Our Opinion: Responsibility is vital to gun ownership

The Valdosta Daily Times

July 19, 2007 12:41 am

— One of the things that makes a gun so unforgiving is that, as a tool, it has no conscience. Unable to operate itself or pull its own trigger, a gun is as safe or dangerous as the person holding it. An unfortunate reality of gun ownership is that when these tools are mishandled, accidents occur — generally to tragic results.
South Georgia has seen its share of such tragedies recently. In late May, a 3-year-old child in Moultrie sustained a gunshot wound while playing with another child. Thomasville reported the fatal shooting of a 6-year-old child by a playmate in mid-June. And on Tuesday morning, a 3-year-old boy died after accidentally discharging a pistol located on a nightstand in a Valdosta home.
Some gun owners prefer to keep their firearms loaded and within easy reach, just in case an intruder makes an unwelcome appearance in the dead of night. While the right to bear arms is affirmed by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, gun ownership also brings with it the legal and moral duty to ensure that children are denied access to firearms. Any rules set for gun owners’ children also should apply to their friends and to untrained adults who visit the home.
The Valdosta Police Department provides gun-safety locks free to the public as part of Project ChildSafe, a program developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation supported by a U.S. Department of Justice grant. The department also conducts free courses on gun safety. To obtain a lock, visit the VPD at 500 N. Toombs St. To request a gun safety lock, call Officer Vernotis Williams at 293-3099.
As a parent, it is also important to be honest and open with children about the dangers that guns pose. If a child becomes fascinated with the derring-do of fictional gunslingers in TV or movies, that might offer moms and dads a segue for discussing the harsh realities that Hollywood excises from its scripts.