OP has flounced. Don't let that stop you though!

Oh no, I missed it!

Could be off watching the report of an ex employee going postal in a NY hospital.

My wife and I have discussed this several times. When our kids first started making new friends and going over to their houses, we wondered about whether we should ask the other parents if there are guns in the house and if they are properly stored. But we could never bring ourselves to do it - it's just not the done thing here. In my almost 20 years here, I've never heard of any parent ever asking another parent those questions. We have 4 kids and I've lost count of the number of their friends who've been to our house for play dates or sleepovers. No one has ever asked me those questions. They probably should be asked but how many people would falsely deny having guns or falsely claim that they are stored properly?

That question and the possibility that there were guns in any of the homes of the friends my two girls had growing never entered my mind. In our city, guns were not household items as we were citified/urban. We were always more concerned with where they were going, who they were going with and how they were arriving and returning. We also were concerned about their being able to swim because pools, rivers, lakes and the Long Island Sound were destination choices for them and their friends at least two per week in the summer. Sadly, my present husband, who is a gun carrying person and has been all his adult life, lost his 6 yo son when he drowned in a campground swimming pool even though he could swim.

Mistakes happen, children want to show off, you leave a weapon 'only for a minute' and tragedy strikes. It is so horrible for all concerned.

Never trust a doctor to save your life, he may end up taking it.

Woman and suspect dead, others hurt in NYC hospital shooting - UPI.com

That's exactly how our American friends think. Statistically speaking, I'm almost certain that our kids are much more likely to encounter hazards other than guns. However, I think it's only natural for those of us who come from societies where gun ownership and gun violence is much less prevalent, to focus on what is a new threat (because we have already budgeted for all the other, more common threats to our children e.g. car accidents, swimming accidents, etc).


How terrible. I am so sorry to hear that.



Agreed. There really should be very serious consequences for anyone who leaves a loaded, unsecured weapon for a child or anyone else to find. I've lost count of the number of gun tragedies that have been caused by this. For example, a toddler shooting his mom dead while in line at a grocery store checkout after reaching into her bag and finding a loaded weapon. A toddler shooting himself dead after finding a loaded gun in a car glove box. It happens far more often than we realize.

I do agree that there should be severe penalties for guns not stored correctly. The problem is it's unenforceable until someone has been shot.

I have never heard of anyone asking parents if they have a gun; it has never occurred to me to ask, and if I was asked, I would think the questioner was weird and I would be suspicious of why they were asking. I would really feel defensive and unsettled.

That is not a criticism of MarylandNed, but that is how I would respond if asked.

I posted this in another thread about gun owenership
"RESULTS: Nearly 1300 children die and 5790 are treated for gunshot wounds each year. Boys, older children, and minorities are disproportionately affected. Although unintentional firearm deaths among children declined from 2002 to 2014 and firearm homicides declined from 2007 to 2014, firearm suicides decreased between 2002 and 2007 and then showed a significant upward trend from 2007 to 2014. Rates of firearm homicide among children are higher in many Southern states and parts of the Midwest relative to other parts of the country. Firearm suicides are more dispersed across the United States with some of the highest rates occurring in Western states. Firearm homicides of younger children often occurred in multivictim events and involved intimate partner or family conflict; older children more often died in the context of crime and violence. Firearm suicides were often precipitated by situational and relationship problems. The shooter playing with a gun was the most common circumstance surrounding unintentional firearm deaths of both younger and older children."

From this link you can read the study itself - it was published in the american association of pediatrics journal last month. Childhood Firearm Injuries in the United States | Articles | Pediatrics

Read and weep.

I'm sorry that your husband's son died in a drowning accident, Rete. That's awful. Stopping children drowning is a difficult one because it's something they like doing and is for the vast majority of children completely safe and a healthy sport.
Gun ownership is utter folly if you have kids or grandkids around.

You could say the same thing about shooting. ..... Well not actually "you" of course, but many people would say that.

Not sure that fits the narrative.

no.
cdc figures show an average of 705 drownings per year for under 14s for the same time frame.
https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreatio...factsheet.html

Did you read the article at all?

The pediatricians have been advised to warn parents to ask about gun ownership in the home before allowing their children to play there.

FWIW I have had a swimming pool at home for 15 years. There was a fence and strict rules about going through that gate. I would ask other parents about how my kids would be monitored whilst playing in their friends' pools so I don't think it unreasonable to ask about guns and where/how they are stored.

common tactic.
can't hold the argument so pick on the other person somehow. The minute someone does this, you should really just move on (which I didn't ....) because you know that you've made your point.

No, because it wasn't relevant to my reply.

Costco has some deals on gun safes at the moment. There are so many hazards that you could go into I guess you need a major check list? Not sure of the practicality, best to not let them out in the first place.