Agreed. I can tell you from experiences in Iraq that I almost shot many kids on various occasions because they would point weapons at us. I would tell them that they should not point weapons at soldiers, those soldiers could shoot back. When soldiers go by wave, but point their toys at the ground so they don't risk getting hurt.Dwootan wrote:Gun Control can be a touchy subject. As a member of the NRA and a former Security Police for the Air Force, I know it can be hard to tell if a weapon is real or fake.
It's still hard. To think of the number of kids that I almost shot and most of them were under 6.
I would like to have comfort in knowing that if I shot someone it was because they were truly a threat. At the same time, I still have to go back and say as parents think about what you're doing and think about what your kids are doing.
I don't let my kids play with my blaster nor my resin BSG pistols, nor my airsoft BSG pistols. Not because I don't think they shouldn't be allowed to play with them, but because I want them to think about gun safety before they do anything. We don't aim guns at each other only light sabre battles. For me, it has nothing to do with the potential of another mistaking her for an armed killer, but that she will respect guns and treat all guns as if they are loaded (except for the two toy jango pistols she has). I have my bullets in a different area than the pistols and rifles, all of which are locked up.
The only thing I couldn't live with more than someone else killing my kids is if I did something to aid in them killing themselves.
I'm not saying this all goes back to parents, but I will say a lot of it has to do with complacency. Parents not being proactive in their childs lives and teaching them that they shouldn't do certain things... My mother was the same way... "just get outside and play" hell, I'm surprised I still have all of my body parts from bb gun wars, bottle rocket wars and other stupid stuff.
I don't want to be that way, I want my kids to know why things are done and why things aren't done.
stepping down now, and remember I'm in no way implying it's all parental faults, but it is still ultimately the parents responsibility for the safety of their children.