• @shalafiEnglish
    6•4 months ago

    We had toy guns in the 70s that absolutely looked real. Hell, I had a BB/dart gun that would pass for a 1911, even up close. Heavy metal too. I have several real guns that weigh less, and worse, some look like toys. The kids got a demonstration of that reality.

    “If it’s gun shaped, it’s a gun. Treat it as such.”

      • @shalafiEnglish
        3•4 months ago

        Thanks. Teaching them gun safety was far easier than I thought. Now they’re hyper-aware of where the muzzle is pointed, though my daughter sometimes slips her finger onto the trigger walking to the target.

        In any case, they will not touch a gun unless:

        • We’re at our camp, everyone is visible and aware someone’s shooting.
        • I’m sitting beside or standing behind them.
        • They check that everyone has ear protection. (They caught me twice!)

        I also taught them what proper handling looks like; Unloading, showing an empty chamber to the person you’re handing it too, etc. Never know when some asshole friend will break out dad’s super cool pistol and pass it around.