Well....

[peggy]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_5725674.html

I guess the only way to stop a bad 9 yo with a gun is a good 9 yo with a gun.
Humm..I guess guns DO kill people.

[iris lilies]

Or what about this news

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...rant/14598819/

...where a bunch of black men beat up a white man while shouting references to the Michael Brown case? Thugs and fools will act like thugs and fools, that's to be expected, let the law deal with them.

But the kicker is that the black police chief says "this doesn't appear to be a hate crime."

Ooooooooooookay.

Hey, where's Rob when I need him to slap some sense into, or lawsuits on, the po-lice?

[iris lilies]

peggy, what say you about moving this thread to Simple Public Policy? That placement might allow those who are easily disturbed to avoid the debates I feel will likely result.

[peggy]

Sure Iris, if you think we should. I actually don't know how to do that, so if a mod wants to move this that's fine.

Oh I agree with you about thugs. And they come in all colors and uniforms. Bad behavior is bad behavior.

[mtnlaurel]

I am really out of touch with the news right now... but the incident in AZ explains the timing of an infrequent poster on my Facebook account from high school who all of a sudden posted a photo of himself at the range with his son (who appears to be about 9ish) holding an automatic weapon.

I was like Huh? It just looked bizarre.
Now hearing the timing of that sad event in AZ, I am like WTH.

I am an ardent believer in my second amendment rights as a law abiding citizen, but I don't think I will ever understand where automatic weapons fall into that.

My kids aren't huge 'gamers' (their interest in that comes & goes, thankfully -- and we stay busy doing a ton of other Real Life things) but my son is starting to notice that he STILL doesn't have a shoot 'em up game.
I just am not into that.
We've recently moved to a place that seems to have as many shooting ranges as there are churches... and I have been mulling over taking my son (10 yrs old) for a shooting lesson so he can see/feel the power of guns and learn to respect them and the damage they can do. Where we live now, he may be in situations where there are more guns at home & I would rather have his curiosity quelled in a safe environment. It's just a thought I've had. I might be totally off on that.

Re: Uzi's and 7 yr olds. That's just is ridiculous to me.
Re: Uzi's and private citizens of any age... I just don't get it.

[catherine]

I have been mulling over taking my son (10 yrs old) for a shooting lesson so he can see/feel the power of guns and learn to respect them and the damage they can do. Where we live now, he may be in situations where there are more guns at home & I would rather have his curiosity quelled in a safe environment. It's just a thought I've had. I might be totally off on that.

I think that is a very considered and thoughtful response to your changed circumstances/environment. Maybe if he brings is up first? Or talk to him about it and see if he's interested? I agree with you--we have never for one minute considered guns in our house--wouldn't cross my mind, and I'd be afraid to have them in my house, but I definitely see how a living in a different type of gun culture might shift how you approach guns with regard to your family.

As for your comment on Uzi's--I'm with you on that.

[Tradd]

http://time.com/3211885/guns-children-firing-range-uzi/

This is a good article. It's written by a Jewish liberal Democrat, who is of all things, a gun owner who carries sometimes. He wrote a very good book, Gun Guys (I just finished it) which talks about his road trips around the US to get a better handle on the gun culture. He got into guns with .22 rifle shooting at summer camp when he was a kid. He wasn't athletic, but he was a good marksman.

That was stupid of the instructor to give the 9 year old Uzi. It was stupid of the parents to allow it. You start off kids with a .22 rifle. Eventually they get up to a .22 handgun. The .22 is a very soft shooting, controllable round. It's the best thing to start new shooters off, regardless of their age. I'd have a hard time with an Uzi, and I'm at the range 2-4 times a month.

[Spartana]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_5725674.html

I guess the only way to stop a bad 9 yo with a gun is a good 9 yo with a gun.
Humm..I guess guns DO kill people.

I think if the knuckleheaded instructor had left the gun lying alone and untouched by an inexperienced, unskilled, not strong enough 9 YO as it should have been, I doubt the gun would have killed anyone on it's own. If he had her wield a heavy knife, bowling ball, tennis racket, or hammer and it flew out of her hands and killed a person would you say "bowling balls, tennis rackets and hammers DO kill people"?