# NRA Tells Parents To Keep Guns In Kids’ Rooms For Safety

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nra-tells-parents-to-keep-guns-in-kids-rooms-for-safety/757694>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [June 18, 2016, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nra-tells-parents-to-keep-guns-in-kids-rooms-for-safety/757694 "2016-06-18T15:27:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nra-tells-parents-to-keep-guns-in-kids-rooms-for-safety/757694/101 "2016-06-26T21:00:11Z")

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> [@wolfpup](#):
>
> What exactly is a “responsible 10 year old” in this context? It certainly wasn’t [this one](http://www.kmov.com/story/28421201/deputies-10-year-old-shoots-teen-sister-kills-self). Or [this one](http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/detroit-police-boy-shoots-dad-in-attempt-to-break-up-fight). Or [this one](http://fox17.com/news/local/10-year-old-boy-accidental-shoots-himself-with-parents-gun), either. You would apply the label “responsible” to someone who may still believe in Santa Claus and will have to mature another 15 years before being considered responsible enough to rent a car? Someone who throws temper tantrums and declares that he hates hates hates **hates** his parents for not letting him keep that stray dog? This child should have a gun?

Gun culture is a reality in parts of the US wolfpup. In some states, school holidays are called so kids can go off hunting. Swimming pools, drain cleaner and especially automobiles are pretty hazardous, but they are familiar so people de-weight their risks. Pesticides in food lead to minuscule net risks, but they are unfamiliar so people react badly to it.

The rate of gun accidents among kids isn’t off the charts (though they aren’t small either and Damuri Ajashi’s stats are [likely to be underestimated due to weak reporting by coroners](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/us/children-and-guns-the-hidden-toll.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0) [1]). Personally, I have never owned a gun and have no intention of doing so. I have never had substantial RL contact with gun culture. So I can’t really answer your questions. My main concern is that gun enthusiasts receive lousy safety information from what are essentially pressure groups and propaganda outfits. But the correct sort of safety advice isn’t entirely clear. It needs to be researched and those with familiarity with gun culture would have scientifically relevant insight into the matter.

I don’t doubt that an Australian approach could shift the fatality numbers. But that simply won’t happen in the US. So we’re dealing with half measures, ones whose effectiveness will be dubious without a buy-in from a chunk of the rationalistic gun enthusiast community.  
[1] “A New York Times review of hundreds of child firearm deaths found that accidental shootings occurred roughly twice as often as the records indicate, because of idiosyncrasies in how such deaths are classified by the authorities.”

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