Should Young Children Be Given Real Firearms?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the appropriateness of giving real firearms to young children, sparked by a tragic incident involving a 5-year-old boy who accidentally shot his younger sister. The conversation touches on cultural attitudes towards gun ownership, safety regulations, and parental responsibility in the context of firearm education and supervision.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express strong disapproval of giving firearms to young children, citing a tragic incident as evidence of negligence.
  • Others question the adequacy of existing regulations regarding the age at which children can handle firearms, comparing it to laws for alcohol and driving.
  • A few participants argue that the responsibility lies with parents to ensure firearms are stored safely and to educate children about gun safety.
  • Some contributors reflect on personal experiences with firearms, suggesting that proper training and supervision can mitigate risks, but express doubt about a young child's ability to understand safety rules.
  • There are concerns raised about the cultural implications of children using firearms, with some suggesting that it may normalize violence or brutality.
  • Participants discuss the societal perceptions of gun ownership in different states and how these perceptions may influence attitudes towards firearm safety.
  • Some express skepticism about the decline of common sense and natural fear regarding firearms in contemporary society.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally do not reach a consensus on whether it is appropriate to give firearms to young children. There are multiple competing views regarding parental responsibility, the adequacy of regulations, and the cultural implications of child firearm ownership.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight various assumptions, such as the belief that children may not fully comprehend the dangers of firearms, and the notion that cultural attitudes towards guns vary significantly across different regions. The discussion also reflects on the potential for negligence in firearm storage and supervision.

  • #31
micromass said:
I'm sorry, but I think it's disgusting if companies make money by doing immoral things. There is no way I can condone it.

Great, then don't buy the products. Company goes out of business if people are decent. Problem solved. We can fight these things through education, not more laws.
 
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  • #32
Greg Bernhardt said:
Great, then don't buy the products. Company goes out of business if people are decent. Problem solved.

So you would be ok if they would be selling pornography to 8-year olds?? After all, if people are decent, the company would be out of business.
 
  • #33
micromass said:
Of course it wouldn't be ok. But selling guns to children sets an example.

You aren't selling the guns to kids. The parents are buying them for the kid. That is the problem. Bad parenting. No 5 year old needs to know how to protect themselves with a gun. A parent should know that. If they don't, they are likely uneducated.
 
  • #34
micromass said:
So you would be ok if they would be selling pornography to 8-year olds?? After all, if people are decent, the company would be out of business.

They already make anime porn and whatever, that seems pretty kid like to me. Kids can't buy it though, just like they couldn't buy the gun. The parents did.
 
  • #35
Greg Bernhardt said:
You aren't selling the guns to kids. The parents are buying them for the kid. That is the problem. Bad parenting. No 5 year old needs to know how to protect themselves with a gun. A parent should know that. If they don't, they are likely uneducated.

Fine. Let's say that I publish alcohol that is called "alcohol for toddlers". Only adults can buy it. But the company advertizes it to children and tells the children to ask their parents to buy it. Would you be ok with that?
 
  • #36
micromass said:
So you would be ok if they would be selling pornography to 8-year olds?? After all, if people are decent, the company would be out of business.
Small children can't buy guns or pornographic magazines. To think that a parent would give either to a 4 year old child is beyond belief.

Edit: You can include alcohol in that list.
 
  • #37
Borg said:
Small children can't buy guns or pornographic magazines. To think that a parent would give either to a 4 year old child is beyond belief.

Edit: You can include alcohol in that list.

Well, 2 days ago, I thought it was beyond belief to give guns to a 4 year old. So I guess you never know.

You seem to think that every parent is a responsible parent. This is far from the truth.
 
  • #38
micromass said:
I'm sorry, but I think it's disgusting if companies make money by doing immoral things. There is no way I can condone it.

I think it's sad to live in a world where money is more important than doing the right thing.

And also, I am absolutely a proponent of limiting the freedom of what companies can and cannot do. I think it's normal to have such a limitations. They don't sell beer or pornography to children. Those are limitations. In the same way, they shouldn't sell guns to children.

I know companies aren't meant to do parenting. But that's no excuse to sell such horrible things.

Not everyone thinks guns are horrible things. I still don't have an issue with a parent choosing to educate a child in proper firearm use. I wouldn't do it, but that's a personal choice that people make.

Furthermore, you're conflating two ideas. No one is selling guns to children. They're selling guns to adults who are allowing their children to use them. I assure you that at no point in this story are four year olds buying firearms. I don't even think you can get a credit car when you're four.

micromass said:
Of course it wouldn't be ok. But selling guns to children sets an example. It makes it seem that it's "ok" for 4-year old children to be handling guns. It isn't ok.

Of course the parents could buy an adult gun for their children. But maybe they thought: "a toy company is selling guns, so that means it's probably not abnormal to give guns to children".

Your proposed solution to someone holding the opposite opinion as you do is to propose legislation to limit production by private individuals? I hope you see who is immoral in that picture. Please keep your proposed laws away from me; I'll decide which products I purchase and which I don't.

Greg Bernhardt said:
Great, then don't buy the products. Company goes out of business if people are decent. Problem solved. We can fight these things through education, not more laws.

Rationalism at its finest. Products with no market fail. Products with markets succeed.

micromass said:
So you would be ok if they would be selling pornography to 8-year olds?? After all, if people are decent, the company would be out of business.

Of course not. But if a parent, for whatever completely inscrutable reason, felt it necessary to purchase pornography and GIVE it to their eight year old, I wouldn't intervene in that person's parenting by making the sale of the product illegal. Frankly, I wouldn't intervene AT ALL because it's none of my business how a person raises their children.

micromass said:
You seem to think that every parent is a responsible parent. This is far from the truth.

You can't legislate behavior... or are you proposing compulsory sterilization?
 
  • #39
micromass said:
Well, 2 days ago, I thought it was beyond belief to give guns to a 4 year old. So I guess you never know.

You seem to think that every parent is a responsible parent. This is far from the truth.
No, I don't believe that every parent is responsible. I just find the level of stupidity and irresponsibility exhibited beyond belief sometimes.
 
  • #40
micromass said:
Fine. Let's say that I publish alcohol that is called "alcohol for toddlers". Only adults can buy it. But the company advertizes it to children and tells the children to ask their parents to buy it. Would you be ok with that?

I see what you are getting at, but I'm still in disagreement how much you let the parents off the hook. It could have been any gun. Why would the parent think this one was safe?
 
  • #41
FlexGunship said:
Not everyone thinks guns are horrible things.

I never said guns are horrible things, but I see how I could have come across that way. I say that guns that are advertized as children toys are horrible things.

I still don't have an issue with a parent choosing to educate a child in proper firearm use. I wouldn't do it, but that's a personal choice that people make.

Furthermore, you're conflating two ideas. No one is selling guns to children. They're selling guns to adults who are allowing their children to use them. I assure you that at no point in this story are four year olds buying firearms. I don't even think you can get a credit car when you're four.

I'm fully aware of the difference here. But I guess I didn't said it right in the thread.


Your proposed solution to someone holding the opposite opinion as you do is to propose legislation to limit production by private individuals? I hope you see who is immoral in that picture. Please keep your proposed laws away from me; I'll decide which products I purchase and which I don't.

I don't see it is immoral. Do you think we should sell nuclear bombs to individuals? You don't, which means you are already convinced that we should limit what companies sell to the public. I'm just going further in that logic than you. It's not immoral though.

Of course not. But if a parent, for whatever completely inscrutable reason, felt it necessary to purchase pornography and GIVE it to their eight year old, I wouldn't intervene in that person's parenting by making the sale of the product illegal. Frankly, I wouldn't intervene AT ALL because it's none of my business how a person raises their children.

So if a child is abused by their parents, you wouldn't intervene because it's none of your business how a person raises their children??
 
  • #42
Boy, that escalated quickly. Anyways, I still stand by the statement that the parents are plain nuts for giving their 4 year old a gun. Since when did we start living in a society where gun ownership is romanticized, especially in the hands of young kids?
 
  • #43
Greg Bernhardt said:
I see what you are getting at, but I'm still in disagreement how much you let the parents off the hook. It could have been any gun. Why would the parent think this one was safe?

I don't let the parents of the hook though. What they did is completely irresponsible. I may have sounded in my post as if the parents are completely innocent here.

When I said: "I can't blame the parents", then that probably gave the wrong impression. I do blame the parents for what happened. They are the biggest responsible. But my point was that the parents had no ill intentions.
 
  • #44
micromass said:
Of course it wouldn't be ok. But selling guns to children sets an example. It makes it seem that it's "ok" for 4-year old children to be handling guns. It isn't ok.

Of course the parents could buy an adult gun for their children. But maybe they thought: "a toy company is selling guns, so that means it's probably not abnormal to give guns to children".
One thing that I would agree with here is that normal rifles are too heavy for a child that small. I do find it extremely wrong that a company would produce a weapon that could be easily handled by a toddler. Whose brilliant idea was that?
 
  • #45
micromass said:
But my point was that the parents had no ill intentions.

Yeah and the man who was executed yesterday in texas also said he didn't intend to kill the baby he raped.

Now, I really just escalated the debate lol, but really, this is interesting. All fun and games here :)
 
  • #46
Greg Bernhardt said:
Yeah and the man who was executed yesterday in texas also said he didn't mean to kill the baby he raped.

Now, I really just escalated the debate lol, but really, this is interesting. All fun and games here :)

All fun and games, for sure. I hope it stays that way in the thread :-p Otherwise I'll back out

I agree with you that "no ill intentions" is pretty useless, because what happened happened.
 
  • #47
micromass said:
All fun and games, for sure. I hope it stays that way in the thread :-p Otherwise I'll back out

I agree with you that "no ill intentions" is pretty useless, because what happened happened.
No ill intentions here either. All fun and games. :smile:
 
  • #48
Greg Bernhardt said:
... We can fight these things through education, not more laws.

Greg Bernhardt said:
... I'm still in disagreement how much you let the parents off the hook.

Laws to protect children = parental education
 
  • #49
dlgoff said:
Laws to protect children = parental education

If that is so, then when you go pick up your baby from the hospital, you should be handed a children's law book to review. It should read, "How to raise your child by knowing what is illegal in (city) (state) (country)."

Laws cover .00001% of what parents teach their children about being a good person.
 
  • #50
The point was, the parents were the ones at fault. And the result of the law will teach them.
 
  • #51
dlgoff said:
The point was, the parents were the ones at fault. And the result of the law will teach them.

Gotcha! It's too bad, it's too late for education for that child.
 
  • #52
Greg Bernhardt said:
If that is so, then when you go pick up your baby from the hospital, you should be handed a children's law book to review. It should read, "How to raise your child by knowing what is illegal in (city) (state) (country)."

Laws cover .00001% of what parents teach their children about being a good person.

I know it's a bit off topic. But if you want to adopt a child, then you have to go through a lot of background checks and a lot of trouble. They really see whether you are right for the child. But if you get a child through natural means, then they don't do anything.

I'm not saying we should change laws for this of course. I just want to say that any idiot and aggressive parent can get children without any problems. Of course, the child will be taken away if it gets abused, but then the harm is already done.
 
  • #53
micromass said:
I know it's a bit off topic. But if you want to adopt a child, then you have to go through a lot of background checks and a lot of trouble. They really see whether you are right for the child. But if you get a child through natural means, then they don't do anything.

Trust me, I am radical when it comes to parenting. I see so many examples both in real life and in the news with people who never should have been allowed to procreate. I'm not convinced it's a basic right anymore. Not if it's likely the child or society in general will suffer.
 
  • #54
While the parents are at fault, we should have some sympathy for them. They are probably already feeling extremely guilty and distraught considering their daughter just died. Once people start bombarding them with hate through various mediums it will only destroy them ever more.
 
  • #55
micromass said:
I never said guns are horrible things, but I see how I could have come across that way. I say that guns that are advertized as children toys are horrible things.

I don't believe they're being marketed as toys; they're being marketed as firearms that are small enough to be handled comfortably by children.

Minibikes (example: http://www.minipocketrockets.com/mini-bikes/) are responsible for the deaths of five children per year (source: http://www.kidsgrowth.com/resources/articledetail.cfm?id=234). They are purchased by adults and given to children. Certainly they're not marketed as toys! They're marketed as motorcycles small enough to be operated comfortably by children. Would you propose to make minibikes illegal? Would you suggest that advertising a minibike is horrible (or amoral)?


micromass said:
Do you think we should sell nuclear bombs to individuals? You don't, which means you are already convinced that we should limit what companies sell to the public. I'm just going further in that logic than you. It's not immoral though.

Okay. You're right that I wouldn't support the sale of nuclear bombs to individuals. To be completely and totally forthright, I'm not sure where I draw the line on what an individual can own. But that line is between firearms and nuclear bombs.

I'll drop the issue of amorality en exactus but leave open that the idea of restriction of productive freedom via legislative intervention is an amoral idea in premise and it what leads to legalized cartels.


micromass said:
So if a child is abused by their parents, you wouldn't intervene because it's none of your business how a person raises their children??

I understand the hyperbole here, but I consider teaching a child about literal hell-fire and brimstone to be child abuse and I'm not allowed to intervene.

If it's physical abuse, of course you have to intervene. In fact, I believe you have a moral responsibility to intervene. But I think you'd agree that intellectual abuse is a very gray area. The idea of educating a child about firearms is a far cry from abuse.

It's easy enough to argue that giving a young child alcohol is physical abuse, but many people don't have the same puritan knee-jerk revulsion to giving a 14 year-old a glass of wine that others do.

In the case of sexual education, I've heard it argued that giving the "birds and the bees" talk to a 12 year-old is abuse. Or that explaining the mechanical basics of reproduction to a child that is 10 years old is okay so long as you don't use images. Someone might argue that breast feeding in sight of children is abuse. Or maybe that NOT explaining what sex is to someone older than 14 is a form of abuse.

Certainly, sexual education in general is a murky area. When in doubt, let the parents decide what is appropriate. I cannot fathom a scenario in which giving an 8 year-old a pornographic magazine is any reasonable part of a responsible sexual education... HOWEVER, if another parent DOES, it's not my place to impose my ideas on them.

Okay, that being said, if their child shows my child that magazine, that's a very different story.
 
  • #56
Greg Bernhardt said:
Trust me, I am radical when it comes to parenting. I see so many examples both in real life and in the news with people who never should have been allowed to procreate. I'm not convinced it's a basic right anymore. Not if it's likely the child or society in general will suffer.
I don't think you can forecast if a child will suffer, but yea ... Seeing children's suffering? ... yea.
 
  • #57
FlexGunship said:
I don't believe they're being marketed as toys; they're being marketed as firearms that are small enough to be handled comfortably by children.

I was arguing based of this post by astro:

Astronuc said:
Interesting webpage - PRODUCT CATEGORY - CRICKETT TOYS & BOOKS :rolleyes:
http://www.crickett.com/index.php?cPath=12

The link doesn't work for me anymore. But it certainly did give me the impression like they were treating guns as toys. If I misunderstood the website, then I'll drop this point.
 
  • #58
Greg Bernhardt said:
T...I'm not convinced it's a basic right anymore...

there's another problem, making having children into a right. It never was.
 
  • #59
FlexGunship said:
It's easy enough to argue that giving a young child alcohol is physical abuse, but many people don't have the same puritan knee-jerk revulsion to giving a 14 year-old a glass of wine that others do.
I don't have a problem with that. But, when I learned that my own father put beer in my baby bottle at the age of 18 months so that I would go to sleep while him and his buddies stayed up all night... I thought that was pretty wrong. Young and dumb. :rolleyes:
 
  • #60
I think the law should work the same for guns as for alcohol and cigarettes: too young to buy should mean too young to have and too young to market to. That would make both the parents actions and company's product/marketing illegal.
 

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