BIL got my SIX-year-old nephew a rifle for Christmas. Not a BB gun, a hunting rifle

[Anonymous]

Sorry. You shouldn't be out hunting with your kids or allowing them to shoot guns. There, I said it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The BIL sounds like a piece of shit, and his gift to his son also sounds like a crazy-stupid idea. Is it illegal for 6 year olds to shoot guns? It should be. If it's not, clearly we have an insane gun-nut society. We don't live in Sherwood Forest where we're all trying to hut to survive... The cost and risk of arming a 6 year old is higher than not (meaning, we won't starve if a 6 yo doesn't know how to participate in a hunt).

My kids are also taught gun safety. Specifically: If they see someone with a gun and he/she is not a police officer, they are to run in the opposite direction as fast as they can. They are not to approach or touch (or clean or 'safely handle' WHAT??? IS??? THAT???? STUPIDITY????) a gun for any reason, including if their classmate sharpshooter insists that he/she is highly trained in the firearm arts. I cannot roll my eyes back far enough....

You do not sound particularly intelligent. Guessing you have very young kids. You can tell yourself all you want to that your kid would never touch a gun. You might be right. But kids are curious. If a gun is an unknown and especially if there is peer pressure involved, you don't really know what your kid might do. I watched a television show not too long ago where kids were tested. Every single parent swore that their child would never touch a gun. The kids were left alone in a playroom with a gun hidden under an attractive book. Every. Single. Kid. picked up the gun.

My boys would probably not touch an unknown gun. They would probably yell for an adult. However, if they did pick it up it would be to ensure that no one else touched it and to make sure it was not loaded. Guns are not a novelty to them. They've grown up around them. They see them as a tool. A dangerous tool that requires very careful, safe handling. But a tool nonetheless.

You do not know how your kids would react if they saw a gun lying in someone's house. I'm not sure I do either. But I do know that my kids have safely handled firearms. They have taken gun safety classes. They have seen first hand the damage a gun can do because they've seen a watermelon blown to pieces as an example of the devastating affects of a bullet. They know how to pick up a gun. They know how to safely unload a gun. They know to always treat every gun as if it were locked and loaded.

There is no research or data that supports your idea of your children or children in general being responsible with guns. The rule is: DO NOT TOUCH IT EVER. A better rule is DO NOT HAVE ONE AROUND. And if there is a "realistic" expectation that your child or any child will come in contact with a gun, then we have a very serious policy problem in our nation that this is even something we think should be part of reality in a child's life. In other words: Gun control now.

And here is your reality check. All the men/boys in my family hunt. I have three boys. One of my sisters has three boys and the other has two. Plus countless cousins. We probably have 15 or 16 kids in our family under the age of 20 that hunt on our land. They have all been shooting since they were seven or eight. My dad is out in the woods with my 12 year old right now checking on the deer stands and setting up game cameras. They'll certainly be doing some shooting while they are out there today. That will not change. Everyone does not live in an urban area like D.C. This is a temporary home for us. Back home hunting and shooting are part of life. That is not going to change no matter how much you might want it to.

There will never be "gun control". It won't happen.

The irony? How many people were killed in D.C. by handguns just in the last 24 hours? This despite some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. In my hometown, we haven't had a violent crime involving a gun in almost three years. And I am not from a small town.

So explain why countries that have incredibly strict gun laws to the point they outlaw them, have astoundingly lower rates of gun deaths and violent crimes?

[Anonymous]

The idea that the way to improve child gun safety is to teach a child to "safely" shoot a gun and handle a gun is the NRA's wet dream.

Ridiculous, preposterous, and downright stupid.

[Anonymous]

Hey, tell that to the child instructor at the Arizona shooting range... oh, wait, you can't. He's dead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The BIL sounds like a piece of shit, and his gift to his son also sounds like a crazy-stupid idea. Is it illegal for 6 year olds to shoot guns? It should be. If it's not, clearly we have an insane gun-nut society. We don't live in Sherwood Forest where we're all trying to hut to survive... The cost and risk of arming a 6 year old is higher than not (meaning, we won't starve if a 6 yo doesn't know how to participate in a hunt).

My kids are also taught gun safety. Specifically: If they see someone with a gun and he/she is not a police officer, they are to run in the opposite direction as fast as they can. They are not to approach or touch (or clean or 'safely handle' WHAT??? IS??? THAT???? STUPIDITY????) a gun for any reason, including if their classmate sharpshooter insists that he/she is highly trained in the firearm arts. I cannot roll my eyes back far enough....

You do not sound particularly intelligent. Guessing you have very young kids. You can tell yourself all you want to that your kid would never touch a gun. You might be right. But kids are curious. If a gun is an unknown and especially if there is peer pressure involved, you don't really know what your kid might do. I watched a television show not too long ago where kids were tested. Every single parent swore that their child would never touch a gun. The kids were left alone in a playroom with a gun hidden under an attractive book. Every. Single. Kid. picked up the gun.

My boys would probably not touch an unknown gun. They would probably yell for an adult. However, if they did pick it up it would be to ensure that no one else touched it and to make sure it was not loaded. Guns are not a novelty to them. They've grown up around them. They see them as a tool. A dangerous tool that requires very careful, safe handling. But a tool nonetheless.

You do not know how your kids would react if they saw a gun lying in someone's house. I'm not sure I do either. But I do know that my kids have safely handled firearms. They have taken gun safety classes. They have seen first hand the damage a gun can do because they've seen a watermelon blown to pieces as an example of the devastating affects of a bullet. They know how to pick up a gun. They know how to safely unload a gun. They know to always treat every gun as if it were locked and loaded.

There is no research or data that supports your idea of your children or children in general being responsible with guns. The rule is: DO NOT TOUCH IT EVER. A better rule is DO NOT HAVE ONE AROUND. And if there is a "realistic" expectation that your child or any child will come in contact with a gun, then we have a very serious policy problem in our nation that this is even something we think should be part of reality in a child's life. In other words: Gun control now.

And here is your reality check. All the men/boys in my family hunt. I have three boys. One of my sisters has three boys and the other has two. Plus countless cousins. We probably have 15 or 16 kids in our family under the age of 20 that hunt on our land. They have all been shooting since they were seven or eight. My dad is out in the woods with my 12 year old right now checking on the deer stands and setting up game cameras. They'll certainly be doing some shooting while they are out there today. That will not change. Everyone does not live in an urban area like D.C. This is a temporary home for us. Back home hunting and shooting are part of life. That is not going to change no matter how much you might want it to.

There will never be "gun control". It won't happen.

The irony? How many people were killed in D.C. by handguns just in the last 24 hours? This despite some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. In my hometown, we haven't had a violent crime involving a gun in almost three years. And I am not from a small town.

So explain why countries that have incredibly strict gun laws to the point they outlaw them, have astoundingly lower rates of gun deaths and violent crimes?

There should be nation-wide STRICT gun control in this country just like in other countries. That is not the case here. The "the irony" poster's post identifies why this is so. Yes, DC has strict gun laws but other states (many other states) do not. There is free flow of guns through the state/city borders. Until there is nation-wide control, nothing will change. Even with gun control, the number of guns that are unnecessarily out there in the hands of people who should not have them will be an impediment to change. Unless they get people to give them up, which the gun freaks won't do. Americans are so effin' stupid about guns. The solution is plain, in my view.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey, tell that to the child instructor at the Arizona shooting range... oh, wait, you can't. He's dead. [/quote

one example

How often does this happen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey, tell that to the child instructor at the Arizona shooting range... oh, wait, you can't. He's dead. [/quote

one example

How often does this happen?

I did a simple Bing search and found several reported instances. No official rates. At any rate, your question about a flip, sarcastic, yet apropos comment does not provide a sound basis for arguing that the effect of training children to use guns yields a zero to positive impact on humanity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The BIL sounds like a piece of shit, and his gift to his son also sounds like a crazy-stupid idea. Is it illegal for 6 year olds to shoot guns? It should be. If it's not, clearly we have an insane gun-nut society. We don't live in Sherwood Forest where we're all trying to hut to survive... The cost and risk of arming a 6 year old is higher than not (meaning, we won't starve if a 6 yo doesn't know how to participate in a hunt).

My kids are also taught gun safety. Specifically: If they see someone with a gun and he/she is not a police officer, they are to run in the opposite direction as fast as they can. They are not to approach or touch (or clean or 'safely handle' WHAT??? IS??? THAT???? STUPIDITY????) a gun for any reason, including if their classmate sharpshooter insists that he/she is highly trained in the firearm arts. I cannot roll my eyes back far enough....

You do not sound particularly intelligent. Guessing you have very young kids. You can tell yourself all you want to that your kid would never touch a gun. You might be right. But kids are curious. If a gun is an unknown and especially if there is peer pressure involved, you don't really know what your kid might do. I watched a television show not too long ago where kids were tested. Every single parent swore that their child would never touch a gun. The kids were left alone in a playroom with a gun hidden under an attractive book. Every. Single. Kid. picked up the gun.

My boys would probably not touch an unknown gun. They would probably yell for an adult. However, if they did pick it up it would be to ensure that no one else touched it and to make sure it was not loaded. Guns are not a novelty to them. They've grown up around them. They see them as a tool. A dangerous tool that requires very careful, safe handling. But a tool nonetheless.

You do not know how your kids would react if they saw a gun lying in someone's house. I'm not sure I do either. But I do know that my kids have safely handled firearms. They have taken gun safety classes. They have seen first hand the damage a gun can do because they've seen a watermelon blown to pieces as an example of the devastating affects of a bullet. They know how to pick up a gun. They know how to safely unload a gun. They know to always treat every gun as if it were locked and loaded.

There is no research or data that supports your idea of your children or children in general being responsible with guns. The rule is: DO NOT TOUCH IT EVER. A better rule is DO NOT HAVE ONE AROUND. And if there is a "realistic" expectation that your child or any child will come in contact with a gun, then we have a very serious policy problem in our nation that this is even something we think should be part of reality in a child's life. In other words: Gun control now.

And here is your reality check. All the men/boys in my family hunt. I have three boys. One of my sisters has three boys and the other has two. Plus countless cousins. We probably have 15 or 16 kids in our family under the age of 20 that hunt on our land. They have all been shooting since they were seven or eight. My dad is out in the woods with my 12 year old right now checking on the deer stands and setting up game cameras. They'll certainly be doing some shooting while they are out there today. That will not change. Everyone does not live in an urban area like D.C. This is a temporary home for us. Back home hunting and shooting are part of life. That is not going to change no matter how much you might want it to.

There will never be "gun control". It won't happen.

The irony? How many people were killed in D.C. by handguns just in the last 24 hours? This despite some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. In my hometown, we haven't had a violent crime involving a gun in almost three years. And I am not from a small town.

So explain why countries that have incredibly strict gun laws to the point they outlaw them, have astoundingly lower rates of gun deaths and violent crimes?

Um... I'm coming from a country with very strict gun laws and high violent crime rates. Strict gun laws prohibit law-abiding citizens from having guns, but criminals don't tend to respect the law and have no problem procuring guns. At the same time, Switzerland is chuck-full of guns, yet the crime rate is quite low. So explain that and maybe you'll get somewhere.

Not to say I'm against any controls, but pretty please with sugar on top--STOP MAKING STUFF UP.

[Anonymous]

In general, Gun Control laws will not impact a Rifle -- at least not a hunting rifle. They will impact handguns, assault rifles, etc -- basically guns designed to stop people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The BIL sounds like a piece of shit, and his gift to his son also sounds like a crazy-stupid idea. Is it illegal for 6 year olds to shoot guns? It should be. If it's not, clearly we have an insane gun-nut society. We don't live in Sherwood Forest where we're all trying to hut to survive... The cost and risk of arming a 6 year old is higher than not (meaning, we won't starve if a 6 yo doesn't know how to participate in a hunt).

My kids are also taught gun safety. Specifically: If they see someone with a gun and he/she is not a police officer, they are to run in the opposite direction as fast as they can. They are not to approach or touch (or clean or 'safely handle' WHAT??? IS??? THAT???? STUPIDITY????) a gun for any reason, including if their classmate sharpshooter insists that he/she is highly trained in the firearm arts. I cannot roll my eyes back far enough....

You do not sound particularly intelligent. Guessing you have very young kids. You can tell yourself all you want to that your kid would never touch a gun. You might be right. But kids are curious. If a gun is an unknown and especially if there is peer pressure involved, you don't really know what your kid might do. I watched a television show not too long ago where kids were tested. Every single parent swore that their child would never touch a gun. The kids were left alone in a playroom with a gun hidden under an attractive book. Every. Single. Kid. picked up the gun.

My boys would probably not touch an unknown gun. They would probably yell for an adult. However, if they did pick it up it would be to ensure that no one else touched it and to make sure it was not loaded. Guns are not a novelty to them. They've grown up around them. They see them as a tool. A dangerous tool that requires very careful, safe handling. But a tool nonetheless.

You do not know how your kids would react if they saw a gun lying in someone's house. I'm not sure I do either. But I do know that my kids have safely handled firearms. They have taken gun safety classes. They have seen first hand the damage a gun can do because they've seen a watermelon blown to pieces as an example of the devastating affects of a bullet. They know how to pick up a gun. They know how to safely unload a gun. They know to always treat every gun as if it were locked and loaded.

There is no research or data that supports your idea of your children or children in general being responsible with guns. The rule is: DO NOT TOUCH IT EVER. A better rule is DO NOT HAVE ONE AROUND. And if there is a "realistic" expectation that your child or any child will come in contact with a gun, then we have a very serious policy problem in our nation that this is even something we think should be part of reality in a child's life. In other words: Gun control now.

And here is your reality check. All the men/boys in my family hunt. I have three boys. One of my sisters has three boys and the other has two. Plus countless cousins. We probably have 15 or 16 kids in our family under the age of 20 that hunt on our land. They have all been shooting since they were seven or eight. My dad is out in the woods with my 12 year old right now checking on the deer stands and setting up game cameras. They'll certainly be doing some shooting while they are out there today. That will not change. Everyone does not live in an urban area like D.C. This is a temporary home for us. Back home hunting and shooting are part of life. That is not going to change no matter how much you might want it to.

There will never be "gun control". It won't happen.

The irony? How many people were killed in D.C. by handguns just in the last 24 hours? This despite some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. In my hometown, we haven't had a violent crime involving a gun in almost three years. And I am not from a small town.

So explain why countries that have incredibly strict gun laws to the point they outlaw them, have astoundingly lower rates of gun deaths and violent crimes?

Um... I'm coming from a country with very strict gun laws and high violent crime rates. Strict gun laws prohibit law-abiding citizens from having guns, but criminals don't tend to respect the law and have no problem procuring guns. At the same time, Switzerland is chuck-full of guns, yet the crime rate is quite low. So explain that and maybe you'll get somewhere.

Not to say I'm against any controls, but pretty please with sugar on top--STOP MAKING STUFF UP.

Alas for your, there are in fact some recent evaluations of gun control policies that determined a variety of gun fatalities (intentional and not) and injuries (intentional and not) decreased with the introduction of very strict gun control measures. Criminals get guns easily for a variety of reasons, including that there are tons of guns around and, in the US, exceptionally easy to procure--whether you are currently a criminal, someone about to become a criminal, or not. Switzerland does not have a low crime rate "because of" guns, if that's what you're implying.

Here's a little article on the matter from TIME magazine:

http://world.time.com/2012/12/20/the-swiss-difference-a-gun-culture-that-works/

You will notice that in contrast to the NRA's and other "pro gun" groups' messaging in the US regarding the use of guns for self-protection (NOT a component of Swiss culture), the Swiss have an entirely different attitude toward their guns (as well as poverty and drug use, ahem). AND they have exceptionally strict controls in place regarding their procurement. Do not underestimate, however, the momentum that may build up among the Swiss people to further restrict the purchase and use of firearms should statistics of deaths and injuries *and* crime begin to mount. I have family from Switzerland. The Swiss think we Americans are insane wrt gun policies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

To all the posters who mock the OP,

Would you be comfortable being a guest in a house where a father has just offered his 6 year old a hunting rifle, and is helping him practice?

YUP

Me too. Our families are hunters. Six is about the age for a first gun. Gun safety is taught from a very young age and kids aren't allowed to shoot until they take gun safety. My in laws have a target set up in their yard. My BIL and nephew taught my boys to shoot and my boys are pretty good shots - and excellent with gun safety. We spend tons of time at our families' houses.

My boys have been shooting since they were about that age. They all got their first rifles at about eight or nine. I come from a family that hunts for food. My boys are excellent shots. They are educated about guns and gun safety. They have passed numerous gun safety courses. I guarantee you that they are MUCH less likely to be killed in a gun accident than any of your city kids. They would be the ones to keep your kids from shooting themselves if they accidently found a gun.

Seriously. Everyone does not live like you sheltered D.C. city people. Kids in more rural areas learn to handle guns. It really is ok.

Do you sound anything like OP's idiot BIL, sounds like the answer is "NO", so take a seat. Lots of responsible people own guns OP's BIL cannot be counted in that number.

[Anonymous]

Here's another good article on the Swiss and guns.

http://www.npr.org/2013/03/19/174758723/facing-switzerland-gun-culture

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
It is their kid not yours. Mind your own business. What is the point of bringing this up?

Giving a deadly weapon to a Kindergartener is fucking ridiculous. The point of my post is that my BIL is a moronic neanderthal who thinks it's funny to give "controversial" gifts to prove a point.

I don't want my children to suffer at the hands of my BILs social Darwinism. What really pissed me off was that he thought it was ok to make comments to my DH when we decided to leave.

I think your BIL is my uncle. Gave my 4 yo a pretend conceal/carry permit for xmas.

[Anonymous]

the nra and rednecks and teabaggers would shit themselves if we had swiss gun laws here.