Hey, once and inbred hillbilly, always an inbread hillbilly. My aunt married an outdoorsy type. The type that goes illegal deer hunting by flashing the poor bastards with his multiple megawatt headlights. “Caught like a dear in the headlights”. That’s him. So anyway, the kids actually trick mom into going to see toys and end up in the gun section. For them, guns are cool playtoys. Hell, on the other side of toys is usually electronics. Maybe they’re trying for both markets?
Um, okay. Even though around where I am, the guns and toys have some fishing and team-sporting goods in-between, but anyway.
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If they sell toy guns anyway, what difference does it make that a kid sees a real gun?
Where would you have them put the gun counter in Wal-Mart so that children would not be able to see it? Wal-Mart wants it along a wide isle, without tall shelves obstructing the view of it all around for security purposes (to allow video-camera monitoring).
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The toy section covers most of one corner of the store, only a small section of it borders the gun section.
Between most of the toys and the guns there is a section for camping acting as a buffer.
And while the paintball guns and bb guns are not exactly high powered they’re only a few feet away from the rifles and shotguns.
Doug, I don’t know about you, but the safety issues and having the kids right next to firearms when they don’t have to be seems like a risk that doesn’t have to exist. I’m not saying “lets make huge walls… and maybe a moat.” I’m saying why not just move the kids section several isles away? Put gardening or motor oil between the two.
I’m normally quite liberal on gun control issues, but this isn’t an issue of rights, its an issue of… well… basic knowledge that this is a risk. There really isn’t a worse section to have it border.
Firearms simply shouldn’t be put in a place where they could pose a greater risk than if they were placed somewhere else in a store.
Sorry for being so obtuse in my thinking, but I ain’t with ya on this one. How is a location, any location, going to make the firearms section any more or less safe? Do you mean to say that if the guns are moved to a different location that they will somehow pose less risk? Perhaps you are trying to say that kids shouldn’t be exposed to the sight of firearms, and I’ll agree to that one; but how would the kids be more “at risk” than shoppers of other ages who will be right there in the same aisles as the guns? Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not trying to say you’re wrong - just that I don’t follow your reasoning.
Geez, people, it’s not like there’s guns and ammo lying loose on the counters. Every shop I’ve ever seen with guns have them locked up, chained down, and sometimes both. There’s always staff keeping an eye on things.
And, yes, I do think it’s appropriate to keep paintball guns, BB guns, and archery supplies all in the same area. They are weapons, yes? Even if used for recreational purposes. If you have all of that in the same spot it’s easier to watch and supervise.
In my local Wal-Mart there is also the camping gear between the guns and the toys.
Firearms should not be treated lightly. But the idea that there’s something wrong with a kid just seeing a gun is a little over the top. What do you teach your kids? “Timmy, there’s this thing called a “gun” that I want you to never, ever go near or touch. No, I can’t show you what one looks like - that might upset you. You’ll just have to figure out what it is the first time you see one.”
Around these parts, it’s not unusual to find a 12 year old being taught how to handle a rifle, hunting with the parents, and being taughter proper gun safety. As long as the parents have things under control I don’t have a problem with that.
Well, yeah, Broomstick - that’s what I was trying to tactfully convey. The sight of something that I regard as a tool isn’t abhorrent to most folks, but if that’s how some people feel, then they should be allowed to teach their children that the sight is scary. My problem is the concept that moving something to a different part of the store will somehow render the tools more safe, or more rational, or more humane, or… something.
I guess it’s not as if there are people walking around the sporting goods section offering customers “samples” of guns and whatnot, like hors d’oevurs.
“Pardon me, madam, would you like to try our Walther PPK?”
Broomstick, I actually am very much for gun safety education… I mentioned above I used to teach gun safety to children.
I’m not opposed to children seeing guns. I’m just saying that it would be less risky all in all for there to be another section between the two. It wouldn’t harm anyone to do so, and if I’m wrong it would simply cause no change in the amount of safety, not less.
But seriously, should a kid have to move aside the paintball gun to reach their elmo toy?
Contrary to what you may hear, guns are not evil, they are tools with legitimate uses. There is nothing wrong with allowing children to see them. I would say that it would be a good thing for children to see them, so they are somewhat demystified.
Now if the dildo’s were next to the children’s toys maybe we can talk.
Dan brings up a good point. I’m sure they’d never let the toy section be next to, say, the bra section even though it’d be hard to kill one’s self with a bra.
I fail to grasp your line of reasoning. Putting the guns in another section of the store increases safety… how? Seriously, how does that make anything “more safe”?
P.A., I believe there is increased risk compared to having the toy section border ANY other section in the store.
You can purchase ammo there. Small and very explosive objects are being passed over the counter to presumably well trained members of the public, just a few feet away from toys.
And also, nothing looks more like a gumball than a paintball.
Like I said before, I’m not an anti-gun person by any means. I’m just a pro-safety person.