I wonder how I did it? Four boys and one girl. three loaded revolvers scattered about the home. Kids knew where they were and were taught the rules and they obeyed them to the letter.

Spent hours in the mountains and on the range with my kids.

No mishaps. Not one....

well said Suz..... also you get a kid with ADHD etc where thier brain isnt quite wired right and rules change...and thats just the tip of the iceberge.
no different to why we have such a bad roll toll with teenage drivers......as Nigel Latter puts it "the problem with teenagers is they are fundamentally not right in the head,the good news is they grow out of it"
here in Kiwiland we arent allowed to give an errant child a boot up the arse if they are over the line/straying from right or even being downright obnoxious.
so they KNOW they can do whatever the heck they want and you physically cannot stop them without facing concequenses from the law....been there done that and are still picking up the pieces.
we live in troubles times where the catch cry of youth isnt "make love not war" etc etc
its a simple "me me me me me me me me me me me now now now now now now me me me me me"
so Im happy to cover my arse any way I can.

A very good point Suz. No amount of training will necessarily overcome a kids/teenagers impulsive emotions...been there, done that. However, having said that, there is no excuse for not teaching a youngun' right from wrong and good safe firearms practices and habits. I think it also helps to take them out hunting so they can see first hand the results of a bullet strike on flesh...it's not always pretty as we well know.

I believe that if you want to have a firearm handy for self defence in the home you either keep it on you or ensure that it cannot simply be picked up and fired by anybody...a trigger lock is great with the key kept away from the kids.

Same problem over here Elvis. You smack your child and the Police can charge you with assault, and there are far too many do-gooders out there that are quick to call the Police (been there done that too).

Anyway, this is high jacking TwoSeventy's post...sorry mate.

Well, all I can say is that if my kids got mad at someone they would fight or talk it out but they never once went for a gun. Guns were not instruments of anger, they were tools that were used under only certain circumstances, and they knew that. Besides by the time they had cleared the gun it would have made no sense to load it. It was a ritual, clearing the gun was the first step. They never thought that they could pick up a gun without first making it safe.

I always had guns around me when I was growing up and never once gave it a thought to use one against someone, but I also had condoms......so that kept me outa trouble....or...that kept me goin for.....well, it's confusing now.....I'm sure there's a coordinated thought there....can't put my finger.....on it but I would always reach out for a condom if it was offered, and I had lots of them, maybe that's where I hid the bullets?....I dunno sumpthins foggy bout that.

Actually I did have a thought about using a gun against someone, but I had the sense not to go for it. I think you just have to have the moral upbringing and fear of doing wrong. Some people have no conscience about killing and some people do.

Oh I just thought of something you can teach that child about shooting someone, tell them you can't shoot something you don't intend to eat.


Suz
never ate
an arm

I look at it like this....the sharp knives are kept in a knife block up on the back of the bench....now I dont believe any of you would leave them down on a coffee table where a youngun could get a hold of them so why oh why would you treat a loaded firearm any different?????
matches or lighters or the axe or a bear/possum/otter trap for that matter.
they are all nutreul objects that when used as intended can cause a great deal of harm.

A kid can get at anything - I lived that!
If you teach a child a habit that becomes the default behavior. They lose interest in things that are available.