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MechAg94 wrote:My main concern is what are you advocating?

A. Suggestion and encouragement people to lock up their guns with kids around?
B. Mandatory law requiring guns to be locked up?

If it is B, I very strongly disagree.

If you are responding to me, I am not advocating a "mandatory law" requiring guns to be locked up. I'm advocating that the first line of responsibility goes to the parents. In my opinion, allowing unabated or "easy" access to a firearm to a minor (for starters) is a liability that falls upon the gun owner. And like others have mentioned in this thread, I too know many adults that I wouldn't trust with a firearm. I also know there are some kids that I would trust with a firearm but as the gun owner, I won't give neither the adult or minor the opportunity to make a mistake - whether it be deliberate or not.

@MechAg94 and @WTR... those are valid thoughts and I believe there is no single solution. However, as society and culture has changed, parents should change with the times and step up their game. When I was a kid we had a gun cabinet full of guns and ammo and it was never locked. Back then we were taught values and respect so the thought of grabbing a gun out of the case without permission never entered my mind.

Fast forward a few decades and I have a 900lb gun safe that is never left open and the only other person that knows the combo is my wife and that's the way it will always be regardless of the ages of the children or other family members. On top of that, the safe is in a separate room with an enhanced door locking mechanism. But the children wouldn't ever think of going in there without our permission.

In my opinion it needs to start with the parents first. Educate the children on all topics of respect, attitude and demeanor and how to identify the "right" people to associate with as compared to the "wrong" people. Educate them on firearms and to be able to identify a potentially bad situation (e.g. another kid playing with a gun or gasoline) and how to safely remove themselves from that scenario.

I have not stayed current on all of the news coming from the Santa Fe shooting. However, I did read an article (linked below) where the father was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal. He (the father) indicated his kid was a "good boy" but he had been bullied and "mistreated at the school". From the article, "Antonios Pagourtzis wouldn’t comment in his interview with the Journal on how his son acquired the weapons."

This is on the parents as much as it is on the kid. Lock up the guns and ammo and the percentages and probability of the shooting goes way down. You want to tighten the gun laws... put it on the parents to be responsible enough to lock up the guns if they have anyone in their house - minor or otherwise.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/father-of- ... 1526920563