I’ll never have a gun in my home. I’d rather not be armed if an intruder creeps into my room at night. Guns change the dynamics of a conflict instantly, increasing the likelihood of death: the intruder’s or mine. Yes, I also realize that a gun might come in handy should an intruder come creeping – but, as the scenario could play out either way I choose not to have a gun in my home.
via I Choose Life and That Means No Guns Under My Roof | Babble.
And I am fine with that. If you have chosen not to have guns in your house and be defenseless, God Bless you and good luck.
But I do want to point something out..a wee bit contradiction:
What do gun rights advocates care if we create safe storage laws or develop child proof technology? You can still arm yourself to the teeth if you want, you just can’t keep your loaded gun in your nightstand or under your pillow. Yeah, I know, you’re breathlessly waiting for the intruder to enter your home so you can blow him away and prove all of us gun control advocates wrong, but what about the curious children in your home?
and then farther down the article:
If you want weapons in your home that’s certainly your decision and your constitutional right and I absolutely support that.
So what is it? Can I have a gun the way I want it in my house or only the way you want it, if at all?
Is the concept of contradiction so deep, many people just cannot process it?
I think Babble is an appropriate site for that to be on.
So perhaps an enterprising newspaper ought to post a list of addresses of folks like this, after all, since they are so determined to prevent injury/death from evil guns, the bad guys can go to the houses where they KNOW there is absolutely no chance for armed resistance. No guns, nobody gets hurt, right?
Funny, my gun stays on my hip until I turn out the lights at night, where it spends the rest of the night on my nighstand. I also have a 4 year old daughter in the house, who knows that she only has to ask and we’ll help her “look” at our guns, hold the rifles, dry-fire a time or two. She hasn’t asked in about 6 months now, the curiosity stage has been passed and she knows, at 4 years old, to be safe around them and that they’re not toys. Kids are smart, and if you teach them safety and respect for firearms (or knives…or fire….or hot stoves…etc), they will actually LEARN. Sounds like the author of that article either has no children, or is the coddling give-them-whatever-they-want-spoil-lil-precious-to-death type who is doing nothing but training up the next entitlement generation.
You and I seem to be of the same mindset. My daughter is 8. I ask her ‘What is fire?’ she says ‘A tool.’. I ask her ‘What is a gun?’ she says ‘A tool’. I plan on getting her shooting this Winter if she’s interested. So far, since she’s past her curiosity stage as well, she’s indifferent.
The one time our daughter has shot (other than a Crossman BB gun we bought her), a .22 handgun, we were at a friends’ property. She was playing around in the woods, but was actually paying attention when we told her were the lines were that she couldn’t cross. She stopped kicking molehills at one point and was watching as I reloaded and fired my handgun, and when I asked if she wanted to shoot, she nodded. Made sure she had her “eyes” on (she thought her “ears” were fun and had been wearing them all morning), she shot about 10 rounds, then decided she’d had enough. Made sure the gun was unloaded and she had checked the mag well and chamber, then she ran back to kick more molehills. She hasn’t asked to shoot since (other than her BB gun), although she has mentioned having fun shooting a couple of times. Don’t rush your daughter, she’ll let you know when she’s ready. She’ll also let you know when she’s done. Heh. I’m probably preaching to the choir here, though. Good luck with her, and have a blast! (pun intended)
“..you just can’t keep your loaded gun in your nightstand or under your pillow.”
Why? Is the writer planning on creeping into my room at night?
Nightstand’s about the safest my guns could be. Anybody who wants to get to them has to trip over my sleeping body and somehow manage not to wake me up in the process.
I’ll hazard a guess that like me, you’re a light sleeper. 🙂
There are no children in my home. Any “children” with access to my nightstand are intruders where they do not belong. Nightstand gun and carry gun are one and the same. So where’s the problem?
I betcha the author of that tripe isn’t concerned about the effects of finding lube, toys, videos or God knows what in an adult’s nightstand might have on a child.
I’ll mention a more fundamental idea than just how one stores their firearm. The author chooses to be without the benefit of a firearm. Okay, but the author has absolutely no moral authority to deny me a firearm and make me equally defenseless.
Regarding storage, any risk to my children is to be weighed by me in relation to how I might want or need access to the firearm and their maturity. Ultimately, I bear the full responsibility for their protection. Their protection from a negligent discharge or from a home invasion is for me to decide; not some idiotic politician or ignorant bureaucrat a thousand miles away. If I have the responsibility, I decide the course of action. Okay?
Safe storage laws are there not to protect the children, but to make firearms ownership onerous and legally dangerous. If you disagree, explain how some states have safe storage law requirements even if the homeowners are childless. One size fits all laws to address non-issues (see the low rate of negligent childhood deaths) are unneeded and have unintended consequences.
“Okay, but the author has absolutely no moral authority to deny me a firearm and make me equally defenseless.”
Amen!!!