You are here

Boys and Guns

Shopaholic's picture

Submitted by Shopaholic on Wed, 10/10/2007 - 1:52pm

SS was over at BM's this past weekend, and in dinner conversation he told the family what he did, he said that him and the next door neighbor kid were playing with BB guns. They were shooting the animals in the yard and bottles in the front yard (BM lives in a suburb of the city).

Now with that being said here are my concerns and SS's answers:
- why is SS shooting at animals in the yard?
A: because him and his friend thought it was ok to do and they were bored, but they were shooting at bottles too in the front yard.
- Did they actually hurt any of the animals?
A: yes they hurt 2 one died and the other just bled.
- where was the adults?
A: BM was at work and her husband was inside playing a video game.
- Has SS ever been taught about guns, how to use it, when and why to use it?
A: No but, but BM's husband has guns.

So DH was extremely upset, (of course) with the whole situation he talked to SS regarding the above issues and hopefully they will not re-occur again. DH did talk to BM about it and she said that DH was lying and that the situation never occured, why would DH make up something that drastic plus he hates talking to BM he would never use this as an excuse to talk to her, so I guess she will not be taking any action regarding this issue.

another concern I have is that there is only so much we can do on our end to protect SS, but given that he does go over there EOW what happens when BM is at work and her husband is playing video games and SS gets bored again and this time he does not want to play with BB guns and he wants to use BM's husbands real gun, who will protect him then?

Comments

Riley's picture

Submitted by Riley on Wed, 10/10/2007 - 6:42pm

Yikes! I cannot imagine what anxiety this has caused you guys.

I'm all for gun ownership, but there's laws in place about guns, storage, safety devises, especially when children are living there.

People get real lax about guns until a tragedy happens and then it's too late for all the precautions that could have been taken. For my peace of mind, I would find out what's in place there regarding the guns. I would address it with the BM and the BF and make sure everyone is on the same page, whether they like it or not. That's what I would do.

And if SS is going to pursue this recreation, which your concern is not too absurd if he gets bored again and knows the guns are there, then he needs to be taken to gun safety classes.

Colorado Girl's picture

Submitted by Colorado Girl on Wed, 10/10/2007 - 6:52pm

Are there laws regarding locking up guns when children are living there? I would definitely follow up on that. Boys will be boys when they get bored and sometimes they aren't the most intelligent creatures when it comes to common sense and weapons.

Riley's picture

Submitted by Riley on Wed, 10/10/2007 - 7:22pm

Washington state has the LOK IT UP campaign. While it's not policy; it is supported by community leaders, gun dealers, health advocates, etc. Some states however do require gun locking devises.

Regardless of the laws, I would follow my instincts of concern and address it head-on with the BM and the BF. Who cares if they get offended; this about guns for goodness sake!

Guess I'm not gray about this, am I?

Chocoholic's picture

Submitted by Chocoholic on Wed, 10/10/2007 - 8:19pm

My son does have a BB gun but nothing she said was true. Shopaholic/Jennifer is attempting to even the score now that she has been caught harassing me and is trying to make me look like a bad parent.

look at my post titled "You should all know something" to see the email between Jennifer's dh and I concerning this issue.

My dh is a hunter and has numerous guns all of which are safely locked in a gun safe in our bedroom.
My son does have a bb gun which he does shoot beer cans with.
We are also signing my son up for Gun Safety courses... this year however there is a law that went into effect whereas my son can go hunting and even tote a gun with my licensed dh. One kid per family can shoot with a licensed adult.

I'm sure Jennifer and her dh will literally give birth to cows over that one!
Not because they care for my son's safety (they know he is safe)... but because they are controling and can't stand it when they can't control a situation..

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned"
-Budda

Education would go a long way to making sure nothing bad happens.

The three rules of safe gun handling (or the complete set of 10) will stop problems, if you teach them.

Why is it wrong to shoot animals in the front yard (birds and squirrels)? Why haven't you explained that to SS?

For that matter, what should he do if he finds a gun in the world? It isn't a gun-free zone you know.

What should he do if offered drugs, approached by strangers, or faced with any of the other risks of modern life? You should discuss that with him. I'm not sure, but I think that's called "parenting."