Maxim Lott, who comes from a family friendly on the issue, is reporting from Fox News notes:
Would you let your kid touch a machine gun?
Photos of officers from the Santa Rosa Police Department letting kids handle the department’s SWAT team weaponry at a community event has sparked a debate over how much exposure to guns is healthy for kids.
The people who are getting hysterical really need real problems to worry about. It never ceases to amaze me, that there’s no problem so unimportant or trivial, that a busy body who doesn’t know enough to mind their owned damned business won’t worry about it. Personally, I have enough problems of my own to sit around worrying about other people’s problems. I’d love to be one of these people who has time and energy to worry about other people’s kids.
I’d not only let my kid touch a machine gun, I’d actively encourage the interest. But I do have to chuckle at this:
“Our goal is saying to people, ‘hey, don’t be intimidated by the police.’ We want to break down that barrier… Once these events are over, people will be more comfortable having conversations with officers.â€
Well, you might want to start by not sending the SWAT team in to take down grandma for growing a few pot plants in her backyard. Or for, “Sorry, wrong house. And we’re really sorry about your dog.”
Ahhaha.
I’m 99% certain nobody’s ever been given an apology for that. They’re more likely to hear “you’re lucky that wasn’t you”
Markie Marxist sez: “That’s outrageous! Every good Marxist knows that no private citizens should ever be allowed to touch a gun! It’s hard for us to keep adults away from guns because they have minds of their own, unfortunately, but we Marxists claim total ownership over the minds of children, so it’s especially offensive to our totalitarian sensibilities when kids are allowed to touch a gun! Only our Marxist/warrior/hero/government agents should be allowed to have guns because they represent our Marxist power. And, of course, our Marxist/warrior/hero/criminals should have guns because they’re helping us to destroy capitalism and bring down America. However, those kids who touched that gun could grow up to be private gun owners and join the NRA! That would be devastating! They might vote Republican!”
Sure… but only after me ;)
“We want to break down that barrier…”
GREAT choice of metaphor, officer!
But could be better: “We want to kick down that door”, “We want to shoot that dog”, something along those lines.
Let my son touch a machinegun? Is he allowed to fire it or at least field strip it? No! Well that’s kind of a small arms cocktease, isn’t it?
This reminds me of my childhood. The summer camp I attended was close to a military base, and we’d often see soldiers in our camp. They would let us handle their AK-74’s.
(This was in USSR in mid 80’s)
“Would you let your kid touch a machine gun?”
I bought my daughter her first .22 (pink crickett) when she was 6. She would be very disappointed if she could only touch Machine gun….she’d be begging me to shot it!
When I read stories like this I am reminded of H.G. Well’s “The Time Machine”. The PSH of anti-gunners truly make them the forerunners of the Eloi.
Having lived in Satan Rosa for over a decade I can say that the bulk of the population is quite anti-gun. A nearby city, Sepastopol, is a self professed hippie settlement and worse in the ways of logical thinking. The ability to enjoy the shooting sports in that area is nigh impossible even with the area being surrounded by forests.
People getting hot and bothered about a display and education doesn’t surprise me at all.