I was brought up in
a home where even talking about guns was considered taboo. I was horrified when
my own children played shooting games, and I discouraged even pretend guns. What
a surprise to find out that my son-in-law was great at shooting guns and had actually
received one as a birthday present when he was fourteen! I asked my mechutan, who currently lives in
Q: What made you decide to teach your son how to shoot a gun?
A: At the time, I owned three guns:
a pistol, a shotgun, and a rifle. Marksmanship is a skill, and it teaches
important lessons about safety, responsibility, and possible self-defense. It’s
also fun to make loud noises.
Q: Weren’t you concerned that a gun can kill?
A: More people get killed in auto
accidents. We teach drivers to be responsible and obey the rules. At a gun
range, everyone follows strict rules; it’s not a bunch of cowboys shooting it
up. At home, the weapons were always locked up in a gun safe, unloaded, with
trigger locks. Only I had the key.
Q: Can a child be trusted with something that can be lethal? Were you worried
that he might want to boast to his friends and show them his gun?
A: One has to know one’s child. At
14, my son was reliable and responsible. We took a training course at a gun
range under the auspices of the NRA. Before you even touch a weapon, you are
drilled in safety precautions, and shooting is highly supervised. He was
never left unsupervised with his pistol.
Q: Did you teach your son this skill so he can protect himself or was it just
for sport?
A: Both. It is interesting that in
the
Q: What did you envision your son doing with this skill?
A: I saw it as a “male bonding” activity
we could do together, with the added benefit of showing him that I thought he
was mature enough to take this responsibility seriously and be able, if
necessary, to protect himself and his family in the future. You develop a good
eye and a sense of how to control your movements.
Q: What precautions did you take before presenting him with a gun?
A: He was trained before he
received his pistol. When we went to the range, the ammunition was in the
trunk, and the guns were with us in the front seat, unloaded. We never took
them out of the case until we were ready to shoot and all other safety
rules were in place. By the way, he is
a crack shot. His instructor was so impressed that he wanted him to join
his shooting team to compete with other teams.
Q: Do you wish that he
had a gun in his home now?
A: That is entirely up to
him. I have no feelings either way. But the way things are going in
