You might have had a different childhood, but when I (and most of my friends) were 6 (or 12 or even 18), our primary concern was having fun,
When I was in high school (age 14-18), I was on the high school rifle team. That means I carried a rifle into school at the beginning of the season and back home at the end of the season. I should not be necessary to mention it, but I never shot anyone then, before, or since.
Look. Let's be very clear about precisely what we're discussing. We are talking about distributing a gun to every *@#!! kid walking into school (ok, maybe we make them pay for it, but money ain't the issue). We are NOT talking about special training for every child, or giving them only limited access. The person to whom I originally responded to on this topic wanted to give EVERY SINGLE CHILD a gun!
Incidentally, if you are interested, I DO have a child (almost 2 yrs), and I certainly would not even contemplate letting him have a gun (no
recommend teaching children about proper use of guns at a similar age, with tight supervision.
My point exactly. YOU JUST DON'T HAND OUT A GUN AND SHOW HIM HOW TO USE IT AND LET HIM LOOSE! Now ... we're not talking about children having guns as exceptions; we're talking about children having guns AS THE RULE. And I severely object to the notion that children, as a rule, can be blindly trusted to have good judgement with deadly force. (Not just guns, but anything from switch blades to anti-tank missiles.) Ern