Do You Keep a Gun in Your Home?

Wefwjnegjjw

Wed, 2010-03-03 17:35

Before I met my husband... I was very anti-gun. Mostly because I had no experience around them and had never been taught to use or respect them.

My husband is in the Army and a proud card carrying member of the NRA and a gun owner. I told him that I would never allow a gun in my home, ever. But as time went on, a conversation begun with my husband & myself about guns. He showed me how to be responsible with the gun, how to secure it and keep it safe and how he was raised to know how to use them. My husband carries a gun for his work. He uses it to protect himself. If anyone knows how to use one, keep themself safe, keep others safe, it's him. I began to change my mind about guns. I began to see that I needed to respect my husband, his job, and his desire to have a gun.

He keeps his securely locked up, in the garage, and only takes it out to clean it or take it to the range. Bullets are not kept anywhere near the gun. Our daughter knows there is a gun, but she does not know where it is. Those were my compromises.

When he gets home from his 2nd tour in Iraq... he will teach me further about his gun, how to use it and even how to shoot it. I am scared... but I believe it's an important thing to know, to learn and to respect. I can't be ignorant forever. I'd rather at least know, be educated about the gun... than be blind and clueless.

I still am not a fan of them.... but being married to the man I am, I have changed my perspective.

Fri, 2009-11-06 10:08

Totally agree with Maggie on the self defense argument. If your weapon is accessible enough for you to use it in self defense, then it's accessible enough for your children to use it.

No guns in our house. Ever. And it's the first question I ask other parents when sleepovers happen: Do you have a firearm in your home, and if so, can I see where and how it's stored? My brother-in-law hunts (for food, which I think is fine although it's not something my big bad vegetarian self will ever be terribly enthusiastic about) and the very first I said to my sister when the kids were going to spend the night at her house was "Where are the guns?" Protecting my children is my number one job. Guns threaten, not enhance my ability to do that.

Sat, 2009-10-31 19:52

YES! Guns are part of america. I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I carry concealed everywhere I go and have loaded weapons in my house. I know too many people who have survived dangerous situations just because their attacker knew that they were armed. If you think im paraniod maybe you should go take a beginners handgun safety class. My guess is that all of you who are anti-gun really dont know anything about guns other than what you saw in a movie. Go take a class and take the time to learn about the respect and value that gun owners have for their guns and the powers that they posess.

When someone intrudes my property or threatens my family, I wont be left helpless..

Fri, 2009-10-16 10:59

" I just got back from the UK where they have very strict gun control laws, but it doesn't seem to keep criminals from shooting each other. Maybe because criminals don't care about laws?"

I feel that I should respond to this because I'm English. We do have very, very strict gun control laws in this country. In 2006-07 we had 59 firearms related deaths in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Our population is around 60 million. Personally I think those figures indicate that there's a very good argument for gun control because I live in a country where accidental death as a result of gun ownership never happens. A criminal with intent can get hold of a gun but that kind of person is always going to find a way to harm other people and honestly they can shoot each other, they tend to save their bullets for each other in this country because those bullets are difficult to get hold of. Poor gun control makes it easier for criminals to get guns and ammunition and they will use them to shoot any victim.

What astounds me about people who don't go for gun control is the trust that people have in each other. It only takes one person with a violent mental illness to get hold of a gun and a lot of innocent people are dead and that's far more likely to happen in a country where everyone has a right to bear arms. The assumption that anyone with access to a gun is rational doesn't seem very self-protective to me.

Mon, 2009-10-05 02:51

I'm with Dana (as usual). I have a concealed carry permit and believe I should be able to defend myself and my children. It would be wonderful if defense classes were enough, but really? Can you defend yourself AGAINST an intruder with a gun?

Mon, 2009-09-21 21:10

This is a hard subject for me.

I grew up in West Virginia which is a big pro-firearm state. I come from a family of hunters (if it walks on four legs or flies you can eat it was the motto growing up). My father and brother are both card carrying members of the NRA. My brother who has 2 young children ages 8 and 10 has a plethera of guns (locked up) in his home. His son has been hunting with him since he was 4. He got a BB Gun for his 5th birthday. They are very strict about the firearms and how they are used. They have thought me when i was younger and now my brother with his children when, where, why, and how to use guns. They have all taken safety courses and have permits.

Despite all of this i am no gun fan.

I am not against hunting for food but i am against hunting for sport. If we are going to kill it then it needs to be eaten not wasted. With so many people starving in the world i ifnd it disgusting to kill animals just for a trophy on a wall.

I also do not allow guns in my home. My kids for that matter are not even allowed to play with toy guns. In the few instances where my children have played with toy guns (usually water guns at a party) we have discussed the improtance of never pointing a gun at another human unless for the proper reasons (protection). My kids do know about hunting and have discussed with us many time the difference between hunting food food and sport. They understand (to the best of their age ability) where meat comes from and how it is gotten in some instances.

I truly believe that if you have a gun in your home it is your personal responsibility to educate your children about the saftey rules of guns. It is a personal decision in the end and what ever is comfortable to your family will usually win out.

Fri, 2009-08-28 07:24

Those stats aren't correct Janedoe. In fact, they read like you copied and pasted from a biased article - I'm pretty sure from one who supports gun use....hmmm....

Can you show your sources please? If you look at the international crime database the statistics there differ greatly from the ones you've mentioned here.

Also guns were never "banned" in the UK, what was never accepted in the first place can't be banned. We have never had them as common place here as they are in the US - FACT. Therefore, there never has been a need to have them banned.

Violent crime rates in the UK have actually reduced in the past 5 years interestingly enough.

Mon, 2009-07-27 02:06

To the previous comment:

I live in England. And although knife crime and fights do happen here, statistically violent crime and gun death is lower in England than in the US.

Yes, there are incidents where people beat and kick people to death and also knife crime but that also happens in the US. And it does take a certain amount of rage to actually kick someone to death. Whereas anyone can pull the trigger in a moment of panic.

Most people (me included) would be more likely to pull the trigger than kick or knife someone to death.

Finally, police officers here DO NOT carry guns and it is extremely rare for an officer to be shot and/or killed. In fact, our incidents of police deaths are very, very low. And incidents of police officers "accidentally" shooting others is pretty minute.

What we do have is a lot of stupid drunk people starting fights b/c they have nothing better to do - violent deaths, however, are low. England should really apply the same anti-loitering laws as the US and the public drunkeness would be reduced as well.

I also lived in Miami for many years and I'll add that once we called the police out because we thought there was a burglar in the back yard (big mistake).

Three police officers barged into the house with guns pulled. My 3 y/o son ran out of the bedroom to see what was going on and the guns were pointed at him.

Needless to say I would never actually call the police ever again unless I knew for sure I was under threat - And I never expected them to barge in guns drawn.

Now that we're back in England I don't ever feel threatened. My children can ride their bikes and walk down the street without any worries. And I most certainly wouldn't ever call the police unless I was about to die because they are pretty useless with their respond times - I guess too busy molly-cuddling binge drinkers.... good thing violent crime is low then...

There are problems in every country but having lived in both the US and UK I can say from experience and also statistical research that the incidents of crazy type crimes (someone pulling out a gun at a mall and shooting randomly, for example) are much higher in the US than in the UK. I would actually be quite shocked to see it happen here. I'm sure the difference is due to our strict gun control laws.

Sure guns don't kill people, people kill people - but there are are a lot of stupid/crazy people out there - thank goodness here in the UK most can't get their hands on guns.

Wed, 2009-07-22 01:55

I am as liberal as they come and I thought I would never dear god ever own a gun...they are nasty and scary and cause death. Period. And then I went to a week long conference for work on ecology. One of the things we had sessions on was park services (and rangers and culling populations of deer) represent western PA

The rangers taught us all the safety and had us fire both hand guns and shot guns...and what do you know I was a natural...within thirty minutes I had a ring of seasoned firearms experts standing around me and by the end of our little outing I had mastered using a 12 gauge pump action to hit two discs in one pull. My husband, who is from the very most southern tip WV had a grand old time with this one since I had previously been ohmygodgetthosethingsoutofmyhouse. I have since purchased my own gun and won in comps I have entered as an amateur.

I have never used my gun to kill a living thing, it is locked in a gun box in the top of my husband’s LOCKED tool cabinet in the garage when not is use. Our 7th month old will be taught from the get go that guns have to respected, there are rules. It will stay where it is and I will never use it to defend my home because I truly believe it would not help probably only hurt the situation so I guess in the lamest terms I am a gun enthusiast and sportsman.

For as mush as I am pro choice and have a bumper sticker telling the government to “keeps its laws off my body” I can't really believe that I can tell anyone else what they can and can't have in their house. I do believe if you have guns you need to be pro-active about teaching your children about safety (which every single good gun owner I know does and obeys religiously.

But to make an admittedly lame point I also have cars and my daughter will someday drive those cars and I am pretty sure (though at this moment too lazy to google) that more kids and teenagers are killed each year in car accidents (whether it is because their parent is driving, they are driving, or their friend is driving) than are killed by accidental shootings in the home. Think about it you are handing over a 2 ton steel death trap on wheels...does this mean I shouldn't let my daughter drive ever (because I will probably be fine with that too seeing how independent she is already) or does it mean that again I am obligated to teach her right from wrong and make sure she understands how important safety and being responsible is when driving.

Fri, 2009-07-17 04:54

Late to the discussion, but I had to pitch in -

I love how in "Guns vs No Guns" discussions SOMEONE will inevitably bring up England. "Oh, ENGLAND has very strict gun control. Look how few cases of gun violence there are in ENGLAND!"

I'll tell you something: I had the pleasure of living in England for three years. I loved it so much, I happily became a citizen. England is my second home now, but what I will not do is stand by while anti-gun arguments are made based on the "success" of "strict gun control" in European countries like England.

The truth is, gun violence may occur less often in those countries, but what prevails are fatal beatings and stabbings. Those who cannot get guns will simply over power others physically, kick them TO DEATH, or stab them with simple knives from their own kitchens.

I lived in a sleepy mining town where violence was not common. But when it did occur, it was on the high street with knives. I vividly remember reading the local paper one day; on the front page: 60 Year Old Man BEATEN TO DEATH in front of Post Office by Teenagers.

By the admission of many of the panelists, fists make adequate weapons on their own. A statement backed up by the crime statistics of countries where guns are outlawed. If this is true, shouldn't fists then be outlawed as well? If they make such good weapons, why not just cut off everyone's hands and feet?! Why not outlaw knives? How about everything sharp? What about bats? swords? bow and arrows? fireworks?

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE WEAPONS IN THIS WORLD. What is not available legally will either be acquired illegally or replaced by something with the same potential to kill. Controlling guns or proclaiming that they are dangerous is frivolous. Education, awareness, responsibility, and compassion are what matter.

Find out if the adults in the homes of your childrens' friends' have firearms and what their policies are. If you are not satisfied, do not let your children go to their house. If you have firearms in your own home, teach your children about them, lock them up appropriately, do not leave them laying around, and do not count on being able to use the gun during times of duress. Have alternate means of self-defense. One can never have too many tools in their toolbox. Know WHEN to use or reveal your firearm and when NOT to.

I live in Texas now. A 180 from living in England. I love it here. I feel safe even though I never know who's packing. I like it that way, for a lot of reasons, not least of which is the fact that no one knows if I'm packing either. I have the Concealed Carry law to thank for that.

Personally, I don't have a firearm, have never shot a gun, and don't know if I ever will. I am interested in shooting skeet in my spare time. I have eyed up handguns and shotguns at the store with my grandad, a hunter and former army-man; I have talked to my husband about it, who is interested in owning and learning to use a handgun. BTW, MY HUSBAND IS ENGLISH.

I know that if we do decide to own and keep firearms within our residence (or possibly even on our bodies) we will continually educate ourselves, our future children, and act responsibly while handling, using, and storing them. I believe that gun ownership is a RIGHT of all US Citizens, however I believe that right should be treated like a privilege. Gun owners, by default of their firearm's power, hold the lives of those around them in their hands. Therefore, it is a privilege and they should act accordingly. Just as Doctors hold the lives of their patients in their hands and swear an oath to do no harm, so too should gun owners. Acting responsibly in the presence and possession of firearms makes up the foundation of that oath.

I believe that most gun owners take that oath and treat it with a great deal of respect. However, it is ultimately up to you, for yourself and on behalf of your children, to decide when and if you will be in the company of those that own guns. If child-related gun violence occurs most within environments the child is familiar with, you have the responsibility to control your child's access to those environments which contain firearms.

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PS: Maybe Dana is "the token Righty" (I don't know) but I don't think its fair that Rebecca paints this as a Right vs Left issue. I support gun ownership wholeheartedly but I'm a Card-Carrying Democrat too.

Thu, 2009-07-16 00:20

I have to agree with Dana here. We own several guns, proudly. I believe that there is a reason that we have a Right to Bear Arms, in part to protect us from a corrupt government. To give up all of our gun rights would be, well ...crazy to me. Education is the key to safety with guns in the home. And I have to say that self defense may not come in very handy if your attacker has a weapon. Then again, if your guns are properly locked away, you may not be able to get to them anyway. As far as self-defense goes, I believe you may need a combination of self-defense and gun/weapon (and even then there is no guarentee that you will fare well).

We don't own guns solely for self-defense purposes. My husband, and his father, and his father's father- all hunters. I'm not much of a hunter myself, but I do eat meat so....

Wed, 2009-07-01 02:59