I bought a firearm feels kind of weird

[NTMBK]

The reason it feels weird is because you're unbalanced. Get a second one, so you can get some John Woo symmetry going.

 

[DrPizza]

We also dont give children access to knives and matches and huge swimming pools and car keys. We dont leave them alone with dogs and those big paper cutters and pretty much any camping equipment or even power tools. Not even hand tools.

Any parent that does is not only a sorry piece of crap but is also asking for trouble.

I disagree. My older son had power tools just prior to his 3rd birthday. I was supposed to get him a Fisher Price drill for Christmas. The Black & Decker cordless screwdriver was cheaper. It was somewhat a joke; but, he played with it more than any other toy (long bolts, predrilled holes in a large block of wood). Before 5 years of age, he had a corded drill, variety of drill bits, hammer, and jigsaw; pretty much access to all of my power tools except the radial arm saw and circular saw (unless I was there to supervise). Before he could legally drive, he could do all sorts of maintenance on a vehicle, including things like brakes. He could completely tear down his dirt bike & rebuild it. And, before the legal driving age, he did just fine driving a large tractor wherever he needed to & operating it, plus with a trailer attached to it or a regular vehicle, could easily back up in circles or figure eights if he wanted to. (Go to a boat launch and watch a lot of the idiots who can't back up a trailer.) Early on, he and his brother both shot a .22 fairly regularly (both routinely beat me in our little competitions). The legal hunting age in NY is 12 years of age - think about that. He went hunting with me since he was a little kid; and at some point back then, got his first 20 gauge when he could legally hunt alongside me. Around that time, he also built his own gun cabinet for his first gun (it's still a piece of furniture in his house where he lives now), and built our entertainment center for our living room.

So, to "any parent that does is not only a sorry piece of crap but is also asking for trouble," I say bullshit. I'd assert that any parent who would rather have the television, xbox, and playstation babysit their kids, rather than work alongside their kids, teaching their kids skills as well as how to have fun with those skills, and who teaches kids to respect guns as well as power tools, not to mention how to use both effectively, is a "sorry piece..." Well, no. I guess we can just coin a new term: generational incompetence. Their parents didn't know how, so their kids never learned.


To the OP: congrats on the air gun. I'm sure you'll have a lot of fond experiences with it. Keep in mind the joy some of the kids over here have when they get their first air rifle around 10-12 years of age, and get to shoot it (supervised).

 

[smackababy]

I disagree. My older son had power tools just prior to his 3rd birthday. I was supposed to get him a Fisher Price drill for Christmas. The Black & Decker cordless screwdriver was cheaper. It was somewhat a joke; but, he played with it more than any other toy (long bolts, predrilled holes in a large block of wood). Before 5 years of age, he had a corded drill, variety of drill bits, hammer, and jigsaw; pretty much access to all of my power tools except the radial arm saw and circular saw (unless I was there to supervise). Before he could legally drive, he could do all sorts of maintenance on a vehicle, including things like brakes. He could completely tear down his dirt bike & rebuild it. And, before the legal driving age, he did just fine driving a large tractor wherever he needed to & operating it, plus with a trailer attached to it or a regular vehicle, could easily back up in circles or figure eights if he wanted to. (Go to a boat launch and watch a lot of the idiots who can't back up a trailer.) Early on, he and his brother both shot a .22 fairly regularly (both routinely beat me in our little competitions). The legal hunting age in NY is 12 years of age - think about that. He went hunting with me since he was a little kid; and at some point back then, got his first 20 gauge when he could legally hunt alongside me. Around that time, he also built his own gun cabinet for his first gun (it's still a piece of furniture in his house where he lives now), and built our entertainment center for our living room.

So, to "any parent that does is not only a sorry piece of crap but is also asking for trouble," I say bullshit. I'd assert that any parent who would rather have the television, xbox, and playstation babysit their kids, rather than work alongside their kids, teaching their kids skills as well as how to have fun with those skills, and who teaches kids to respect guns as well as power tools, not to mention how to use both effectively, is a "sorry piece..." Well, no. I guess we can just coin a new term: generational incompetence. Their parents didn't know how, so their kids never learned.


To the OP: congrats on the air gun. I'm sure you'll have a lot of fond experiences with it. Keep in mind the joy some of the kids over here have when they get their first air rifle around 10-12 years of age, and get to shoot it (supervised).

And this is the problem with kids these days. The number of parents like DrP is far in the minority. My father taught me how to use (and respect) power tools, guns, cars, etc when I was growing up.

Thankfully, I now know how to do all kinds of things most people have no idea how to do. Hang a door? No problem. Tile a bathroom? That is a Saturday job for me. Change a flat? The amount of adults I've helped do this is baffling.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Georgia just passed a "guns everywhere" law.

If you have a CCW permit you can carry a gun pretty much everywhere. Only exception is courtroom, the capital building.

A teacher with a CCW can now carry a gun to class.

You can carry in bars and churches.

It greatly strengthened stand your ground, which was already strong in georgia.


It passed with overwhelming support, both R an D.

 

[Agent11]

Clearly Georgia Dems are wiser than average.

 

[ultimatebob]

sure. so are fingers, toaster stroodles and anything else that can take the shape of a gun.

It's the UK. I'm amazed that they don't require registration of Cricket bats yet

 

[mrjminer]

And this is the problem with kids these days. The number of parents like DrP is far in the minority. My father taught me how to use (and respect) power tools, guns, cars, etc when I was growing up.

Thankfully, I now know how to do all kinds of things most people have no idea how to do. Hang a door? No problem. Tile a bathroom? That is a Saturday job for me. Change a flat? The amount of adults I've helped do this is baffling.

I don't know how to do a lot of stuff, but my dad at least taught me to do things safely when I was a little kid. I think I got to use the jig saw when I was 6 or 7. Other than smacking my fingers with a hammer, the only real tool related accident I had was when I was 4 or 5 and I stepped on my dad's power drill when he was working on something. I got pretty lucky with that one, just a small cut.

A few years ago I helped someone move and tossed on a door or two. I had never put up a door before. I can see needing some help with hanging the door, those can be a pain in the ass to balance while you pop in the bolt thingamabobbers (I never paid much attention other than learning how to not chop my fingers off and what not, so the names of things eluded me). The ones I did were pretty light interior doors though so I could do it myself without too much trouble. You are right though, it's pretty shocking that some people can't figure out something as simple as popping out 2-3 of those door bolts. Changing a flat is damn sad though, unless it's a woman.

The one that always gets me is jumping a car. I've done it several times with my previous shitty cars or other people's pieces of shit, but I can never remember which to connect first. I started a fire on my car battery once when I was in high school, that was a pretty unexpected turn of events at the time. Damn you positive and negative, damn you!

 

[Zaap]

I disagree. My older son had power tools just prior to his 3rd birthday. I was supposed to get him a Fisher Price drill for Christmas. The Black & Decker cordless screwdriver was cheaper. It was somewhat a joke; but, he played with it more than any other toy (long bolts, predrilled holes in a large block of wood). Before 5 years of age, he had a corded drill, variety of drill bits, hammer, and jigsaw; pretty much access to all of my power tools except the radial arm saw and circular saw (unless I was there to supervise). Before he could legally drive, he could do all sorts of maintenance on a vehicle, including things like brakes. He could completely tear down his dirt bike & rebuild it. And, before the legal driving age, he did just fine driving a large tractor wherever he needed to & operating it, plus with a trailer attached to it or a regular vehicle, could easily back up in circles or figure eights if he wanted to. (Go to a boat launch and watch a lot of the idiots who can't back up a trailer.) Early on, he and his brother both shot a .22 fairly regularly (both routinely beat me in our little competitions). The legal hunting age in NY is 12 years of age - think about that. He went hunting with me since he was a little kid; and at some point back then, got his first 20 gauge when he could legally hunt alongside me. Around that time, he also built his own gun cabinet for his first gun (it's still a piece of furniture in his house where he lives now), and built our entertainment center for our living room.

So, to "any parent that does is not only a sorry piece of crap but is also asking for trouble," I say bullshit. I'd assert that any parent who would rather have the television, xbox, and playstation babysit their kids, rather than work alongside their kids, teaching their kids skills as well as how to have fun with those skills, and who teaches kids to respect guns as well as power tools, not to mention how to use both effectively, is a "sorry piece..." Well, no. I guess we can just coin a new term: generational incompetence. Their parents didn't know how, so their kids never learned.


To the OP: congrats on the air gun. I'm sure you'll have a lot of fond experiences with it. Keep in mind the joy some of the kids over here have when they get their first air rifle around 10-12 years of age, and get to shoot it (supervised).

Great post! Nice to hear from people that are real parents that understand they're raising someone to be a responsible, independent adult, not a perpetual baby.

It amazes me how some people baby their kids (in all the worst ways) and then wonder why they stay mostly helpless/talentless babies their whole life.

 

[alkemyst]

please go and try and return your handgun.