Iowa legislators passed legislation that would allow children to carry guns

[ShockPop 7,747]

11 hours ago, Goosey said:

So kids can go to the gun range and learn to shoot with their parents. The title is misleading, the law doesn't allow children to carry guns.

"This is not about giving our children the combo to the gun safe," said Brian Hood, head coach of the Central Iowa Scholastic Shooters, a youth sport-shooting league. "This is about allowing them in a supervised scenario, to learn a great sport."

 

Don't they have anything better to do? Bechildren perhaps? Why not teach the kids how to use a knife for an attack?

[Goosey 3,017]

1 hour ago, ShockPop said:

Don't they have anything better to do? Bechildren perhaps? Why not teach the kids how to use a knife for an attack?

 

[Kayla 7,595]

6 hours ago, Cupid said:

Yeah It's sweden!  I'm from Sweden and you're spot on with your description of the gun mentality here. I grew up in a hunter family and if I ever went near one of dad's hunting rifles I got dragged by him. He taught me to have great respect for weapons and what their purpose was. They were also locked up in this reinforced safety lockets most of the times (which they must be by law, and the locket has to be registred and must be placed at the same address that you're registred living at).

I think our laws for getting a license also has a good balance for keeping out the nuts (you're only able to get a license for sports and hunting here, not for the sake of just having a gun for the lolz)

See this makes sense to me. 

Over here in America it's like the debate is between gun lovers and gun haters, and I don't see how anyone expects to get anywhere worthwhile with that. But that's what our politics have become- showcases of extreme views with little desire to compromise with the other person. 

The method Sweden uses encourages education, non-violence, and responsibility, something both sides of the people on the US issue seem to skirt around. 

[ctherainbow 3,162]

17 hours ago, Kayla said:

Yeah, I'm usually pro more restrictions on gun ownership and whatnot, but this kind of legislation is actually better for gun safety as a whole. 

It's promoting guns as hobby items, not items meant for protection and violence. We'd be starting kids at a young age to use guns appropriately, instead of the way America tends to view them nowadays. 

If you look at Switzerland (or is it Sweden?) where the rate of gun ownership is freakishly high and gun violence/deaths is freakishly low, their population will tell you it's because of how they view and treat guns- as hobby items, not as weapons- which causes them to be smarter about it. If we could bring that mentality over to the states, where guns are considered a savior and a weapon of destruction, we could actually lessen gun violence. 

While I grew up in a hunting family and most of my cousins knew how to work a gun at a young age, it's not something I'd do for my imaginary children or something I'd have sunny thoughts about, but I see it for what it is. Villifying anything that has to do with guns can be just as bad as loving anything that has to do with guns. We need to reach a smart compromise to really fix the issues.

This whole post.  Run for office, please.  

 

I was raised in a rural area, and knew how to properly use a gun by age 14, but I was taught to use guns for hunting, target practice/range shooting, and in limited self-defense.  I think one of the biggest issues is people deciding that grabbing a gun is the solution to a lot of issues, when guns shouldn't be used outside of recreation and in limited self-defense.  I have to agree with Kayla that a lack of education is one of the main issues, because I've lived in cities where the "gun culture" was, "you use this to rob stores and murder people", and the gun users I knew had zero education outside of watching gun use on TV.  Being a young person from the country, where there's a higher rate of gun ownership education(and 'coincidentally' a much lower risk of me being shot), that really shocked me.  Even with all the mass shootings being reported on TV and the amount of gun violence depicted on film and in games targeted at my age group, because of the education I received growing up, I've never viewed guns as a tool for hurting other humans.  

[TiphEret 1,320]

I think a priority would be to learn other things to kids, like respect and such but well ....