Why DON'T you carry a gun?

[Foxfyre]

While I understand your concern, there's abotu a million different ways to effectively deal with this issue other than not having a gun.

If you're willing to take that risk with your kids, that's your choice. My kids, my choice.

Of course.

But then... the more you teach your kids about guns, the less likely they are to have an accident. This applies to your house as well as others, where there may be guns; the argument could be made that to teach your kids how to safely handle a gun in an are appropriate manner is to teach them a skill that could save their lives and those of others.

At least that was true back in those eeeeevul olden days when kids were expected to respect authority, to take responsibility, and your self esteem took a back seat to getting the chores done. I was taught to clean and load a rifle and shoot straight by the time I was 8 yrs old, but that came with expectations that you didn't touch the gun without parental permission and you would use it responsibly and safely when you got permission. Apparently we all did as I don't recall a single gun accident or incident, other than the very occasional minor hunting accident, in all my growing up years. And in most of those years, there was a loaded shotgun mounted over the mantle.

We all had toy guns too and played cops and robbers and Cowboys and Indians throughout the neighborhood mowing down probably thousands of bad guys over the years. And I can't think of a single one of my friends or classmates who grew up to be a violent person.

Banning guns is not effective in creating a responsible society. Expectations of personal responsibility, respect for the law and authority, and peer pressure to be a good neighbor and grown up does create a responsible society.

 

[catzmeow]

At least that was true back in those eeeeevul olden days when kids were expected to respect authority, to take responsibility, and your self esteem took a back seat to getting the chores done. I was taught to clean and load a rifle and shoot straight by the time I was 8 yrs old, but that came with expectations that you didn't touch the gun without parental permission and you would use it responsibly and safely when you got permission. Apparently we all did as I don't recall a single gun accident or incident, other than the very occasional minor hunting accident, in all my growing up years. And in most of those years, there was a loaded shotgun mounted over the mantle.

We all had toy guns too and played cops and robbers and Cowboys and Indians throughout the neighborhood mowing down probably thousands of bad guys over the years. And I can't think of a single one of my friends or classmates who grew up to be a violent person.

Banning guns is not effective in creating a responsible society. Expectations of personal responsibility, respect for the law and authority, and peer pressure to be a good neighbor and grown up does create a responsible society.

My friend Darren grew up in a good two-parent family. He went to church on Sunday and claimed to be a Christian. He went hunting with his father and knew how to handle a weapon.

None of these things kept him from blowing his brains out all over the walls of his family's library in 1985.

I certainly did not advocate banning guns. In fact, I'm very pro-gun rights. I just don't own them, because I have teenagers, and I've got personal experience with the risks.

I'm used to you posting strawmen, but this sort of intellectual dishonesty is simply bad form.

 

[Luissa]

Don't own a gun, and don't ever plan on owning a gun. If you want to that is fine. I personally don't need one, and I enjoy the fact that I am not constantly scared of the unknown, and don't feel the need to carry one.
And I have actually seen bullet fragments taken out of my brother's face in the ER.

 

[catzmeow]

Of the 5 girls I raised (am raising), only the oldest was ever interested in guns. The only two left at home are not interested in the least so I haven't taught them. They know to alert me if they see a gun lying around (something I'm careful never to do) and not to touch it. Neither of them are suicidal, or even depressed.

You know, none of the parents I've known over the years whose kids committed suicide knew that their kids were suicidal or depressed---not a single one.

I think it's a mistake to assume that you know what's going on inside your kid's head. Particularly, when they become a teenager.

 

[Uncensored2008]

It's not a myth. It's been studied quite extensively.

Guns in the Home and Risk of a Violent Death in the Home: Findings from a National Study

By unbiased sources!

Was the HGI site down?

{

Gun control supporters' "children" deception: Gun control supporters claim that firearm accidents take the lives of a dozen or more children daily, or 5,000 yearly, or one every 90 seconds. The Handgun Epidemic Lowering Plan (HELP) Network (dedicated to "changing society's attitude toward guns so that it becomes socially unacceptable for private citizens to have handguns") put the figure at nine per day. Some gun control supporters count anyone under age 24 as a "child," to get even higher numbers,8 by adding the relatively small number among children to the much larger number among juveniles and teenage adults, and calling the total "children." In fact, on average there is one such death among children per day, including one accidental death every seven days.}

NRA-ILA | Firearm Safety In America 2009

Further, your post is rife with misinformation.

We can't all reach your level of accuracy and balanced presentation..

Suicide is the second largest cause of death among 15-24 year olds. Guns are used in about 60% of teen suicides.

What a conveniently round number.

Too bad it isn't true.

{1.3% of all deaths are from suicide.

On average, one suicide occurs every 17 minutes.

On average, an elderly person dies by suicide every 1 hour and 37 minutes.

On average, a young person (age 15-24) dies by suicide every 2 hours and 12 minutes.

Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death for all Americans.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people aged 15-24 year olds.
(1st = accidents, 2nd = homicide) }

Suicide Statistics at Suicide.org! Suicide Statistics, Suicide Statistics, Suicide Statistics, Suicide Statistics, Suicide Statistics!

Successful firearm suicides are actually 51% of teen suicides. There are 17 times as many non-firearm suicide attempts as there are with a firearm. The simple fact is, those who use a firearm are simply more likely to be successful with the attempt.

Impulsivity is highly linked to suicide, and teens are incredibly impulsive.

Hunting down the parents guns takes more planning and effort than a razor blade, your claim is nonsensical.

Impulsivity and teen suicide | Psychology Today

Having access to a firearm can be the difference between a teen surviving a suicide attempt, and dying.

So can access to a car, or train tracks.

Do you honestly think that the evil gun whispers to teens, urging them to act against their nature?

Do you often assign motives to inanimate objects?

It's great that your kids didn't have any problems. Your post is a combination of fallacies: appeal to tradition, ad hominem tu quoque, and hasty generalization.

Actually, that would be your post. Your entire premise is an appeal to emotion. You attempt to assign motives to inanimate objects and vilify mechanical devices for the decisions made by those who operate them.

Thanks, but I'll consider your opinion when it's supported by more than fallacies (scientifically validated research would be ideal).

Like those from HGI or the CDC?

{The suicide rate dropped about 13% comparing 1985 with 2004. Over the 20-year period, there was an average annual decline of 0.7% per year. }

www.hsph.harvard.edu/means-matter/files/SuicideTrends.ppt

 

[rightwinger]

I have never been afraid to walk the streets or afraid of bad guys invading my home. Never saw the need to buy a gun

 

[PredFan]

Don't own a gun, and don't ever plan on owning a gun. If you want to that is fine. I personally don't need one, and I enjoy the fact that I am not constantly scared of the unknown, and don't feel the need to carry one.
And I have actually seen bullet fragments taken out of my brother's face in the ER.

Just because I carry, doesn't mean I run around afraid.

 

[Foxfyre]

At least that was true back in those eeeeevul olden days when kids were expected to respect authority, to take responsibility, and your self esteem took a back seat to getting the chores done. I was taught to clean and load a rifle and shoot straight by the time I was 8 yrs old, but that came with expectations that you didn't touch the gun without parental permission and you would use it responsibly and safely when you got permission. Apparently we all did as I don't recall a single gun accident or incident, other than the very occasional minor hunting accident, in all my growing up years. And in most of those years, there was a loaded shotgun mounted over the mantle.

We all had toy guns too and played cops and robbers and Cowboys and Indians throughout the neighborhood mowing down probably thousands of bad guys over the years. And I can't think of a single one of my friends or classmates who grew up to be a violent person.

Banning guns is not effective in creating a responsible society. Expectations of personal responsibility, respect for the law and authority, and peer pressure to be a good neighbor and grown up does create a responsible society.

My friend Darren grew up in a good two-parent family. He went to church on Sunday and claimed to be a Christian. He went hunting with his father and knew how to handle a weapon.

None of these things kept him from blowing his brains out all over the walls of his family's library in 1985.

I certainly did not advocate banning guns. In fact, I'm very pro-gun rights. I just don't own them, because I have teenagers, and I've got personal experience with the risks.

I'm used to you posting strawmen, but this sort of intellectual dishonesty is simply bad form.

Intellectual dishonesty? How? We have a good friend too who also lost a son to suicide via firearms. The kid was into alcohol and drugs and it just got to be too much for him. I do not in any way lack compassion for those plagued with demons triggering suicidal thoughts, nor do I think it is any particular flaw of society that causes this. Some people bring it on through lifestyle choices. And for some it is inate and beyond their control. And of course you don't make it easier or tempting for those plagued with suicidal thoughts to carry out those impulses.

I have had two good highschool friends who also committed suicide, neither using firearms to do it. It is a tragic thing.

I respect your decision to not keep firearms at home. Why can't you respect my point of view that banning guns is not a component of creating a responsible society?

They are two different things and my comments were directed to another member and his point of view, not you.

 

[Uncensored2008]

My friend Darren grew up in a good two-parent family. He went to church on Sunday and claimed to be a Christian. He went hunting with his father and knew how to handle a weapon.

None of these things kept him from blowing his brains out all over the walls of his family's library in 1985.

I certainly did not advocate banning guns. In fact, I'm very pro-gun rights. I just don't own them, because I have teenagers, and I've got personal experience with the risks.

I'm used to you posting strawmen, but this sort of intellectual dishonesty is simply bad form.

That's nice.

My friend Paul hung himself in his parents garage at 16.

My "friend" (drugged out mofo) Dave ran a hose from his exhaust to the passenger compartment for a little carbon monoxide fun.

Maybe a stray gun snuck into their houses and talked them into it, but the only two suicides I've personally known used other means.

Dave had guns when he was normal, but probably sold them for drugs, thus using the car when he hit bottom.

 

[PredFan]

Of the 5 girls I raised (am raising), only the oldest was ever interested in guns. The only two left at home are not interested in the least so I haven't taught them. They know to alert me if they see a gun lying around (something I'm careful never to do) and not to touch it. Neither of them are suicidal, or even depressed.

You know, none of the parents I've known over the years whose kids committed suicide knew that their kids were suicidal or depressed---not a single one.

I think it's a mistake to assume that you know what's going on inside your kid's head. Particularly, when they become a teenager.

You are basing your opinions on your own experiences. That's fine, but it doesn't apply to everyone. It seems you know quite a few people who committed suicide, I know absolutely zero. My kids are generally happy and are not suicidal.

 

[PredFan]

I have never been afraid to walk the streets or afraid of bad guys invading my home. Never saw the need to buy a gun

Good for you. I have guns and carry guns and have never had to use them.

 

[PredFan]

Man! You people know a lot of suicide victims!

 

[Bigfoot]

Some of these gun myths amaze me. I grew up with a rifle rack on my bedroom wall. It held my shotgun, my brothers shotgun and a .22 rifle that we shared. My father had two rifle racks on his bedroom wall filled with rifles and shotguns. My brother, my father and myself all kept ammunition in our dresser drawers and some in our hunting jackets that hung on hooks in our closets.

This from Jr. high school on. Most days we would come home from school, change our clothes, do our chores, do our homework then grab a gun and the dogs and go hunting. I never ever dreamed of hurting myself our someone else with a firearm although I did throw a hatchet at a guy once.

I now have plenty of loaded firearms around the house and I never ever worry about them. I just don't get all of this fuss.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Just because I carry, doesn't mean I run around afraid.

The media blitz by the left is that everyone who isn't an Obamabot is gripped with constant fear.

The weak minded believe it.

 

[PredFan]

From what I've seen, it is the people who don't have guns that are afraid. They are afraid of themselves, afraid of others, afraid that someone will get killed simply because there is a gun in the house.

 

[rightwinger]

I have never been afraid to walk the streets or afraid of bad guys invading my home. Never saw the need to buy a gun

Good for you. I have guns and carry guns and have never had to use them.

I have never been in a situation where I would have needed one. Neither have any of my neighbors, brothers or sister or my parents

I feel perfectly safe. More than if I were packing

 

[Crackerjack]

I carry a Walther PPK/S or a Colt 1911, depending on what I'm wearing.

My grandmother shot herself to death with her .38 Special when I was eighteen. She'd have found another way to do it had she not had a firearm.

 

[Staidhup]

Guns, not a problem, no fear, they have their place. Do I carry, under certain situations when warranted. Would I use one, only if necessary, yep, with deadly force.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Some of these gun myths amaze me. I grew up with a rifle rack on my bedroom wall. It held my shotgun, my brothers shotgun and a .22 rifle that we shared. My father had two rifle racks on his bedroom wall filled with rifles and shotguns. My brother, my father and myself all kept ammunition in our dresser drawers and some in our hunting jackets that hung on hooks in our closets.

This from Jr. high school on. Most days we would come home from school, change our clothes, do our chores, do our homework then grab a gun and the dogs and go hunting. I never ever dreamed of hurting myself our someone else with a firearm although I did throw a hatchet at a guy once.

I now have plenty of loaded firearms around the house and I never ever worry about them. I just don't get all of this fuss.

Lefties like Catz pretend like they are making a safer world by removing civil rights from people, however;

When I was in 7th grade, my dad bought me a new 10-22 carbine. I took it to show and tell at school to explain what a wonderful piece of equipment it was. The class went well.

Yes, I took a firearm to a public school, with the teachers permission, and no one panicked. In 1971, no one had ever heard of school kids shooting each other. Kids owning and knowing guns were common, shootings were unheard of - just never happened.

The Catz methodology has reversed all that. Now kids are shielded from evil guns, but shootings are common. Lefties, bringing us a better world.

 

[Uncensored2008]

From what I've seen, it is the people who don't have guns that are afraid. They are afraid of themselves, afraid of others, afraid that someone will get killed simply because there is a gun in the house.

Well, you know those guns, they're tricky little bastards. They sneak out of closets and drawers to go on random shooting sprees. I caught my shotgun trying to open the back window so that it could catch a train downtown to randomly shoot people....

At least, I'm pretty sure that's the way it all works in the alleged minds of the left.