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Joyce Brothers exhibiting anti-gun paranoia

Josey1Josey1 Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
edited October 2004 in General Discussion
Family of son's new friend believes in firearms

By DR. JOYCE BROTHERS
SYNDICATED COLUMNIST

DEAR DR. BROTHERS: Our family recently moved from the East Coast to a suburb of a large Midwestern city, and my 10-year-old son has made friends with a boy in the neighborhood. The problem is that he came home all excited with tales of seeing handguns and rifles in the child's home. Of course, I immediately called the parents, and the mother told me that her family believes in protecting themselves with firearms, should a criminal or "the government" try to mess with them. We don't understand that kind of thinking. Even though the guns are locked up, are these people dangerous? -- G.T.

DEAR G.T.: It's great that your son has found a pal so quickly. I can't say whether or not the parents of your son's buddy are dangerous; certainly there is a potential for trouble wherever there are guns and children. Kids have the most uncanny knack for exploring forbidden fruit and exploiting any opportunity to do so. If you decide not to intervene in the friendship, you should at least make it very clear to your son that he is to have nothing to do with any kind of firearm and must call you immediately if he finds himself in any situation where he is exposed to danger.

As for the family's siege mentality, I don't understand it either. Even in a suburb where crime is an issue, there are usually competent police forces around to handle the problem. But there are cultural differences throughout the country that can help explain attitudes about gun possession; what is seen as an oddity in one area might be the norm in another. If the parents make you uncomfortable, by all means restrict play dates to your home instead of theirs, and let your child know why.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/brothers/193866_joyce28.html

GEORGE WASHINGTON (First President)
"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the people's liberty teeth keystone... the rifle and the pistol are equally indispensable... more than 99% of them by their silence indicate that they are in safe and sane hands. The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference. When firearms go, all goes, we need them every hour." (Address to 1st session of Congress)

Comments

  • hughbetchahughbetcha Member Posts: 7,801 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Do you wonder where this kind of paranoia comes from? See the topic I posted "Dont ask, Dont Tell" Propaganda sent home with my son from school suggests that every parent should ask the parents of all their childs' friends if there are guns in their house and should make sure those guns are secured. The literature my son brought home spouts bogus statistics about thousands of children killed each year by guns found in the homes of friends. Personally, I try to make sure my son hangs out with good kids and the homes he goes to are tended to by responsible people, but I dont feel its my business or anybody elses business to be questioning or answering questions about whether or not I/they own any guns.
  • BullzeyeBullzeye Member Posts: 3,560
    edited November -1
    Hm. I was expecting worse. At least she seemed relatively diplomatic about the whole thing...

    The mother, however, on the other hand, clearly needs to have some sense slapped into her. She finds out a her son's friend own guns and she's ready to call the ATF and demand they be exterminated.

    "Are these people dangerous?"

    What a f***ing turd.

    "Our finest tribute to our fallen dead would be to convince their sons that we were not Rambo and neither are they. -Gus Hasford
  • jujujuju Member Posts: 6,321
    edited November -1
    quote:Even in a suburb where crime is an issue, there are usually competent police forces around to handle the problem

    Seems she forgets the Rodney King riots in LA,, where were the police then?

    Or how about the Supreme Court Decision that states the police have no mandate to protect you.

    JuJu(who protect himself and his family and not depend on the police)
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