The "guns in the house" question for playdates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/19/us/chicago-boy-accidentally-shoots-brother/index.html

It was for defense. And it was out of reach. Yet another gun owner becomes a statistic - proving that people who have guns in their home are more likely to die as a result of a gunshot.

It was purchased off the street by an ex-gang member (dad) and stored loaded on the top of the refridgerator. The dad apparently thought it was no big deal to show his six year old where it was kept. This is undeniably a horrific incident, but the father made several unbelievably stupid decisions that most certainly led to this happening--starting with joining a gang. I'm going to venture to say that most people on this board would never let their kids step foot in the neighborhood where this family lived, nevermind attend a play date at someone's house. I don't think this is in line with what's being discussed in this thread, although since Chicago is a "gun-free zone" (LOLLLL), parents really shouldn't be worried about their kids attending play dates in homes where firearms may be present, right?

Then next time you are asked, just answer the question on if your guns are stored safely so other parents will know you aren't a moron like this poor man who just lost his son. What's so hard about that? Don't you want to display some common sense and separate yourself from being lumped in with all the irresponsible gun-owners who are killing their kids/ being killed by their kids?

I really don't get why some gun owners defend, defend, defend all other gun owners' poor decisions, rather than admitting that there actually is a problem with unsecured firearms in the homes of children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nanny here. I've asked MB/DB what issues they want asked when one of my charges goes on a playdate, and they were completely clueless. So, I go with my list:

Do you own any weapons? You do, very nice, can I ask what you have? Oh, you have a couple knives and a bow and a gun, how do you store those? Oh, you only lock up the gun, nope, I'm sorry, Larlo can't go over to your house, but we'd love to have you come to ours or meet us at the park!

Do you have a pool, trampoline or other hazard? You have a tramp, what fun! Is it accessible to the kids when you aren't supervising? It's not, wonderful! Larla would love to spend time at your house!

Do you have pets? You have a yard full of dogs and zillions of cats? (Mental thought: where are the kids supposed to have room to play?!) Oh, they're all confined away from children during a play date. While that's not necessary as long as the animals aren't violent, given how many you have, I appreciate it.

Btw, those are actual playdate invites and the jist of the conversation. In the case of the dad with the weapons, he stored the gun correctly, but didn't even consider storing the knives anywhere other than a drawer, and the bow case was never locked.

Wait, so what about kitchen knives? Scissors? Power tools? Medicine? Do you seriously ask about every single thing a kid could conceivably use to hurt himself? Are your charges mentally impaired or suicidal? I'm not sure why you're terrified of normal, everyday objects. As for the bow and arrow ... have you ever tried to pull back a strung bow? It's not easy. I'm not saying it should be left out, but I am saying you sound paranoid.

No, I'm someone that grew up in rural Michigan who had a friend who put out an eye while running with an arrow. I don't care about the bow, I care that the arrow points (which are intended to go in and sometimes stay) are locked away. My charges are sometimes as young as 3 when dropped off for playdates, and I'm never going to believe that the kids are never unsupervised (bathroom?). I ask about the basics, and my bosses are fine with that.