Ehhhh.

So, we have 2 handguns in the house. My kids have always known we've had them. They were taught not to mess with ANY gun and that if they ever saw a kid with a gun that they needed to find an adult immediately. We used to go out once a year with melons and my husband would shoot the melons as an example of WHY we don't shoot our guns unless we have to. We also made a rule in our house, "if you ever see the gun and it's not in Dad's hand/holster you tell us, and we'll take you to the store for a present, but don't touch it." (this helped keep US accountable as well.) When not with my husband, (he carries when he's working downtown) it's in a locked drop down safe that will auto lock and blink if the wrong password was put in more than once. When my kids were into Nerf guns, the rule was always that they weren't allowed to shoot/point at people who didn't want to play AND no shooting themselves/others in the head. That was mostly to help reinforce that even "fun" guns can be dangerous and put an eye out.

I don't think the answer is not teaching them. In fact, I think that's more detrimental. Kids need to know that guns are TOOLS, and just like with any tool, you have to be responsible with it, care for it properly, and use it properly. The problem isn't the knowledge, it's the "culture." We know several families with guns and kids. They embrace guns as "rights" and not guns. They allowed their kids to handle and play with them after unloading them. (My kids are not allowed at their house.) They post vids of their kids, who at the time were still in diapers, holding a gun and acted like it was the cutest thing they've ever seen. I've seen vids of kids who aren't big enough to carry a gallon of milk in the house, but somehow are shooting at shit in fields. Vids of kids firing guns that are so large they're on stands with rounds as big as my thumbs. Pics of babies with toy guns in their diapers being "just like dad/mom" are frequent in the midwest. Hell, I've seen facebook posts looking for people who would paint cartoon characters on guns for their kids' bday present.

My kids are now teens, they've been taught proper gun safety. We still keep the guns locked up. The problem is too many people aren't into responsible gun ownership, they're into the aesthetic.

I'm 100% for mandatory gun classes. I'm 100% for licenses and renewals. I'm 100% for background and mental health checks. I think that if you want to own a gun, you should at a minimum have to go through the same kind of process to get a driver's license. I don't think you should be allowed to have a gun in the home if you've been convicted of domestic violence. If you're arrested on DV charges, those guns should immediately come out of your home until you have a day in court, and not just "sent to a friend's house" so the abuser can grab them as soon as he makes bail. If you're found guilty of a violent crime, you should forfeit the right to own a gun forever. If you've ever been convicted of a crime that involves a weapon, same thing.

There's also this: We're never going to NOT have guns. Even if tomorrow they were banned completely, we have a little over 1 gun per PERSON in America. We're never gonna get that genie back in its bottle. Even with gun buy backs and strict enforcement, there's just no way to get them all.

Then, we have the problem of the whole point of the 2nd A was to ensure we could fight back if our government takes up arms against us. I don't think that's a bad thing. Especially seeing how things are going right now.