I’m going to echo some posters on this thread and report that I grew up in rural Pennsylvania where we got the first couple of days of deer season off from school, since there would have been no boys in attendance anyway. My father taught me to shoot when I was 9, got my first shotgun and deer rifle when I was 12 and old enough to hunt (still own both), and gun culture was simply a part of life. My father had a revolver in his nightstand, and all 5 of us kids knew where it was and to respect what a potentially deadly instrument it was. (I still have that gun too, a very valuable Ruger .22). My point is, I grew up understanding about guns, and they held no mystery for me or my 4 siblings, and I was no more likely to play with the guns inappropriately than I was to steal the keys to the car and take it for a littel spin. (Activity equally as deadly as playing with a gun)
The Problem is not the guns it’s PARENTING. My parents did a good job raising us. Many parents do not. I can tell you from experience working in a child psychiatry ward, without ecxeption EVERY inpatient on that ward came from a screwed up family situation. I would estimate that >50% of all kids on ritalin come from a disordered family. Trust me, if these kids want to hurt themselves or someone else they will find a way to do it whether guns are available or not.
Oh, and poorgradstudent, handguns can be used for so much more than protection/killing people. This is simply you applying your value system to something in which you have no interest. I like to use an analogy of differnt types of automobile. A KIA Rio will perform the identical transportation function as a Porsche 911. You may choose to drive one or the other for your own reasons, but if you choose the Porsche, how do you feel about the KIA driver asking for government mandated restriction to <100 HP? There is no difference when applied to handguns or assualt rifles. I can tell you, the most fun I've had with my clothes on has been while firing a full-auto machine gun at a target range. I'm not dissing you for your personal choice, but don't diss me for mine.
This is really a crazy topic for a housing blog, but I had to respond as this topic always gets my blood pressure up a little bit. Guns are part of our culture. That is not going to change any time soon. If you try to outlaw guns you will make me a criminal.
