What would you do -- kids found a gun in the woods

[Spy Car]

...aside...I'm pretty sure all our air soft guns have an orange thingy on the muzzle (except for the ones that broke off, but then those dont leave the house)

 

Aren't all BB guns like that?

 

No. Not here. New BB guns do not have orange tips in CA. I can't speak for elsewhere.

 

Bill

[SKL]

Bill, your behavior is going to make the next person afraid to ask a question on this board that is remotely related to guns.

 

Kids found a BB gun in the woods.  No matter what a mom thinks of guns, this could happen to any child.  Don't intimidate people into silence - and do learn when to hush.  If you want to debate gun control, do it on your own thread.

[Spy Car]

Bill, your behavior is going to make the next person afraid to ask a question on this board that is remotely related to guns.

 

Kids found a BB gun in the woods.  No matter what a mom thinks of guns, this could happen to any child.  Don't intimidate people into silence - and do learn when to hush.  If you want to debate gun control, do it on your own thread.

 

What the heck are you talking about? And who's discussing "gun control"???

 

Any kid could find a BB gun. I argued for "leniency" (because I don't think the children acted especially badly (other than hiding the truth, which is a problem), but I would not reward the kid (who is exhibiting defiance) by sending him to a gun range. That simple.

 

Bill

[SKL]

What the heck are you talking about? And who's discussing "gun control"???

 

Any kid could find a BB gun. I argued for "leniency" (because I don't think the children acted especially badly (other than hiding the truth, which is a problem), but I would not reward the kid (who is exhibiting defiance) by sending him to a gun range. That simple.

 

Bill

 

You made that point yesterday.  Unless you've since deleted it, it's still there for all to read.  The ongoing bickering is about something else and that's what "the heck" I'm talking about.

 

[Tammi K]

I was telling my children about this post this morning and asked my 12 year old what he thought. I asked if he thought it was wrong for kids to pick up a gun. His response, "Mom, it's a BB gun. That's not the same thing as a real gun!" 

 

 

 

 

I really think the whole "a BB gun is not a real gun" is a big problem.  BB guns can do just as much damage.  As I said before, DH is an ophthalmologist and basically a kid last year lost his eye to a BB gun.  Wasn't the first time, either.   Guns, even BB guns, are dangerous.  They are REAL guns that can kill and do massive harm.  Don't let your kids think that it's a real gun that requires any less safety protocol.  

 

 I think there is an issue of semantics here. We aren't using the same definition for the phrase 'real gun'. When I say 'real' gun, and when ds says not a 'real' gun we mean a gun which does not fire bullets or shot (as in from a shot gun shell). We do NOT mean a device made in a form containing barrel, stock, trigger, etc. We could argue to no end if we did not agree on a consistent definition.

 

In this case, I KNOW my son meant it was not 'a real gun' in the sense that he knew if one was found he would be expected to use appropriate safety precautions for finding a bb gun, not the same precautions he would use when finding a fire arm. He didn't say, "A bb gun is a toy." He said, "It's not a real gun."

 

Yes, bb guns can do real damage. I know that and so does my son. He has air soft guns. He plays air soft with his brother...With full safety gear including a FULL face mask, not just goggles.  Why, because it can be dangerous. We both know that. But, knowing that danger and knowing how to mitigate that danger is part of the learning process.

 

There are many things in life that are recreational ...and dangerous. We still do them. DS played hockey. Kids have been paralyzed playing hockey. DS did gymnastics. Kids have been seriously injured doing gymnastics. Heck, ds pair figure skates and had the his partner's blade almost impale his 'progeny'. 

 

Your points are very well taken that bb guns can cause injury.  I, in no way, mean to dispute that.  And, I find the information you shared very interesting. I had no idea the incidence of injury was that high.

[Spy Car]

You made that point yesterday.  Unless you've since deleted it, it's still there for all to read.  The ongoing bickering is about something else and that's what "the heck" I'm talking about.

 

 

I'm not following your point.

 

I've said nothing about "gun control" and deleted nothing. I don't know what you are talking about.

 

Giving a child who is acting badly access to guns (or gun lessons) is a bad idea IMO.  This is something I'd reserve for a child who is modeling exemplary behavior and demonstrating responsibly. And then, I'd be exceptionally careful about who they were exposed to (or took lessons from) as American gun culture has some pretty scary aspects and individuals.

 

Bill

[Mrs Mungo]

So you admit that there are "gun-nutty" people teaching classes. And awful lot of them, truth told. So people would do well to know what they are potentially getting into in advance.

 

And an awful lot of people teaching gun safety classes care a lot about gun safety. They are often military and/or law enforcement personnel. I haven't directly experienced a gun-nut teaching a gun safety class to children, but I am sure they are out there because there are nutty people in every culture.

 

I evoke Nancy Lanza because she had a trouble child who she thought (in an example of bad thinking) she'd get involved with guns. A gun range is not the arena to solve problems. A child that is well behaved, etc. is a different case than one who is being defiant (even if the defiance is less profound than that of Adam Lanza.

Using outliers to illustrate your point doesn't do your argument any favors. Many more kids are involved in accidental or negligent shootings than involved in school shooting sprees. Most of those accidents stem from ignorance and/or heavy peer pressure.

 

So? Teaching children to be safe around guns and taking them to gun ranges are two different things. The first can be well accomplished without the other.

Taking a gun safety class is not the same as regularly making trips to the gun range.

 

"Extremely reckless behavior?" I think most adults who'd found a BB gun would attempt to discharge a shot in a safe manner (because they would assume, for safety's sake, it was cocked) and would not want to walk around with (or leave) a loaded BB gun around.

 

Not "extremely reckless behavior." It is what most people would do in the situation.

 

An adult would be likely to *for sure* know the difference in a BB gun and a rifle or shotgun. A child unfamiliar with guns is behaving in an extremely reckless manner to fire a gun of unknown origin and maintenance. A regular old air-powered BB gun won't blow up in your hands or face. But, a rusty shotgun certainly could.

[SKL]

Bill, right now you sound more like an extremist than most people I know who shoot guns.

 

You have made your point multiple times now.  I'm sure we could all recite it from memory.  Saying it again and again (interlaced with crazy talk) is not going to make more people agree with you.

[Mommyfaithe]

Oh for goodness sake.....this yiddeshe mamma says Yael is doing just fine. Her reaction is her reaction. To say her kids are going to become gun maniacs from a gun safety course is ludicrous as much as maybe she should wait until they are in the mood to be taught a lesson about disobedience and boneheadedness. Sorry, I have been in this mommy business a looooonnnng time and kids really do know when they are being disobedient boneheads! As a matter of fact boundary crossing is all part of growing up....but safety was a BIG issue here and it is a great time for those kids to know that there are rules to protect their safety and their friends and siblings safety. They crossed a line! Mom is ticked! That is reasonable. They can learn about safety rules...and quite frankly, I might add in all types of safety situations...strangers, alcohol abuse, p*rn ( this could have been a bottle of gin or a girlie magazine) etc. pool safety. When kids make a mistake, It gives us an opportunity to teach them right from wrong. It is our obligation to do that. Freaking out, and taking sides is silly.

Are we all just bored?

[Spy Car]

Bill, right now you sound more like an extremist than most people I know who shoot guns.

 

You have made your point multiple times now.  I'm sure we could all recite it from memory.  Saying it again and again (interlaced with crazy talk) is not going to make more people agree with you.

 

So, if I've made my point clearly (and repeatedly) why do you feel a need to invent things I've never said and ascribe them to me?

 

That is not taking "the high-road."

 

Bill

[swellmomma]

Let's see if I follow the logic:

 

You've got kids who are being cheeky, disrespectful, defiant of authority, and—on this occasion at least—dishonest.

 

And the answer to the problem is "let's get them mixed up with guns?"

 

Utter madness.

 

Bill

You know I have had people say the same thing about my oldest son.  And yet the shooting is the one thing outside of video games that he is pretty good at, and that is helping his over all self esteem which is helping curb the rest of the bad behaviour.  Now there is a lot more to cadets than shooting, and it is the cadet program on a whole that has helped make him a better person, But it was the shooting that got him hooked and willing to listen to other authority etc.

[Katy]

(ignoring the gun arguments)

 

I grew up in a house with a lot of guns, but I sort of figured this was more of a boy thing than a gun thing, so I asked my husband what he would do.

 

He said he would sit them on the couch and give them a dissertation-long lecture about gun safety, integrity, lying to their mother, throwing their friends under the bus instead of taking responsibility for their own actions, and about 15 other points off the top of his head.  He said it didn't matter that it was a BB gun, it was still a gun. 

 

After he was done lecturing them, he would want them to write letters to him outlining the above points about the incident, plus shaming the family name, plus which points of gun safety rules that they know they violated, and which points of gun safety rules they know they followed.  Plus he would have them write a letter to their friends parents to apologize for blaming them, plus to me for lying to me.   Finally he would have THEM propose what their punishments should be for each of the aforementioned lapses in integrity.

[Meriwether]

Let's see if I follow the logic:

 

You've got kids who are being cheeky, disrespectful, defiant of authority, and—on this occasion at least—dishonest.

 

And the answer to the problem is "let's get them mixed up with guns?"

 

Utter madness.

 

Bill

:confused1:  I have four kids.  They are, for the most part, really great kids.  We have days when they are all wound up about something or when I am cranky.  I might use any of the above words to describe them in a bad week.  Some of them have even been through spells when they've been dishonest on a fairly regular basis (This lasted for a month with Dd.  Thankfully, when she was done with lies, she was done.  She tries to be completely honest now.)

 

But they are good kids.  Really good kids. They are hard-working, kind, fun, obedient kids who are occasionally out of sorts.

 

Just because the OP is having a tough transition back to school after some general upheaval, it doesn't mean her kids are a danger to society.  It means they had a bad week.

[Spy Car]

:confused1: I have four kids. They are, for the most part, really great kids. We have days when they are all wound up about something or when I am cranky. I might use any of the above words to describe them in a bad week. Some of them have even been through spells when they've been dishonest on a fairly regular basis (This lasted for a month with Dd. Thankfully, when she was done with lies, she was done. She tries to be completely honest now.)

 

But they are good kids. Really good kids. They are hard-working, kind, fun, obedient kids who are occasionally out of sorts.

 

Just because the OP is having a tough transition back to school after some general upheaval, it doesn't mean her kids are a danger to society. It means they had a bad week.

And if I had a kid that was having a "bad week" my response would not be to reward them with gun lessons.

 

If they had a great year, it might be a different story.

 

Bill

[Catwoman]

Just because the OP is having a tough transition back to school after some general upheaval, it doesn't mean her kids are a danger to society. It means they had a bad week.

:iagree:

 

The OP has been around here for quite some time, and I have never heard her refer to her kids as being anything close to sociopathic lunatics. They sound like great kids and she sounds like an excellent mom.

 

Something happened that scared and angered her, so she posted about it in an emotional way. I hardly think she meant to characterize her children as the future Adam Lanzas of the world. :rolleyes:

 

And I have no idea how either Adam or Nancy Lanza's name was ever brought into this discussion, because they are a complete non-issue. They are so far outside the realm of normal that it seems ridiculous to even remotely compare them to anything involving the OP or her children.

[Spy Car]

Lots of kids that get into trouble with guns are not considered "lunatics."

 

Putting guns in the hands of a boy who is going through a defiant period is very unwise.

 

Bill

[Trish]

 

Well, maybe try to get to the bottom of why they failed to tell you. Somehow I'm guessing the answer may have something to do with making "their Nerf guns go away forever."

 

I'd be more concerned about the relationship than the incident and I'm not sure that piling on the punishments achieves a whole lot.

 

Sorry you're dealing with this, the "what ifs" must be frightening to think about!