Re[6]: [at-l] weight/use efficiency & Guns

[shane@theplacewithnoname.com (Shane Steinkamp)]

> Let me apologize.

Thank you.

> If anyone thought that I thought that Shane's
> kids -- or any
> kids he may have trained -- were couch potatoes, they
> misunderstood my messages.

The entire message of your one line post was, "They must be awfully dumb,
couch-potato type kids."  I apologize if I misunderstood your post...

http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/at-l/2002-January/024909.html

>   However, that doesn't mean that we should create dangerous
> eventualities by
>   leaving loaded fire arms around a home.

I agree.  I don't leave loaded guns on the coffee table.  You do not know
how the guns are placed or secured, since you never asked, but rather jumped
to a conclusion about my kids...  If you had wanted answers you could have
asked questions.

>  I applaud Shane's efforts to educate his kids and his relatives
> and friends
>  kids about the dangers of guns.

Thank you.  (See below.)

>  I also applaud his decision to keep his loaded fire arms out of
> the reach of
>  his children.

Thank you.

>  I only suggest that the evidence is overwhelming that for most
>  curious, non couch potato kids, such efforts at concealment
> sometimes fail with
>  disastrous consequences.

The responsibility lies with the adult, and simple concealment is not a good
option for handgun placement.  Guns have to be put in a place that a child
cannot access.  No exceptions.  Of course this also applies to many other
things.  Guns are no more dangerous than many other household items.
Matches are a good example.  I certainly wouldn't want an uneducated child
(or adult, for that matter) playing carelessly with my camp stove.  If we
banned all dangerous things from our homes, though, our homes would be
mostly empty.  We keep dangerous things, however, because we need them for
one purpose or another.  When kids get them and mishandle them, it is a
failure of diligence on the part of the parent and a failure to educate the
children about that object.

Last week on the ASLET forum I got a note telling of an officer who came
home at the end of his shift and put his duty weapon on the kitchen table.
He turned to his wife and his five year old son picked the weapon up and
shot him once in the back, killing him.  There were two essential failures
here, both on the part of the officer.  Failure to secure the object, and
failure to educate his child.  These failures would not change if the object
was a match, a knife, a hand grenade, or any other dangerous item not
intended for use by children.

Guns, and any other dangerous objects, cannot be ascribed moral actions or
intentions because they are inanimate.  We as parents have to assume the
responsibility to secure such objects and to educate our children.

Since we all seem to like statistics, it is interesting to note that more
kids drown in swimming pools every year than are killed by firearm
accidents.  Does this mean we should all fill in our pools?  Of course not;
but we should secure them and educate our kids.

Shane