I'm throwing this out for discussion......

[RoeBear]

...http://www.futureofchildren.org/discussion2873/discussion_question.htm?doc_id=131504

It seems to be a pretty much (not totally) unbiased discussion on kids and guns.

For example:

"How is it possible to teach children not to play with guns when they play with "virtual guns" every day in violent video games, and see gun-toting heroes in movies and on TV?"

"I don't think it is possible to teach children not to play with guns. Even children whose parents forbid toy guns in the home can easily "make" guns out of Legos, sticks, and the like."

The bottom of the page has 5 more questions and answers.

[MrBenchley]

1. Surprised you didn't read the Eddie Eagle answer

before you began demanding proof in the other thread....

"In fact, the NRA has no empirical evidence that its program is effective at changing children's behaviors around guns."

[demsrule4life]

2. I taught my two sons and daughter how to shoot and firearms

safety when they hit 8 years of age. I also would fill one gallon hand soap cans with water and shoot them to show them how destructive they can be. Still kept the guns locked up when not in use. Kids are curious about guns you can either hide them and keep the curosty burning or let them handle and shoot them safely and guns become "no big deal".

[xchrom]

5. guns are no big deal

with lots of people who shoot other people.
what counts here is evidence not anecdotal life stories -- those are often misleading.

[liberalhistorian]

3. Those are very good points.

I think it's stupid, frankly, to try to shield kids from anything to do with guns, and I'm speaking as the mother of a 12-year-old boy. Even if you don't like guns, you have to face the reality that your kids will, at some point and whether you want them to or not, be dealing with guns, whether it's at a friend's house or in school, etc., etc., etc.

They really need to know how to handle that and how to handle a gun SAFELY, which means they need to know the basics of guns and gun safety. We do our kids no favors when we shield them from anything to do with guns.

[Drifter]

4. I am not a gun person ...

but I think it is more important to teach children properly about gun safety (especially if they want to and/or if you own one). I was interested in guns when I was a kid. I had a BB gun. It never went any further than that.

Teaching/talking about gun issues is similiar to issues like Sex and Drugs. If you come to them straight about it you are better off than trying to shield them from it. They are going to learn about it if they want to. It might as well come from you.

I have three daughters who have absolutely no interest in guns (except for the super soakers that they often get me with).

Cheers
Drifter