Wii have a shooting.

Chaltab wrote:

Surely even at three years old a child could tell that a real gun wasn't the bright, white-and-blue Wii light gun. Trying to blame the Wii angle on this is idiotic.

I agree there. It sounds like a bad excuse. If you leave any kind of object within a child's reach that looks interesting, of course the kid will want to go over and touch it/stick it in their mouth/wave it around. Blaming it all on a video game peripheral is stupid and so is that man for putting a real gun there in the first place.

Raine wrote:

Chaltab wrote:

Surely even at three years old a child could tell that a real gun wasn't the bright, white-and-blue Wii light gun. Trying to blame the Wii angle on this is idiotic.

I agree there. It sounds like a bad excuse. If you leave any kind of object within a child's reach that looks interesting, of course the kid will want to go over and touch it/stick it in their mouth/wave it around. Blaming it all on a video game peripheral is stupid and so is that man for putting a real gun there in the first place.

Also, three year old's tend to think very literally. It's entirely likely that her father may have left the gun lying out before and that she understood it was for shooting things. Gun daddy uses for shooting things=gun we use to play the game with isn't really that big a stretch, even if it didn't look anything like the Wii gun. To a kid that age, the difference between them would make no difference. Especially if her parents had never taken the time to explain the difference to her.

Reepicheep-chan wrote:

Chaltab wrote:

Surely even at three years old a child could tell that a real gun wasn't the bright, white-and-blue Wii light gun. Trying to blame the Wii angle on this is idiotic.

Yeah, I am confused as to why they are assuming the kid mistook it for the Wii controler in the first place. They look nothing alike, feel nothing alike, weight completely different amounts. I mean, I hate to be callous, but the kid is dead. How the hell do you know what was going through her when she picked up the gun? Why assume it was 'OMG I LUV FPS'?

This accident is tragic, trying to BS this to have something to do with something entirely unrelated for your own agenda is sick. Shame on you, newspapers.

In all fareness, the child confusing the real gun with thr Wii gun claim comes direct from the kids parents and the investigating Sheriff (who presumably, took the parents word)... The papers simply took that and ran with it.

I guess it's easier for them to blame an unknowing child confusing a toy gun with a real gun than come to terms with the fact that they've been criminally irrisponsiable.

Okay, my uncle owns guns. Enough to outfit a militia. And when I was small, my mother and I lived with him and his daughter, who is five years older than me. For safety reasons, he kept all of his guns unloaded and in a locked room. But at the same time, he showed my cousin and I the guns, and taught us how they worked, and even let us fire them. (It knocked me off my feet) So the guns were never a mysterious toy. I understand they were dangerous, like the stove. But this was just a further safety precaution, and like I said, they were kept locked away and unloaded, and he still keeps all ammunition in another lockbox.

So, looking at this story, I'm really forced to put the blame on the dad. He was irresponsible beyond all belief with his gun and he lost his child as a result. This isn't the fault of guns or the Wii (Which was just stupid, really sheriff?), but the fault of a gun owner who wasn't responsible with his firearms. Which sucks, because he paid quite a high price for being so stupid.

Handguns and small children should not be in the same house. Period. I don't care how well you think you've hidden it, they will find it. And they will play with it. And bad things will happen.
And he didn't even hide it, he left it out on the fucking table! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

EileenK98 wrote:

Handguns and small children should not be in the same house. Period. I don't care how well you think you've hidden it, they will find it. And they will play with it. And bad things will happen.
And he didn't even hide it, he left it out on the fucking table! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Actually, I agree with Penguin here... If you are going to be a gun owner, for heaven's sake, don't hide that damn thing... If it's hidden, you can't tell if it has gone missing or not!

Keep it locked up, yes, but keep it locked up in sight!

I don't see why anyone would want to be a gun-owner in the first place.
It would freak me to know there's a gun in my house.

@Eileen: Like I said, safety is a first. My uncle kept his guns locked up, and he kept the ammunition locked up in a box in another part of the house.

@Spoon: My family hunts. We keep guns and bows to hunt with. They're locked up in the gun safe (the arrows too), unloaded, and we keep the ammunition in a lockbox.

spoonhead75 wrote:

I don't see why anyone would want to be a gun-owner in the first place.
It would freak me to know there's a gun in my house.

Sometimes I wake up at night and our gun is staring at me from my bedroom door oh god what do I do

spoonhead75 wrote:

I don't see why anyone would want to be a gun-owner in the first place.

Um, because they like, collect, or use guns regularly? Really, it's not some magical trinket of Pure Evil like the One Ring that's going to consume your soul and turn you into some fiend. It's a tool. A dangerous tool, admittedly, but then, like Lapin said, stoves are likewise potentially dangerous.

spoonhead75 wrote:

It would freak me to know there's a gun in my house.

Uhhh... why? It's not going to poison or kill you just by simply existing or being in the same space with you. Just like with a stove... or heating... or electrical wiring... or a pool... or a potentially dangerous animal like a dog, if you take proper precautions with it, the chances of Bad Things happening are diminished.

Ezri Dax wrote:

The people leaving a loaded gun in reach of a child that young should be prosecuted for child negligence and possibly manslaughter. Common sense would tell you that.

This.

I think it's important also to emphasize to young children that real guns ARE NOT TOYS. Perhaps the girl from this story was a bit too young for that to sink in, but still, as early as possible parents need to make sure children understand not to mess with them.

I know I'm not being logical about this.
Hunting and/or collecting weapons is beyond me. The only thing I could understand is a Bathlet on the wall.

I'm not saying, there's generally anything wrong with it - I just don't understand the fascination with it.

What's freaking me about it is - I suppose - that a gun is made to be shot with.
I wouldn't want anyone to use that thing in my house. Not me, not anyone else.
I don't want to be the owner of a gun that is used outside. Not to shoot deer - nor anything else (=worse).

I just don't like this whole shooting/killing business that comes along with such weapons.

And keeping the collection locked up tight may not be enough. I don't know if any of you have heard about Rober steinhaeuser. his father hunted too - and kept all his weapons safely locked up. And showed his son how to use them safely and stuff.

And then Robert went, got the stuff and shot about 20 people in his school.

No, I'm not convinced that it's really possible to keep weapons safely in a private home.
And therefore I'm not having any in mine.

I feel a lot safer this way.

IF YOU TOUCH A GUN YOU WILL KILL PEOPLE WITH IT

There is one thing to remember here, even if a child knows that guns are dangerous, they're curiosity will get a hold of them and they will play with the gun. Even more so when another child is encouraging them to play with it.

spoonhead75 wrote:

And keeping the collection locked up tight may not be enough. I don't know if any of you have heard about Rober steinhaeuser. his father hunted too - and kept all his weapons safely locked up. And showed his son how to use them safely and stuff.

And then Robert went, got the stuff and shot about 20 people in his school.

The same could be said for knives and household chemicals, therefor we shouldn't let our children help us cook or clean the house. They could use the knife to stab people and make bombs from Mr. Clean! What is wrong with you people, throw that shit out now! Little Jimmy could kill his entire school with chlorine gas! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

spoonhead75 wrote:

I CAN TALK IN CAPTIAL LETTERS, TOO - SO WHAT?

u mad

Dick Powers wrote:

The same could be said for knives and household chemicals, therefor we shouldn't let our children help us cook or clean the house. They could use the knife to stab people and make bombs from Mr. Clean! What is wrong with you people, throw that shit out now! Little Jimmy could kill his entire school with chlorine gas! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

They could make shrapnel bombs from knives AND Mr. Clean!

WD40 wrote:

EileenK98 wrote:

Handguns and small children should not be in the same house. Period. I don't care how well you think you've hidden it, they will find it. And they will play with it. And bad things will happen.
And he didn't even hide it, he left it out on the fucking table! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Actually, I agree with Penguin here... If you are going to be a gun owner, for heaven's sake, don't hide that damn thing... If it's hidden, you can't tell if it has gone missing or not!

Keep it locked up, yes, but keep it locked up in sight!

That, and the fact that kids just find hidden shit. It's a rule.

What you want to do is A: Keep them locked up, and B: Actually show the kids the guns, let them handle them if they want (unloaded of course, and only after making sure they understand the basic safety rules). That way you remove the mystery and fascination with them rather than making them forbidden treasures, and keep them secured just in case.

This should work, unless your child is already a murderous psychopath.

Dick Powers wrote:

The same could be said for knives and household chemicals, therefor we shouldn't let our children help us cook or clean the house. They could use the knife to stab people and make bombs from Mr. Clean!

I'd say stabbing your fellow students and teachers with a knife is a lot less effective and bulding a bomb a lot more difficult than using shooting weapons.

A bloody knife fight doesn't look really cool - and if you throw some sort of bomb, nobody sees you and you miss all the FAME!

I don't know what YOU cook with your children, though - we're doing mostly spaghetti bolognese.
And I don't have any tough chemicals in the house either - mostly, because my kids are small and I don't want them to drink it. AND because I don't think they're healthy if you use them as intended, either. But that's way off topic.

Quote :

This should work, unless your child is already a murderous psychopath.

What if it turns into one at some point and you don't notice?
Say, because your adolescent kid doesn't share all his thoughts with you anymore?

spoonhead75 wrote:

What if it turns into one at some point and you don't notice?
Say, because your adolescent kid doesn't share all his thoughts with you anymore?

Then he's not really a child anymore, is he?

More gun wank than Salvation War, son.

spoonhead75 wrote:

Dick Powers wrote:

The same could be said for knives and household chemicals, therefor we shouldn't let our children help us cook or clean the house. They could use the knife to stab people and make bombs from Mr. Clean!

I'd say stabbing your fellow students and teachers with a knife is a lot less effective and bulding a bomb a lot more difficult than using shooting weapons.

A bloody knife fight doesn't look really cool - and if you throw some sort of bomb, nobody sees you and you miss all the FAME!

I don't know what YOU cook with your children, though - we're doing mostly spaghetti bolognese.
And I don't have any tough chemicals in the house either - mostly, because my kids are small and I don't want them to drink it. AND because I don't think they're healthy if you use them as intended, either. But that's way off topic.

Quote :

This should work, unless your child is already a murderous psychopath.

What if it turns into one at some point and you don't notice?
Say, because your adolescent kid doesn't share all his thoughts with you anymore?

1. How the fuck do you clean your house
2. They're called "teenagers". And if your kid turns into a bloodthirsty murderer you've fucked up as a parent.

Penguin wrote:

spoonhead75 wrote:

What if it turns into one at some point and you don't notice?
Say, because your adolescent kid doesn't share all his thoughts with you anymore?

Then he's not really a child anymore, is he?

No, he isn't. But a psychopath who is familiar with guns AND has access to them, if he's really determined.

If the choice is left with me I'd choose psycho-son who has never held a gun in his hand in his short life, doesn't know how to use one and has no idea where to get one, when he's writing mental lists of people he would like to see dead.

I'm not saying this is going to happen if you posess a gun.

I just think that you can't really rule out all possibilities.

And personally I'm just not comfortable with taking chances on this matter.

spoonhead75 wrote:

I CAN TALK IN CAPTIAL LETTERS, TOO - SO WHAT?

Well, for one, Mafi can spell those capital letters correctly.

You're being a bit narrow-minded. If families didn't keep weapons in the house, and as a result couldn't hunt, a lot of them would starve. I know it seems odd to think that way in a mostly urbanized society, but a lot of people do still live in areas where hunting isn't sport, it's survival. Hell, my family needs the deer. It's pretty natural, as we are predatory animals.

You can choose not to keep weapons in your house. I'm not forcing a gun or a bow on you. But you have to realize that just because a family chooses to keep weapons doesn't mean they're neglectful parents. Most of my friends and neighbors keep guns and hunt. Weapon accidents are exceptions, not rules.

And as for your examples of how they cause danger, if a teenager wants to shoot up a school, they're going to find a gun, whether it belongs to their parents or whoever. Or they'll find a different way.