OK, I'm sure I will catch some flak for this and rightly so, wanted to share a quick story that I've been thinking about today and hopefully other members will learn from my carelessness. We were up in LG yesterday with some friends (who are gun friendly) and needed to leave the house in a hurry. Went upstairs to get my pistol out of the lockbox and holstered it (loaded) but was not wearing the holster and brought some other bags downstairs. Friends were outside standing next to my truck waiting for me to come downstairs. My 6 y/o was playing in the back yard. I put the bags and my holstered gun on the tailgate of my pickup and said goodby to our friends. They left. Went around back to lock my garage and as soon as I got out back thought to myself I should not have left the gun on the tailgate. Less than a minute went by and sure enough my 6 y/o is by my pickup with his hands crossed staring at the gun. I walked calmly up to him and said "you never touch a gun right, its loaded and very dangerous". He said "I know dad" paused and said "can you unload it and show it to me?". I said of course and showed him how to unload the gun, check to make sure there was no round in the chamber and showed him the gun. All the while kicking myself for leaving the gun unattended. (The house is in a very private area and there was practically zero chance anybody else but my boy would have seen the gun while I was away. Still a valuable lesson learned for me and some new points earned for my son in dad's mind. Same mistake won't happen again.
Another lesson learned
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Well, it sounds like you taught your son well from what you've stated. Smart kid.
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What was impressive to me about how he responded is that he asked you to unload it first and then show it to him. Seems like a smart kid and and an equally smart father!
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You should be proud of your son for the obvious reasons, and proud of yourself for teaching him about firearms. If you have him trained about firearms one can assume you teach him properly about all the dangers in life. Good job on both your parts. NEVER leave your gun unattended again, unless you have your son watching it. HA HA!
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It happens. Good job teaching him what to do. I'm a firm believe in teaching kids how to handle firearms safely and take the curiosity out of firearms. Take the stigma away from firearms, and they are aren't a new toy that they have to play with. They're an old item that is around the house that they don't touch.
Yeah, thanks guys. I'm definitely a believer in teaching them young and reinforcing it at every opportunity. I'm on the record in these pages many, many times saying how I trust him completely, only I never actually allowed him to be in a situation where I needed to trust him completely. Take the mystery away early is 90% of the battle; not providing an opportunity to let them get in trouble is the other 10%. I need to and will do better on that going forward. Of course, my only hope is that he remembers these things when he's at a friend's house or whatever and I'm not around next time he comes across an unattended gun. He's a good boy and I'm extremely proud of him...
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I think we all have near fatal moments with our kids, where we think "holy crap, that could have ended so differently." There are so many instances. But the most important safeguard is teaching our kids well to compensate for our stupidity, not just theirs. We teach them that we have trust in them to do the right thing because we don't always have that same faith in everyone around them. You taught him well, you should be proud of both of you for that. You did something dumb that you won't ever do again. It was brave of you to share this experience, thank you. I love that he asked you to show it to him, that he felt comfortable having that dialogue. I'm impressed.
Nah, not brave. I've learned a ton from NYF and sincerely hope that somebody remembers this thread next time they go to leave a loaded gun unattended with children around. I expected a little flak when I posted but look at the responses, all positive and supportive. You guys (and gals) are the best! Great community here (with very few exceptions, lol). Thanks again.
I'm impressed with your kids wit and smarts. I spoke with a 16 year old today who was fixated on getting his hunting license...I asked him "what is every firearm?"......he replied "A gun" (I was hoping for "loaded, dangerous, deadly", anything but the answer given)........for some the is little to no hope
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I'm so glad a certain member is no longer with us or we'd be hearing the "See, keep your guns locked up, tsk tsk, I know how to raise your children better then you. One handgun per month would TOTALLY have prevented this."
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Sounds like you both learned from it.. good kid.. I have twin 2yr old boys and a 6 yr old daughter, and I am constantly teaching them firearm safety. Impressive that he asked you to unload it first! Good thread.
I already told him I would trust my boy more with a gun than I would him. Meant it then and even more now!
Thanks again guys esp. About the kind words about my son. I really appreciate it. Teach them early and take the mystery away. Its the only way to go IMO.
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Good parents leads to good kids.
Your a good parent cgrutt and got a great kid.
Teaching firearms safety is a must to all people I think, gun owning homes and those without guns in the home. Additionally it helps cut down on the negative stigma society attaches to firearms in general too. Taking the mystery out of guns removes lots of potential problems.
Your a good parent cgrutt and got a great kid.
Teaching firearms safety is a must to all people I think, gun owning homes and those without guns in the home. Additionally it helps cut down on the negative stigma society attaches to firearms in general too. Taking the mystery out of guns removes lots of potential problems.
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