Are guns really bad for kids? Should kids be taught how to use firearms? Firearms is a fancy way of saying guns. Many people are extremely opposed to children shooting or even being in the same house as guns. Many Democrats do not support children learning to shoot firearms while many Republicans are in support of children shooting guns. Nethertheless, I believe children should be taught at a young age firearm safety and shooting to help prevent accidental shootings.
The research i am presenting is opinions from many people in the gun community. They believe that the safer option is to teach their children gun safety and to educate them on the danger of firearms as well as teach them the fundamentals of shooting. Latham Doxey stated that "So it's either education or ignorance, is the way we look at it… I would rather be the one to show our kids the proper way to use guns." This shows that parents do believe it is better to teach their children gun safety over gun ignorance. Another way to teach kids is through in school education. Heidi Cifelli who is the manager of the National Rifle Association's Eddie Eagle Gun Safe Program stated that “Cifelli says the NRA would like more schools to use its program, called “Eddie Eagle,” which teaches kids in grades K-6 to “Stop. Don’t Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an Adult,” This is a great way to teach young kids the dangers of guns and to only use or handle them with the supervision of a parent or properly trained adult. My final piece of evidence is “Gun education is the best way to save young lives.” This was stated by Cifelli who is a educated in gun safety. This professional advice shows that safety over ignorance is the better option especially when young lives rely on safety.
Many people believe that not teaching kids how to use guns is the better option. This is seen widely through democrats as well as families who have not be exposed to firearms. They believe that the best way to keep their children safe is to not allow them to use firearms, There is plenty of evidence that supports this opposition. A good statistic is “Children from states where firearms are prevalent suffer from significantly higher rates of homicide, even after accounting for poverty, education, and urbanization.” This does show why some parents may be opposed to letting their kids shot firearms. Personally, i disagree with not allowing children to shot firearms. Many kids end up hurting themselves with firearms because the parents didn't lock it away from the child, or the children were not taught gun safety. It is better to satisfy children's curiosity to new things by exposing them to guns as well as teaching them the dangers and the safe way to handle guns. Gun ignorance and not teaching kids safety is a recipe for disaster.
I believe children should be taught at a young age firearm safety and shooting to help prevent accidental shootings. Conversely, many people do believe it is better to not teach their children about gun safety or how to shoot safely. It is better to satisfy children curiosity about firearms to expose them to guns and to teach them the safe way to handle and operate them. Do not let your children become wrapped in the chains of gun ignorance.