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This is a great point, I too agree with the premise of this thread and will add my useless $0.02
My friend asked me about how I plan to handle my (real)firearms around my daughter.
I told him, educate her to the fullest on what they do and how they affect Humans.
With that being said, we have a lot of "airsoft" guns, my friend said he would start dumping them, I asked him why? He said its dangerous around the house with the kids and collecting dust. I told him I have them in arms reach and easily accessible. He said wait what about your daughter? I told him I have already introduced her to them so she knows what they are, she touches them all the time to get familiar with them (my daughter is 16months old btw) By introducing them to her early, she is a baby but not STUPID. If a baby can understand what is good and bad a child/adult can do the same way if introduce to them responsibly.
You want to know what, when she opens my cabinet doors with them hanging on the door, she bypasses them like they are not there, and goes straight for the towels, shampoo, tooth brushes. Why is that? Because she has lost interest. She knows what it is and understand its not something to play with because it dangerous. Again she is a baby yes, but NOT Stupid....
If people were introduce to firearms and firearms safety from an early age, the temptation to "touch" something illicit would be less. Curiosity would be squashed and they would learn consequences early on rather than at the time of an "accident" like shooting their friend because they didnt know how to handle the fire arm.
You tell a kid dont touch the stove, guess what they will touch. You tell a kid dont touch a firearm... guess what....
but if you tell the kid why you dont touch the stove, and how it can hurt you or someone else, their little brains will process it.....same with a firearm....... Its all about proper education.... not banning
I've done kids-and-guns-in-house twice now.
Guns are locked up or on-person when child is small (<4). I started Son#1 learning about guns at age 3, by shooting a 2liter water jug with a shotgun and explaining the gun had no brain and would destroy anything in front of it. I let him shoot BB guns and 22s under supervision from age 4.
To remove the taboo, I told all the kids if they wanted to look at or handle a gun, or go out and shoot it (under close supervision), just tell me and we'd do it. Once their curiosity was satisfied in a safe way, the allure was gone and they were no more attractive than my power tools about which the rules were the same.
As my father did for me, I drilled the kids incessantly on the Four Rules of safety until they could recite them in their sleep. They saw animals I'd shot and watched me clean them and knew without a doubt guns kill living things dead and are no joke, and there is no "load saved game" do-over once you're dead.
Training progressed as maturity level progressed for each child. My family viewed it like skill at driving a vehicle, or using power tools... something every youth should learn before adulthood.
My extended family (24 people) has had zero injuries from firearm accidents over the past 60 years...