Submitted by: Joseph Grisafi Jr
CHILDREN AND GUNS DO MIX: STIR CAREFULLY
Potential concealed license customers have said to me that they are concerned about having guns in their home because they have children. They feel that they do not have enough experience and knowledge to teach them about guns and gun safety.
They knew it was their responsibility to teach their children but were either unsure about how to do it or didn’t want the responsibility. This mindset left the family at risk. I consider the liberal agenda and the media to blame. In no way could I convince them that with proper training they should have no problem. Brainwashing had been done. I explained that with training they could than pass this knowledge onto family members. Allow me to explain my stance to parents who are apprehensive, justifiably so, regarding this very important topic.
First, let me ask a question. Who made the following statement?
“The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subjected people to carry arms; history shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subjected people to carry arms have prepared their own fall.”
As you know, in early America a firearm was a necessity. It protected the family and put food on the table. It was also used in a ‘call to arms’ if the militia was called in defense of the country from outside aggression.
As Richard Henry Lee stated back in 1787; “To preserve liberty it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them.” Lee was a member of the First Continental Congress and introduced a resolution which may sound familiar. It stated; for declaring independence “that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown.”
Why does increased violence go hand-in-hand with gun control laws? The reason is that disarmed people make easy targets. As the experience of New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities with severe restrictions on guns demonstrates, banning guns disarms only the law-abiding, not the predator. When you disarm peaceful citizens, crime and violence explode. When was the last time you heard of a criminal obeying the law? If he obeyed the law he wouldn’t be a criminal.
In early America children grew up respecting the potential of firearms. Children were around them all the time so they were taught how to use them at a very early age. They knew when and when not to touch them. Everyone in the family was reliant upon each other for the safety and well-being of the family.
Some may say, that was then, this is now. I say, how myopic. The safety and safeguard of our family and country are just as important today as then. You’ve heard about home invasions. You’ve heard about car-jacking. And of course, you know about 9-11. Terrorism has reached our shores. I say again; terrorism has reached our shores.
An old Chinese Proverb says: “If you are thinking a year ahead, sow seed. If you are thinking ten years ahead, plant a tree. If you are thinking one hundred years ahead, educate the people.” We need to educate our children.
“Young child critically wounded in the home.”
“Six year old killed with father’s gun.”
“Local boy accidentally shoots brother.”
We read such headlines in the paper often enough to cause us serious concerns about keeping guns in the home were children are present. Children are naturally curious. It is the curiosity or “mystery” that must be removed. Fear and carelessness are fostered through ignorance. Ignorance is at the root of all gun accidents. Remove the myths, and you will remove the ignorance. When not taught properly it is this curiosity that leads to trouble. By teaching our children about firearms and educating them about the Constitution and how firearms fit into the founding of our country, their curiosity will turn into a learning experience. It is better for you to teach your children about guns correctly before they learn incorrectly from a friend or encounter a gun in a neighbor’s home. Do your children have friends whose father is a gun owner? If so, you should be the one who removes the “mystery”. You should be the one to educate your children in the proper use of firearms. Also consider training from a professional.
It also means nurturing and enhancing the culture of responsible gun ownership. Being a good gun rights defender also means being a responsible gun owner and helping to teach responsibility to everyone, particularly to younger generations. Responsibility also means helping our youth learn the truth about the right to keep and bear arms in American history and modern America. As parents, we consider it our responsibility to educate our children concerning the dangers associated with swimming pools, traffic, chemicals, fires and of course guns.
Regarding the above question; it was Adolph Hitler who said it back in 1939. It was his ultimate goal to disarm his subjects. Hitler was a history buff and he knew that he could not rule if his subjects were armed. History would be different if the Jewish people were armed.
Consider these statistics: In 1995 there were a total of 1,400 accidental firearms deaths in the entire country. Thirty involved children up to four years of age and 170 involved five to fourteen year olds. In comparison, 2,900 children died in motor vehicle crashes. 950 children lost their lives from drowning, and over 1,000 children were killed by fire and burns. More children die in bicycle accidents each year than die from all types of firearm accidents. How many of you will stop your children from going swimming? Will you continue to put them in your car? Will you take away their bicycle?
We must understand that we live in an unsafe world. Nothing is safe. Not driving. Not swimming. Not eating. Not owning a gun. You would literally have to eliminate every human activity to eliminate accidental deaths. This is why we teach our children how to take care of themselves.
Over 99.9% of all households with a gun did not experience a fatal firearms accident. Activists exaggerate the number of firearms related deaths among children by more than 500% by counting deaths among persons under the age of 20 as deaths of “children”. Imagine that anyone 20 and under as a child. On one occasion, Handgun Control, Inc. pretended that anyone under the age of 35 was a “child”.
Of course any accident that takes the life of a child is devastating. Parents need to teach their children how to survive in the world. You can tell your child not to touch the stove because it’s “hot” but unless they touch something hot they will not realize the sensation. They will not know what “hot” means. Every day parents teach their children good from bad, right from wrong. This is the responsibility of all parents. In today’s world many parents are not living up to their responsibility.
Often people are most concerned about accidents in the home; thus, they are afraid to keep guns because they are considered unsafe. This is largely a myth. I don’t want to minimize the importance of proper care and handling of firearms. They need to be treated with respect and caution.
So please take these thoughts with you. Listen to the news on TV and read your local newspaper with a grain of salt. Remember, journalists believe that only bad news sells. You never hear about good news. And the good news is, according to John Lott, author of ‘More Guns, Less Crime’, the use of a gun saves more than 2.5 million lives each year.
Thank you for your time and stay safe.
Sources of information can be found in:
“Self-Defense Requires No Apology” by Jan Jones
“More Guns – Less Crime” by John R. Lott Jr.
“The Second Amendment Primer” by Les Adams
“Gun Rights Fact Book” by Alan Gottlieb
Joe’s Biography:
Joe is the owner and manager of Eagle 1 Gunsmithing & Firearms Training in Houston, TX. He is an NRA life member and a certified instructor in five disciplines as well as a concealed handgun license instructor. Joe is a three time graduate of Thunder Ranch and attended Lethal Force Institute for “Judicious Use of Deadly Force” from Massad Ayoob. He is a member of Gun Owners of America, Texas State Rifle Association, the 2nd Amendment Foundation, USPSA/IPSC, The American Gunsmithing Association, The U.S. Concealed Carry Association and the American Radio Relay League (KD5VJW). Joe does his own reloading and especially enjoys long range shooting and teaching his tactical concealed carry class.
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