The Right To Bear Arms....Do You or Dont You?

There are somethings we as parents do in life that we try and teach our kids not to do. I guess you can call it the "Do as I say-Not as I do" type of parenting. I don't know. Call it what you will.  One of the hardest decisions I had to make several years ago as a husband, father and a man was the decision to buy a gun and have a gun in our home.  I don't like guns, never have, probably never will.  But after thinking long and hard about it, I made the choice to buy a shotgun.

Guns. I am scared of guns. I am scared of guns around kids. MY kids. We don't let our kids play with ANY kind of guns. No water guns, no plastic guns, nothing like that at all. And we have even taken away the guns that come with the legos. We have even told the kids that anything of the sort is called a blaster.  Being that I am scared of guns, that made it even more of a hard choice to buy a gun and have it in our home. But the end decision to buy one came from the need of feeling safe and secure. The feeling that my wife and kids are safe at home alone. I work late. I get home late. Its dark, and for the longest time we didn't even have street lights in our subdivision. Sometimes an house alarm just isn't enough and our dog Laila, we she...she couldn't pop a bubble if she sat on it.

So I bought the shotgun. Learned how to use it, clean it, care for it and I put it up high away in a closet in a blanket where the kids couldn't see it. Hell it was so high that T couldn't even see it or reach it.  That was a problem. How on earth can T protect herself and the kids if I am not there if she cant see or reach he shotgun?  Other problem, this was a big shotgun. How is she going to carry this thing in moments notice if she has the kids to also get to a safe place in the house? Would she be able to pump it and pull and pump it and pull?

All of these things flip flopped in my head and led me to the decision that it was time to get rid of the shotgun and get a smaller handgun. A smaller hand gun would be easier to hide from the kids and easier for T to use if the need came up. But damn a smaller gun, shit this is all you see on the news, kids getting a hold of these guns and accidents happening and I don't need any of that. I wasn't really sure of what to do at this point. So we got a safe. A touch pad key entry safe that the gun would stay in and it would stay up on the shelf.  I felt better about this. The gun is in a safe that the kids cant get into. The kids don't even know what the safe is or whats in it. The kids still don't know we have the gun and I plan on keeping it that way.



   This is the safe and the gun that is now in our home. I have not even shot this gun to try it out. Neither has T. 

So of you may not agree with our decision on how to handle the issue of guns with our kids and that is fine. Everyone has their own way of doing things.  Most if not all of T's extended family are all very familiar with guns, safety and how to use them. They may even let the younger kids go hunting with them, target practice and what not.  That is just not for us. Some kids may play with fake, plastic guns in the woods and cops and robbers and stuff like that. That just isn't for us. Just cause I did that when I was a kid, doesn't mean I am going to let my kids do that now. Again I hate guns. 

With my feelings of hate and being scared of guns, come the know fact of the power that guns have. Guns are very powerful. I also will be the first to admit that I don't have hardly any knowledge of guns. Don't really care to. People have even said to me before in conversation, "Your dad is in the Army, and you don't like guns?" No, and I couldn't even tell you if my dad ever had a gun or not while he was in the Army. It never came up, don't care that it never came up. I don't care if my dad was a Navy F-ing Seal, I don't remember being so curious about if my Army dad had a gun or not.

There are somethings that I will recommend to other parents to try or think about doing in their home or with their kids. This is not one of them. If you are a parent and you don't feel safe with a gun in the home, hell don't get one. I will never tell anyone that you are safer with one than without.  I am also not the one that is going to listen to people say, "You should teach your kids about the safety and let them be knowledgeable about guns" Nah, thanks but no thanks. Not going to happen.  My kids want to learn about guns, let them grow up and become and adult and make that decision for themselves.  My kids are exactly that KIDS, and since when did handling, playing, using, learning about guns become a kids thing?  Again, just cause I did it, doesn't mean I am going to let my kids do it.

Me taking that picture of that 357 Magnum was the first time it has come out of that safe since it went into that safe MONTHS ago.  And if I am to take it out of that safe for any reason, the reason is going to be to protect my family.

In my opinion, guns are not fun, guns are not cool, guns are not neat. Guns kill people, people with guns kill people. Kids with guns often kill themselves or other little kids. Guns are dangerous, strong, powerful and deadly. 

Whats your opinion?

Be safe.

Kiss the Baby