As you probably know or can figure out, Mike and I are not huge fans of guns. We don't own any, and we don't want to own any. We think that assault rifles should be banned, and that people should have to pass at least as many tests (if not more) to own a gun as they have to pass to drive a car. Having said that, we also understand the Bill of Rights, specifically that second item, so it's not like we want to run out and confiscate everyone's guns or anything either.
Most of my family, however (with the exception of my mom), doesn't share our view. They own guns. Lots and lots of guns. They hunt in some cases, and in other cases they simply enjoy collecting them and/or having them on hand should the need arise for them to have to protect themselves. And every fall, they have a shooting party out in my parents' field where clay targets are felled by the dozen and tree stumps are pumped full of lead.
I don't guess I have to tell you that it's a bit of a quandary for us to figure out how we want to talk to the boys about guns. We don't want to take a hard line and say guns are evil, don't ever touch one, they're too dangerous, because we feel like that sets up a situation where the gun becomes the forbidden fruit that they just have to have. The fact is that they live in a state with a high rate of gun ownership. They are part of a family with a high rate of gun ownership. They are going to be around guns probably at multiple points in their lives, so they need to know how they work and how to use (and not use) them.
Enter the shooting party. Once a year, they get to shoot guns with responsible adults all around them. Before that happens, they get a serious talk with their hero Uncle J about gun safety and ground rules. They go over what to do if they ever see a gun at a friend's house or anywhere else. They talk about how the gun works, and they talk about using them with respect and care, and about the damage you can do if you are careless.
And then they get to shoot. There are all manner of guns there, so they get to try out all different kinds. This year, Liam really showed an aptitude for hitting the clay targets using my sister's rifle. He hit more than half of his targets. I tried, but hit zero of mine. Too hard to aim while those things are flying through the air! Mike and I both managed to hit the stump with my brother's Henry AR-7 survival rifle (it breaks down and stores inside of its own stock, which is sort of terrifyingly efficient). Even Henry got in on the action, with my brother guiding him.
So the hope is that we give them just enough access to guns to satisfy their curiosity, and we talk to them about our viewpoints, and someday they will develop reasonable positions of their own. Like everything else in parenting, it's a gamble, and we might not have gotten the balance right, but this is the best we could come up with. We'll let you know how it works out for us.
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