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Arming children with the facts about guns

Posted on: November 29th, 2012

Should children be allowed to handle guns?

In Rensselaer County, two probation officers say yes — although it is unclear if the practice is legal.

Court papers obtained by the Times Union show that two of the county’s probation officers said under oath that they allowed their young children to handle their unloaded service weapons as a way to satisfy the children’s curiosity about guns.

The accounts surfaced in an Albany County Family Court battle between one of the officers and her estranged husband, who questioned his wife’s decision. In court papers, the probation officer, Kelly Miazga, said she allowed her sons — ages 9 and 10 at the time — to handle her weapon on Oct. 26, 2011.

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  • Trouble

    Familiarity removes mystery and thus also, temptation. You don’t have tragic accidents in homes where the kids have experience with guns guided by responsible adults.

  • 1tymtrvlr

    We were fortunate enough to live in a town of about 75,000. I could take my son out to a local shooter spot, all the towns police force, hiway patrol, EMTs, and sheriff officers would be out target practicing, my son learned from all of them, I thank them for their time and patience and for teaching him how to handle many weapons safely.

  • Hotnike

    As an parent it is my choice. Government get out of my life and stay out.

  • CrustyOldGeezer

    How to get rid of the ‘accidental’ shootings among children, put a stop to a large percentage of gun related deaths, etc.

    Beginning in Kindergarten, and continuing through school K-12 I suggest a MANDATORY firearms education class.

    Complete with hands on training and live fire from 4th grade on. The older the student, the larger the caliber.

    With a full and complete knowledge of firearms, what their uses are, and the inherent dangers being well known the number of ‘accidents’ will plummet.

    With the intimate knowledge of safe firearms usage, ore people will be likely to carry, either concealed or open.

    It will become the norm, and with a certain knowledge that there will be return fire, the loons that want to shoot up a school for their instant glory in the spotlight of the current news cycle will no longer view schools, movie theaters and shopping malls as a great place to become
    famous.

    To counter the gun control nuts gnashing of teeth and wailing incessantly, I propose the following.

    Automobiles kill and maim far more people each year than firearms.. AND they offer minimal training in schools.. usually 6 weeks or less.

    In woodshop, the students are taught the dangers of all the power tools, as well as the hand tools, and the safe usage and handling.

    Metal working shop, same thing. Dangers and hazards are demonstrated and explained.
    The student are taught safety and proper handling procedures.

    sexual activity has hazards and inherent dangers, and the school system has taken on the task of educating the children in safe practices. (usually against the parents wishes)

    The list can go on for a very long time.

    The end result is, EDUCATION is the only safe route to minimal firearms accidents, and the gun control lobby is the sole obstacle to keeping Americans of all ages safe from the misuse of firearms.

    They insist that all people, when they see a gun, run away and hide, shrieking with fear all the while.
    They don’t teach the same behavior about cars…. or power tools, or condoms, or lawn mowers, or swimming pools…

    I do so hope this gets picked up, fleshed out, and spread across the nation.
    PS..
    100 years ago, nearly every household had firearms, and they were used fairly often and the children were taught proper firearms etiquette.

    Then the communists moved in and assumed control of the political parties….

    • jim

      what above is very correct cars kill and mane far more peoplr than guns.ive been to many gun stores and showes and have yet to see a gun load and shoot by it self never happen

    • mugato

      Yes, please, lets do this! We take time away from meaningless education aspects such as science, math and english and spend more time focusing on guns. Even better, maybe just scrap teaching children how to read and write and go straight to militia training. We could turn science class into how to build bombs, used for IED’s to wage war on the US government.

      • CrustyOldGeezer

        First thing would be to get rid of the union ‘teachers’.

        We don’t want the children to learn how to shoot themselves in the foot on the first day.

  • conservative

    This woman’s husband is another limp wristed idiot. No gun goes off by itself, so let’s teach these kids when they are young to use and respect guns. This is how you prevent accidents.

  • did I tell you

    I agree with everything everyone below me has posted. While I never let my wife or kids touch my duty weapon, I constantly, under careful supervision, let them handle and shoot my personal handguns and rifles.

  • HorseTeethSam

    Anybody remember the guy whose kid drew a picture of a gun and the dad got nailed? Guv’mint’s gonna getcha! I got my first gun (of my very own) when I turned 10. Soon will come the day when no child under 18 will be permitted to live with anybody who owns a gun. Betcha I’m right.

  • a_browning

    What the heck? Every now and then I break out a few guns and give lessons in gun safety to my daughter’s friends when they are over. Also, my daughter knows how to shoot. She is 11 y.o. It is bad parenting to not teach kids about guns in a controlled environment (ie. adult in control), IMHO.

  • Jeff Rhodes

    I dont see the harm in showing kids about gun safety. The government needs to stay out of our lives. I was 10 when I learned of gun safety. I owned my first gun at that age. .22 Marlin. What’s the harm? answer: none

  • 2War Abn Vet

    To preserve liberty, it’s essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms and be taught alike,especially when young, how to use them. – Richard Henry Lee – American Statesman, 1788

  • MontieR

    The first thing WRONG here is this statement, “Personally, I think that’s way too young,” the officer said. “I don’t think they’re mature enough”. You sir or madam are a PANSY and I feel sorry for you living in such fear all the time. A gun is absolutely NO different than a baseball bat or a kitchen knife. The reason we have so FEW gun related accidents is that REAL parents actually teach their children real gun safety. And yes I said FEW. There are ( an estimated 300.000.000
    private firearms in America). The LIES perpetrated on the American people by the media and power MAD politicians
    claiming minor child gun deaths are INFLATED 500% by adding GANG related deaths to the total. I have had firearms in my home my entire life. My dad gave me a 22 rifle when I was 2 years old because I handled it safely and could hit my target and this christmas I am giving my 6 and 8 year olds a 22 pistol to share, as they BOTH have shown me they respect the dangers and practice good gun safety plus both love to go target shooting. I am raising 6 children and ALL have learned gun safety from the time they were able to ask about my weapons.
    They do NOT FEAR them they RESPECT them. Unlike you PANSYS that fear everything and try to project YOUR fears on everyone else, no matter HOW insane or hysterical. You LIE to everyone to promote YOUR fears into banning American RIGHTS. When you removed gun safety from public schools there was an IMMEDIATE increase in accidents and yes gun safety used to be in public schools.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Young/100001630951601 Mike Young

    If the ancestors of the Albany Police Department followed the advice of the current Albany Police Department concerning their kids never being allowed to touch a gun at the young and tender ages of 9and 10 years old, then the current Albany Police Department itself would never exist because they would have died of starvation from never being able to hunt to feed their families.

    The ancestors of the Police Department meaning the pioneers in the 1700′s through the 1800′s the children that same age went hunting with guns with their fathers or even by themselves to put food on the table for the families to eat. Children at as young of an age as 8 could and should be taught how to safely handle a gun , this removes most (if not all) of the curiosity of guns from them and makes the kids familiar with gun safety and it’s possible dangers if handled incorrectly.

  • Ron

    I was a police officer for 15 years . my kids knew where the Loaded gun was when I was off duty . All they had to do was ask if they could see it .Together I showed them how to unload it and then let them handle it we then loaded it and put it back in the holster hanging in the closet. They never got it to play with . they had their own cap guns . today they have their own real guns and shoot well . Its called education of the kids .