O-mama - Opinionated Moms

WOW. Your post just blew me away. It is incredible that you had both of those experiences and are here to chat about it. You must be a strong MAMA!

Good call. My son, who I never let play with guns, turns bananas into guns. He is obsessed and I fear, although he knows the right answers when I lecture him on the dangers of guns and never touching a gun, he would if he saw one?! Scary. I am fascinated to know what % of guns in people's homes actually shoot intruders vs. are used to shoot the homeowner instead. My fear is that a lot of honest, decent Americans who own guns don't go through extensive gun training. So, even if they had a gun and needed to use it, it could be used against them. Or, if we became a citizenry that carries guns around town, how would we know the good guys from the bad guys? Right now, it is assumed that if you aren't in a uniform and your gun is drawn, you are a bad guy. I was horrified last weekend when one of the heroes of the Tucson tragedy had his gun drawn and another citizen who heard the commotion ran to the scene with his gun drawn and almost shot the hero. One heroic civilian tragically shooting a national hero would have made us all go over the edge.

Ah, you said the magic words "My son". Boys are hardwired to be the "protectors" and in modern society that includes guns. When my kids were young MY KIDS were NEVER going to play with guns. My youngest started "gun play" with NO media exposure before the age of 2. My ex-husband hunted and the kids have a "grandfather"-figure that also hunts. I've told them that IF they choose to hunt they can make THAT choice at 18 (since I am having no dead animals in MY house!) I have toyed with the idea of teaching the kids to shoot at a range when they are like 17...but I have a couple of years to think about it. I DO think an armed citizendry COMBATS crime rather than adds to it. (because those who go through the process of gun registration are also more likely to be responsible owners)

Yes, boys are definitely hardwired!!! And, I had to laugh out loud about the dead animals comment - hilarious, agreed! I think RESPONSIBILITY is the key to gun ownership. If I thought that the people that carried guns were sane, civil and responsible, I wouldn't be so afraid. I don't think screening or training is sufficient and, therefore, irresponsible. I have friends who are gun people and they are VERY responsible. They have also taught their kids to respect and fear the power of a weapon. They have taken them to hours of gun safety classes - but, the problem is that everyone who has a gun isn't like that. Canada has more guns per person than we do, but they don't have the violence we do because they have different rules than we do.

Okay the "gun people" you mention though ARE the responsible gun owners...the others are usually the criminal element and that's who the armed citizendry protect by simply carrying conceled weapons...plus Canada is more socialistic by nature and never included in their "national pchy" that the ownership of guns is to protect against an overreaching government. In all likelyhood Americans would not rise up against their government, BUT the "option" is there and that is a security that many take for granted.

Yes, the "gun people" I mention are absolutely the responsible gun owners. The others I fear are both the criminal element and the yahoos that get drunk and shoot off their guns to show off (yep, I've been around those, too). But, that really isn't my big issue. My issue is guns & safety - I think we can have both...the people who want guns - super, but absolutely make them go to gun safety class and get registered (we have to take driver's training, get a license and wear seatbelts in cars, why don't we have the same kinds of rules for guns). And, I'm not sure why we need assault weapons with 30 bullet clips. Reagan passed the assault weapons ban, but it expired under Bush. GOD FORBID Obama tried to re-instate the same law, he would be called a socialist, instead of a pragmatist. So, let's just pretend that the citizenry wanted to rise up and over throw the government, we'd have to defeat the most powerful, well-funded, well-equiped, well-trained military force in the world - OURS. So, should citizens be allowed to stock up on nukes and fighter jets just in case? Not to be sassy, but maybe we just stick to guns for sport and protecting our personal property?