shalafi , 1 month ago

Yes, kids should be taught about guns. Nothing in depth, not unless they demonstrate basic safety skills and wish to pursue the subject. But a 10-minute mandated lecture ain’t gonna get it.

Took my 8 and 11-yo shooting for the first time on Spring Break. We have a camp in the swamp so it’s a safe and calm environment, no gunshot noise, focused instruction. Predictably, their mom shat kittens.

Know what? Now they have a feel for what guns are about, and that includes lethality. Previously, their ideas all came from Hollywood. I also showed them some of mine that bear an unfortunate resemblance to toys. Speaking of…

We can teach out kids to never, ever, on pain of beating to touch a gun. But we can’t helicopter them for life. What if some idiot kid pulls out his dad’s super cool pistol to show off? “It’s all good. It’s not loaded.” or “It’s not a real gun.” First thing I taught them (behind the basic rules) was how to recognize someone being dangerous, when to get the hell away from that person.

And the cherry on top? I’ve taken the mystery away, removed the forbidden fruit. Now that they can take it or leave it, they somewhat ambivalent. My daughter likes to take a shot or three and hang out helping reload. My son loves his little .22, but no big deal if we forget it at home.