TexasCHLforum.com

cb1000rider wrote:

Dori wrote:The law in Texas does have "lawful defense by the child of people or property" as an affirmative defense to prosecution.

You guys will have to help me with this, as I struggle, as a parent to figure out what that line is...

I believe children should be taught firearm safety, absolutely... But I'm not sure a 12 year old or a 16 year old can safely make a determination of when to pull and when not to pull at home... Even at 18 - if you teach them "see someone you don't recognize at the door" - may very well be not a good outcome. The converse is true, also... So in my mind it's not made up.

For me, I treated it as how I was raised, guns were never taught to be a panacea to my problems. So just like me, my son was around guns his entire life, even though some of that time was spent in the Military, I intentionally retired when my son turned 13, so that I could spend his formative years with him. I spent a huge amount of time with him, I took him shooting and hunting since he was very young, so a gun was never a magical instrument to solve all of his problems. When I worked for the State, short period mind you, I seen all of these young teens, who when they were young, when they flipped strangers off, cussed strangers and family out, it was laughed off by their parents as it was cute and funny. Then all of a sudden they were 13 and were bigger than Mom and it wasn't so funny anymore and now Law Enforcement is getting involved. I believe you can't take a kid in their beginning teens and start to teach them maturity, it has to take place when they are young. So based upon when one starts teaching their children, should be the basis on when you can start trusting them. Teaching morality and maturity isn't and shouldn't be a part time effort, it must take up a huge amount of time, personal time with your children, even doing things you might not like doing, because if you don't someone will. My thoughts and it has worked out for me and all of my siblings. So thank you Momma and Daddy for your teachings that have been passed down to at least another generation.

tbrown wrote:There are teenagers I would trust with a loaded gun long before some adults.

Hypothetically, in a household with a mature teen, the parents could leave a loaded magazine near an unloaded gun when they go out for the evening. Neither the parents nor minor would break Texas law if she loads the gun after her parents leave. Everybody is happy except goblins who break into the wrong house.

This. There are many stories out there of Teens taking a firearm and sending Bad Guys scurrying. http://gunssavelives.net/category/self-defense/page/8/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; These stories could have been published differently, i.e. child raped/murdered, family robbed/murdered and etc. I don't know where that invisible line lies? But, I believe the first step should be education of your child, as well as knowing them. I was raised where firearms were always accessible and I raised my son the same way. I have also read where teens have taken firearms and done evil things with them. I don't know what is going on out there where children feel that they must cause a lot of hurt in order for them to feel. But I do know it isn't all of them, there are many kids out there that are very mature and settled, especially around firearms.