Lots of parents look for help in introducing their children to firearms. They want an interesting, engaging way that emphasizes both the fun and the responsibility of being around and using guns. With more than 400 million of them in America, firearms are a part of our world. Responsible adults will teach their children how to be safe around guns while instilling the idea that they can be both fun and useful.
With that in mind, firearms trainer Rob Pincus has just published his ninth book and his first for children; My Daddy Has a Gun…and My Mom Does Too.
As Pincus told TTAG . . .
It is written in the voice of a grade school child who goes through how a couple dozen people in her life use have and use guns without negative outcomes. The grandfather hunts and feeds the family. The aunt shoots trap. The mom carries for protection, etc.
From the book’s intro . . .
Whether you are a firearms owner or not, all parents have a responsibility to educate their children and prepare them for the world we live in. Firearms are a part of our world. In the United States, over 120 Million responsible firearms owners and armed professionals safely possess firearms. Pistols, rifles and shotguns are a constant part of our lives, even if you are not a shooter. Our neighbors, family members, police officers, security guards and firearms industry professionals use firearms for recreation, sport, hunting, defense and various other activities all around us every day without negative impact on anyone.
Unfortunately, these realities are sometimes obscured by tragic events involving guns. These tragedies include heinous crimes, spree killings and accidents. Too often, these events are sensationalized by those who do not understand firearms, firearms owners or our Second Amendment Rights. They are also used to further anti-gun political agendas. The negative outcomes of firearms ownership are tragic. The more educated and responsible we are about firearms, the fewer tragedies there will be.
I have dedicated my adult life to educating those who would own or work with firearms for defensive purposes. I have spent thousands of hours trying to influence and educate the firearms community to be more responsible in the exercise of our rights. I believe strongly that first and most important step in meeting our responsibilities is education. I have long lamented the lack of firearms safety education in our public school systems. We educate kids about drug abuse, unprotected sex and countless other dangerous things. Firearms can be dangerous, particularly in the hands of uneducated children. Firearms are not inherently evil, nor are they magic talismans against evil. They are inanimate tools, subject to the uses (or misuses) human beings will put them too.
The vast majority of firearms uses in our society are positive. This book is meant to be a starting point for families to discuss this reality. Whether you consider yourself “pro-gun” or “pro-gun control”, you have a responsibility as a parent to educate your children honestly about guns. The ubiquity of guns in our country makes education a necessity. It is my hope that this book inspires families to be safer, that it will reduce negative outcomes with firearms and that it might spark new interests in regard to responsible firearms use and ownership in our country.
I have been asked many times over the years how old I think a child should be before they are taught to shoot or educated in gun safety. It is an impossible question for me to answer in absolutes. You, as a parent, must make that decision. I do implore you to take appropriate steps to ensure that your guns are not accessible by children without supervision until they are intellectually and physically capable to using them safely and emotionally mature enough to understand and respect the risks involved. This is the greatest responsibility you have as a gun owning parent.
If you know a gun owner with small children, this could be the perfect way to introduce them to firearms, keep them safe, and teach them the positive, fun side of firearm ownership.