Friday, May 15, 2009

Bang! Bang! Let's Play.


I have a few questions before I allow my child to come to your house;

#1 Do you own a gun?

#2 Is that gun under lock?

People might think that I'm crazy but in the first three weeks that we lived here there were at least 6 shootings where a child shot the gun. Yes, they were 'playing' with a gun that they had 'found' that was not under lock and key I'm not even going to mention the fact that it was loaded!

There have been 2 times that I have not asked. Luckily those households ended up fine. But it is something that I will not do again. I'm not chancing it!

Unfortunately we have neighbours who not only have a gun loaded in a shoebox, "but it's okay because it's up high in the closet" they also allow their 9 year old to play with a BB gun out in the middle of the street and yard. They have allowed this since he was 6. Now, please tell me, what do you think will happen when he comes across that 'real' gun?!?

I know people try and tell me that it's about freedom, that they have The Right to Bear Arms but due to my upbringing I fail to see the freedom in any of it.

One bloggie friend mentioned a little while back about how stores are running out of ammunition because people are buying it up like crazy for fear of the Obama administration putting a tax on it. Have I mentioned lately how much I love taxes?!?!

I have been told numerous times that there are laws about guns here and you do have to go through a screening...but I guess there is a loophole. One can buy a gun at a gun show without a background check. Now, how safe does that make you feel?!?!

Georgia also passed a law a couple of years a go allowing you to have a concealed weapon in your car. Again, it's freedom.

So, what do you need to know about a family/house before you allow your child, or yourself to visit?


Many friends were surprised when we allowed Geordie to have a gun with his costume this past Halloween.
It's a toy, he knows this. He also knows that real guns are extremely dangerous.

7 comments:

Chantal said...

That is so scary! I totally understand why you are so vigilant! I would be too!

xup said...

Have you ever thought about moving back to Canada? I'm sure there's a whole career issue here and Canada and the US are neighbours and they're almost like one country in some respects, but it's always amazing how very different we are considering how very close we are

Lost in Transition said...

I am not going to lie. I think my heart skipped a beat or two when I read about how the gun was loaded in a shoe box with a bebe gun totting child in the house. Very very very, scary thought. I am curious, are they offended when you ask if they have a gun in the house? Seeing as they look at it as a "Freedom" thing. Or do they look at you like you are the crazy one for not owning a loaded gun in the house?

much more than a mom said...

That's one of the many reasons I'd never live in the US - not for a million bucks. So scary what they think is okay. (I use "they" generally of course - have many amazing friends down there who'd NEVER do that.)

chelle said...

egads .. no we do not own a gun and if we did it so would be in a gun safe as it wold be for hunting. Why for the love of humanity would you need a gun in a shoe box?!?!? Poor SHOES!

Mandy said...

I hate guns. In all forms. Even rifles for hunting.

Personally, I don't know how you do it, but all the power to you. I think I would insist Geordie had all his playdates at home.

Dawny Negus Jr. said...

Per capita, there are more guns in Canada than in the US. We're just more sensible about them. Why is that?