# Another "kid gets a hold of parents loaded gun" thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 25, 2010, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727 "2010-05-25T18:32:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/81 "2010-05-26T20:46:40Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > OK, fair enough. I assume all .22s were a certain type. My bad. They’re not. We have a .22 semi-auto rifle. We also have what you might refer to as a [semi-automatic assault whatever](http://www.rguns.net/Graphics/Rifles/semi/AR/CompleteRifles/DPMS-M4Rifle-QuadRail-400.gif) (not my photo, but it’s close), the ownership of which I don’t feel I have to “justify” anymore than I have to justify having the .22, or any other weapon I choose to possess. I also have a seven year old. > [@](#): > > You are correct- the criminally negligent parenting of leaving a loaded gun available to a young child is, and remains, my point. The ignorance comment was perhaps a bit harsh (I am also pregnant and thus more easily provoked/more emotional than usual; sorry) but my point is, leaving a hot weapon in easy reach of a child is stupid, full stop. The .223, while it looks scary and dangerous, poses no greater risk than the .22 or a handgun or whatever. A three year old getting shot with a BB gun can be deadly. A weapon is a weapon is a weapon and there shouldn’t be any distinction with regards to issues of safety and children. I didn’t like your comment that “\*t was a .22, not a semi-automatic assault gun (or whatever)” as if leaving a .22 out and ready to fire is somehow more acceptable than leaving out what is simply a bigger rifle. It seems now that your feeling is that a .22 is more socially acceptable to OWN (which is probably true and more than a little ridiculous, but rather beside the point), hence your comment. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/82 "2010-05-26T21:02:52Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Do you remember all that stuff your mother told you not to do because you’d put your eye out? Did you do it anyway? Yeah, I thought so. No, not really. Some kids listen. I didn’t really get rebellious until my mid-teens. And you’re right, saying that if the parents had properly instructed the boy then the shooting would never have happened is ridiculous. I must have mentally inserted a “maybe” in there. My post still stands: Properly instructing kids on the storage, handling, use, etc. of firearms and working to remove the mystery and the “cool” factor can go a long way toward preventing weapons-related accidental injury/death. Of course, instructing your kids “no touchy!” or whatever should never be the ONLY safety measure. These parents failed either way, but it doesn’t seem, from what little information we have, that this kid (or the parents, really) knew very much about gun safety at all. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/83 "2010-05-26T21:26:02Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Yeah, well, some parents also don’t want their kids immunized or taught sex ed. Tough shit. I’d never even thought about this before, but now that you’ve brought it up, I think that gun safety would be a great thing to teach in schools. Yeah, sure. [**Here’s a perfect illustration**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am-Qdx6vky0). ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/84 "2010-05-26T21:33:51Z")
> [@RedFury](#): > > Yeah, sure. [**Here’s a perfect illustration**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am-Qdx6vky0). I, like many posters here, can’t get to YouTube at work. So please summarize if you actually want a reply. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/85 "2010-05-26T21:36:41Z")
> [@RedFury](#): > > Yeah, sure. [**Here’s a perfect illustration**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am-Qdx6vky0). I think **Anaamika** spoke too soon, because it seems that people are determined to ignore anything that I have said and piss me off. So, rather than do that, I’ll quote myself _yet again_ for the benefit of people who want to comment but don’t want to read: > [@](#): > > The NRA does something called the Eddie Eagle program, which does go to schools if they are invited. **No guns are brought to the school, no incompetent DEA agents are involved, it’s straight education on what to do if you find a gun**. I think that schools could do the same thing at negligible cost. Bolding mine, mostly to point out that I had anticipated someone bringing up [Lee Paige](http://www.thegunzone.com/mos/dea-nd.html), the “subject” of that video. I’m either too clever for my own good or people are just ignoring me in their zeal to chime in. One is annoying, the other is insulting. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/86 "2010-05-26T21:40:17Z")
[Snopes link](http://snopes.com/photos/accident/gunsafety.asp) that describes the video for those who can’t view it. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/87 "2010-05-26T21:50:47Z")
> [@RedFury](#): > > Yeah, sure. [**Here’s a perfect illustration**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am-Qdx6vky0). > [@Silver\_Fire](#): > > [Snopes link](http://snopes.com/photos/accident/gunsafety.asp) that describes the video for those who can’t view it. \*Excellent \*point, **RedFury**. Maybe next you can explain that we shouldn’t have sex ed because it would involve the teachers fucking in the front of the classroom. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/88 "2010-05-26T21:53:10Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > \*Excellent \*point, **RedFury**. Maybe next you can explain that we shouldn’t have sex ed because it would involve the teachers fucking in the front of the classroom. :rolleyes: Right. Because you like cookies I’m sending you a brick under the door. :rolleyes: And here’s an extra one free of charge: :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/89 "2010-05-26T21:56:30Z")
Honeyplease. Do you see anyone here who’s said that gun safety lectures in schools need to or even should involve live weapons? Oh, no, that’s right, you don’t. You fucking retard. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/90 "2010-05-26T22:00:16Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Honeyplease. Do you see anyone here who’s said that gun safety lectures in schools need to or even should involve live weapons? > > Oh, no, that’s right, you don’t. You fucking retard. On no! I’m a fucking retard 'cuase I’m not afraid to leave my house w/out a penile extension! That’s it. You win The Internets! ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/91 "2010-05-26T22:07:27Z")
> [@RedFury](#): > > …'cuase I’m not afraid to leave my house w/out a penile extension! How unfortunate. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/92 "2010-05-26T22:13:14Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > How unfortunate. Not really. Unlike yourself I’m not into gaping twats. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/93 "2010-05-26T22:14:58Z")
I’m pretty pissed about a kid dying because of irresponsible parenting. If you’re irresponsible, don’t have kids or guns. And definitely don’t combine them. > [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I think this is the worst educational idea I’ve ever heard. Just what every school needs – an armory. > > Wanna be ‘safer’ and not store guns at school? Sure! Kids, bring your guns in from home. > > “Little Ricky, you’ve been bad and you’re going to have to go and sit in detention class after school. But first, let’s practice cleaning that Remington shotgun.” As already stated – teachers don’t have sex or expose themselves in order to teach sex Ed. There doesn’t need to be live firearms in order to teach gun safety. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > The common definition I’ve heard is that as originally planned, these were designed to use an intermediate cartridge (e.g. effective against humans but smaller than WWII-style rounds like .30-06) and has a detachable magazine. With “assault-style” semi-auto rifles in the US, some people use the term for both, while others insist that they need to be select fire (full/semi-auto). > > Now that you can get other calibers like .22, with the GSG offerings, or even convert your .223 AR15 to a .22 with a simple upper receiver change, the term has become more flexible. I don’t know what the common definition is, but the correct definition is a selective fire (which means it has either a full auto or 3 hot burst option), intermediate caliber (meaning, .223 or in that range) rifle (for “assault rifle”). Anything other than that is incorrect, and fear mongering. There is no flexibility in that definition, it’s a military term derived from sturm (storm), in German, meaning assault. > [@muldoonthief](#): > > That’s “bayonet lugnut”. At least according to the liberal media. with the shoulder thing that goes up?!?! > [@RedFury](#): > > On no! I’m a fucking retard 'cuase I’m not afraid to leave my house w/out a penile extension! > > That’s it. You win The Internets! You really are a moron, aren’t you? ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/94 "2010-05-26T22:43:09Z")
If not sharing your Gun Culture bullshit makes me a moron, glad to be one. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/95 "2010-05-26T23:01:30Z")
> [@pope\_hentai](#): > > If the parents would have PROPERLY taught the 8yr old about gun safety, it wouldn’t have happened either. Gun issues aside, this is not how safety works. The way to achieve genuine safety is to eliminate the possibility of error. That’s how all workplace safety works, how all home safety works, how everything safety works. Training is great but elimination of risk is better. If you do not want children accidentally discharging guns, the safest approach is to make it physically impossible for children to touch the guns. Teaching them not to fire guns is a vastly less safe alternative (of course, both is better) because you can teach someone anything you want but _it’s still possible to make errors if the loaded gun is available._ If you teach Junior how to handle the .22, you lower (maybe; there’s an argument to the contrary, but never mind) the chance of an accidental shooting. If you get rid of the .22, you eliminate the risk. Hell,\*\* that’s why guns have safeties.\*\* You wouldn’t say “Well, they shouldn’t other putting a safety on a firearm; we should just teach people not to pull the trigger at the wrong time.” It’s obvious that the best way to prevent accidental trigger-pulling once the gun is being handled is to put a mechanism on the gun that makes it impossible to pull the trigger. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/96 "2010-05-26T23:07:48Z")
> [@RedFury](#): > > Not really. Unlike yourself I’m not into gaping twats. Are you going to stand behind that statement? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/97 "2010-05-26T23:09:33Z")
> [@RedFury](#): > > If not sharing your Gun Culture bullshit makes me a moron, glad to be one. There’s ‘not sharing gun culture’ and ‘not being a total douchetard about it’. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/98 "2010-05-26T23:10:49Z")
> [@RedFury](#): > > If not sharing your Gun Culture bullshit makes me a moron, glad to be one. Nope. Not wanting to educate people about common elements in a sometimes dangerous world makes you a moron. ---
**Author:** ![FE3O4ENAIL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba9def/32.png) [@FE3O4ENAIL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FE3O4ENAIL)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/99 "2010-05-26T23:20:17Z")
Another nitpick. Full auto firearms can legally be owned privately by regular people ( in 45 states) willing to pay the fees and follow the needed paperwork. ---
**Author:** ![FE3O4ENAIL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba9def/32.png) [@FE3O4ENAIL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FE3O4ENAIL)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727/100 "2010-05-26T23:25:16Z")
More fun facts: You got your sub-machine guns which fire a pistol round- Uzi 9mm, Tommy gun .45 acp. Then you step up to battle rifles, select fire guns which use rifle rounds, M14, G3, M16, L1A1, etc. "Real’ machine guns are belt fed, not magazine fed, and are mounted on a tripod, not shoulder fired. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-kid-gets-a-hold-of-parents-loaded-gun-thread/540727.md?page=6)