll be at my wedding" right after the "daddy, stop smoking so youll be at my wedding" commercials?

In the pockets of gun owners that don't join organizations that lobby for 2A causes.

ex_dsmr wrote:Seems to me that the more I think on it, the more selfish and irresponsible these people are.

I don't see selfish.

My nightstand GunVault is the best $100 gun accessory I have ever bought. I do think my son is a good reason for me to be armed and I do so right up until I go to bed.

SpringerFan wrote:My nightstand GunVault is the best $100 gun accessory I have ever bought.

My threshhold for initiating an armed self defense encounter is much, much lower if my children are present than if I am by myself. Engaging in unarmed combat while trying to defend or shield my children seems like a very daunting task.
Carry a gun: it's for the children.

ex_dsmr wrote:All too often we hear the same old tired excuse "I dont want guns in my house because I have kids!"

Seems to me that an intelligent and level headed parent who is trying to do their best to keep their children safe would adopt the direct opposite mindset, no?


Do they really think that a gun in the house is more dangerous than a rapist/armed robber?
Who is going to protec them in the event of such?
Why is spending big $$ on a vehicle with extra safety features wise but a firearm foolish?
Why spend all the time, effort, and energy working to get a good paying job, so you can live in a nice neighborhood, so you can send your child to a decent school and push them to get a good education if your not going to take the steps which might just make it possible for that child to live out those dreams?
Why not take steps to ensure that YOU as parents are alive to watch that child grow up if your faced with a life or death situation?
Where is the "mommy, arm yourself so youll be at my wedding" right after the "daddy, stop smoking so youll be at my wedding" commercials?

Seems to me that the more I think on it, the more selfish and irresponsible these people are.

Discuss

I don't see selfishness as a significant contributing cause here. The major problem is unconscious incompetence regarding violence. This could be spoken of a bit less gently but perhaps more accurately as ignorance.

Here are the issues I most frequently encounter as reasons for not owning a gun or taking other effective measures for protection of the family (the two characteristics usually are found in the same households):

1. Folks buy into the myth that police will protect them as individuals. They fail to understand that police agencies are configured to protect a community in general, and have absolutely no legal responsibility to protect any person except in the case of a "special relationship" which most agency brass take pains to make sure doesn't come about due to the liability it carries.

2. They think that calling 911 is the answer to every emergency. They fail to think through that the call (if one can be made at all) only initiates a response which will not become effective until responders can arrive and intervene. A lot can happen during the interim, and what's left when those responders arrive may not leave a lot to move forward with. There are such things as permanent injuries and death that responding officers can't fix.

3. They buy the statistics that the likelihood of encountering a home invader or rapist in the home is low. That is true on any given day, but over the course of a lifetime it gets a lot higher. They also lose sight of the fact that low is not the same as "no". In actuality, you either have a zero percent experience or a 100% experience. Nobody ever encounters .023% of a home invasion.

4. They buy the propaganda that, in the worst case, all you have to do is whatever the bad guy wants and you'll be OK. The Petit family found out this isn't true. Others would do well to learn from their experience.

5. They buy the propaganda that a gun in the home is more dangerous to the family than it is to bad guys. This is true if the folks in the house have multiple felony convictions, the gun is possessed illegally, and the folks they hang out with are druggies and gangbangers. Otherwise, it's not true.

6. They aren't aware of the fact that more lawful defensive uses of firearms occur at home than in any other place.

7. They can't conceive of anything really bad happening to them because they've always been shooed away from crime scenes with yellow tape and tarps to keep passersby from being traumatized by the reality inside. While there is value to that, a downside is that we have a large population that can't emotionally connect with the violent side of reality and doesn't believe such a thing could happen to them. As a result they don't take adequate preventive and defensive measures, and are completely shocked and overwhelmed when that reality visits them.

TxA wrote:

SpringerFan wrote:My nightstand GunVault is the best $100 gun accessory I have ever bought.

Yep, my old one just broke, so I'm in the market to get a new one...

As usual, Excaliber brings a lot of good points up.

One thing I'd like to add is a simple misperception about firearms. Most of us on this forum view handguns, and by extension other firearms, as tools to employ when circumstances dictate (circumstances none of us want to face, but we recognize the possibilities nonetheless). Folks generally adopt a rational approach to most tools (job-related equipment, skillsets, education, information, communication, transportation, etc...) and readily acquire and employ those they need or want to improve their socio-economic status and suit other day-to-day needs. For some reason, though, many people classify firearms as something other than a tool for irrational reasons, often simply accepting the Saturday Nite Special liberal view ("handguns are made for killin', ain't no good for nothin' else"). It seems too easy for most folks to adopt this view without consideration that there may come a time in their life when they sorely need a tool capable of delivering deadly force to an evil-doer.

Like someone else stated, it is like insurance. You hope you never need it, but you're glad that it is if you ever do.