Gun talks prior to play dates

[Erik_Pakieser]

I tell anyone with kids (my friends, my kid's friend's parents, etc) that I do a lot of woodworking and I've got a lot of sharp-edged tools around the house. I ask them to please call ahead rather than drop in unexpectedly so I can make sure my tools are put away.

I've taught my kid not to touch guns he or others find. If he's at a friend's house and the kid gets a gun w/o parents present, he's to leave immediately. He also knows the Four Rules and how to unload most common firearms.

I also am more than wiling to let him look at my guns under my supervision. This prevents guns from being an object of curiosity. If he's at a friend's house and his friend says, "hey, let's check out my Dad's gun" I want him to think, "Big deal, I can see my Dad's guns anytime I want. Let's go ride bikes instead."

[MasonK]

I also am more than wiling to let him look at my guns under my supervision. This prevents guns from being an object of curiosity. If he's at a friend's house and his friend says, "hey, let's check out my Dad's gun" I want him to think, "Big deal, I can see my Dad's guns anytime I want. Let's go ride bikes instead."

THIS ^^^^

My parents never owned firearms, but I had more toy guns than you could shake a stick at so you can bet that real ones were an object of curiosity. My best friend's Dad had a walk-in safe built into his house, so you can guess where I always wanted to go poke around. Needless to say, my friend who got to see and shoot everything in the safe all the time said to me "Big deal, I can see my Dad's guns anytime I want. Let's go ride bikes instead." In time his Dad did let me see them and soon they were no longer a curiosity to me as well.

Now I do the same thing with my young kids and teach them exactly as my friend's Father did with his kids. Teach them well. Teach them young. Continue to reinforce.

As for asking the other parents, I personally don't and they have never asked me. My oldest who plays around the neighborhood knows that guns aren't toys and if you see a real one at a house, she needs to come and tell me or Mom.

[jdege]

Let's go ride bikes instead."

And just ignore the fact that far more kids are run over by cars while riding bikes than are shot in firearms accidents.

[EJSG19]

Let's go ride bikes instead."

And just ignore the fact that far more kids are run over by cars while riding bikes than are shot in firearms accidents.

so you don't let kids ride bikes?

[jdege]

Let's go ride bikes instead."

And just ignore the fact that far more kids are run over by cars while riding bikes than are shot in firearms accidents.

so you don't let kids ride bikes?

No. I'd just put more effort into making sure that my kids knew how to safely operate a bicycle than in whether my neighbor was using trigger locks.

[Holland&Holland]

I always talk guns prior to play dates. Usually, it goes like this:

Me: "What guns are you bringing?"
Them: "I am bring (paraphrase) this really really really cool rare gun that you will never likely ever see again"
Me: "Cool!!!! are you kidding me? If I bring some ammo can I put a few threw it?"
Then: "Sure, hey bring that such and such with you if you would, my son (read son, daughter, girlfreind, wife, or freind) wants to try it"
Me: "OK, I will see you then"

See that is how that goes guys, now carry on.

[Duff-Man]

No. I'd just put more effort into making sure that my kids knew how to safely operate a bicycle than in whether my neighbor was using trigger locks.

Doesn't take a whole lot of effort to ask a question.