Today my son told me he wanted a real gun. He is 3. His 5 year old brother also wants one. When I asked why they felt they needed guns, the eldest said "to kill the bad guys, because that's what guns are for". Needless to say, we had a discussion about what guns "are for" today. I had to explain to my kids that, yes, guns are for protection. They are also for hunting, or sport shooting. We, as Americans, are given the right to own them, but they are tools, not toys.
I am not against my kid having guns, in fact I am all for it. But, like everything, there is a time and a place. I want my children to learn how to properly use and respect a gun before they are trusted with their own (which will be MUCH later). I intend to start teaching them to fire soon and how to handle guns responsibly because that as a parent, and an American is my right.
I'm tired of hearing children gunned down by loonies with weapons because we have created a stigma on our country that guns are bad.
I admire our military and our police, but they can not be everywhere at once. Sometimes we have to be our own first responders and I'd rather have my child have the death of one crazy on his conscience than live with the knowledge that he could have, if properly armed, prevented all of that.
As adults it is our job to protect and provide for our children, and we can not do it if our means of protecting them is systematically taken away.
After our conversation today I took my kid to the store where there was a bell ringer collecting. I gave each of my kids money and we all put some in the bucket. I may not be the most awesome mom, but I'm doing my best to teach my children to do the right things and to not be victims in a world of chaos.
I'm going to teach them to stand on their own two feet and fight for the things they believe in. Sometimes I hope they end up being nothing like me, sometimes I wish the exact opposite.
Only you, as their Mother, can know when they are old enough to handle a gun.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, however, I would recommend teaching them how to clean, assemble, and disassemble the gun first; thereby reiterating that it is a tool to be taken care of and handled responsibly. I've started doing that with my eight year old.
I've also started training my kids to duck and cover effectively, in case of gun fire; who to tell if they are lost; my phone number and full name, if we are separated; and we've had drills for "This is not my Mom! (Or Dad!).
Preparedness is essential, and even while they're too young for guns, there is still so much they should know for keeping themselves safe. We do drills every weekend.