Is it okay to teach kids how to use weapons?

[RickBean]

[wormwood]

Another day, another RickBean gun thread that he will post in once and then disappear from.

Rick, what is a "cult of violence"? Is defending your home from an intruder a "cult of violence" or is it something else? Just once, post a response then you can run back to your focus group or whatever it is that you do.

[eynon81]

yes.

[The Dharma Bum]

i'm teaching my kids to use a mace



fun times

[exploited]

No. Your kids should be seized and you should be forced into a labor camp.

[The Dharma Bum]

come at me breh

[The dane]

The answer to this question depends on the age of the kids. Is it ok to teach a 5-year old ? No, but it would be ok to teach a 16-year old.

Deadly force is not something to be taken lightly, and young kids simply do not have the maturity to make correct decisions on such matters. There's a reason that we don't allow young kids to drive or drink, and that same reason certainly applies to something like guns.
I always found it to be an amazing logical disconnect that you could decide to go to war or have children at 18, but you are not deemed mature enough to have a beer until 3 years later.

[eynon81]

[exploited]

But really, what ages are we have talking here? Obviously the answer to this question depends upon developmental level, some insight into child psychology, individual quirks of the kid, etc.

[eynon81]