KenK,

Just wanted to elaborate a little on your point.

<< SOAP BOX MODE ON >>

I can understand your concern, and for those who choose to own firearms and not exercise due diligence with them with their families, I would say your advice may be the most relevent.

In my opinion, anyone who is going to own a firearm ought to take the time to make sure the whole family knows what they are about, how to use them, and get them intently involved in their upkeep and maintenance. I am not advocating that you hand your magnum over to your toddler and try and show him what it is all about. Rather, take the lad out to the range with you, have him witness you shooting the thing, put it where he can't get at it until he is old enough to get into just about anything in the house. Make him clean the thing. When he is big enough to hold onto it, have him shoot the thing (assisted if need be). As he gets older, make him use the thing regularly, even if just for target practice, cleaning it after every session.

We've had firearms in our society since it first began. 9 year old kids were required to go out and fetch dinner with them. They were kept loaded and ready to use by the front door or over the fireplace mantle, in easy access. Heck, folks were even expected to bring them to Sunday service every week.

When I was 5 years old, I was fascinated with Grandad's guns. One day he took me with him for target practice. He let me shoot his big 20 gauge shotgun. It hurt, both my shoulder and my ears. Afterwards he showed me how to clean it up, and we repeated this several times that summer. At the end of that time, I was no longer fascinated with them, and had quit asking to go shooting because it took too long to clean the guns up when we got back home before we could eat dinner. That was how I was raised. That is quite similar to how I raised my girls. I kept loaded guns in the house, not necessarily in plain view, but the girls always knew where at least a couple were kept easily accessible. They never had the gumption to do anything with them, and they never let any friends or family mess with them. They grew up to be good shooters and are becoming hunter education instructors for the state when they reach eligible age. My oldest is pursuing a career in law enforcement, my youngest intends to become an attorney (only if she gets those grades of hers up more).

That's just me. From a survival perspective, I can't see the point of owning a self defense firearm that I am not going to keep loaded. I also don't abide having a useful tool that my children are prohibited from using only because I haven't taken the time to properly train them on it. My hunting rifles and such need not be loaded and accessible. But by God, my pistols better be handy and ready to go, otherwise what's the point of even having one? If five generations have been able to do it, I reckon I shouldn't shirk the responsibility myself.

For the unprepared, I think your soapbox statement is absolutely on the money.

It would be interesting to see the expression on the face of an invader holding me unarmed at knife/gunpoint just after one of my daughters plugged him with my 45. Not something I would ever look forward to, but am prepared for.

FWIW, I too had a friend in jr high (we shared a locker together), who did the same. It was a tough day having to clean all his stuff out of the locker. The worst was knowing that what he'd done I could've prevented if I had been there that day with him. I always supervised my kids with all gun handling until they were old enough I could trust them with it(when they were old enough to drive, theywere old enough to handle other equally dangerous tools). My friend was not old enough, and should not have been allowed independent manipulation with any firearm.

<< SOAP BOX MODE OFF >>

Also, the statement that using pepper spray may avoid the loss of life; logically, the use of pepper spray may evoke an otherwise avoidable lethal attack in retribution. Actively defending against an attack can escalate the confrontation as often as diffuse it, regardless of the non-lethal methods used.