Am I real life hypocrite?

Wow, I see your point. Perhaps you should go out and pick up a gunvault ( www.gunvault.com ) as an early christmas gift. Bolt it to his nightstand for him, then explain to him your concerns. Remember though if something were to happen and he was not able to arm himself, how would that weigh on you? I know it's a tough decision to make as either way you have a potential burden to bare, but it comes down to:
1.) Is he responsible enough to treat it as it should be?
2.) Is he smart enough to not pull it out and show off?
3.) Armed or Unarmed, which, at the end of the day, would be best for him?

 

I bought both my kids their first rifle at 5 years old. My daughter was into her horses and didn't shoot much. She joined the Air Force, is now out, and has plenty of knowledge to make her own decisions and purchase. My son has always been a shooter, bought him a .50 muzzle loader when he was 11, and gave him his first revolver (Ruger Single-Six) when he was 14. They have both always been very responsible and I have no problem with them being armed. They know what guns mix with and what they don't.

I say: "If you've raised him right, trust him."

 

Tough one. You know your kid better than any of us. How mature is he? Is the main question you should be asking yourself. He may know how to handle a gun, and how to use a gun, but does he know when it is appropiate to and the consequences of each aciton.

I "matured" fairly early in my life, I became self suficient, and left home at 18. I've been around guns all my life and have bought meany guns since. My younger brother, who live pretty much the same experience with guns, did not "mature" untill he was 24 or 25. He drank wa to much with his friends, got into fights, depended on mom for his clean clothes, got tickets for speeding, spent money frivously, etc, etc, etc. When finnaly "grew up" and realized he was responsible enough, he started buying guns.

I think with firearms, knowledge goes hand in hand with maturity.

 

It takes a lot of responsibility to have a gun. I often ask those same questions seeing 18, 19, 20, etc. year old kids that are just that... kids. Add alcohol and posibly drugs, and you get a volitile mixture with guns... It can happen with "mature" adults too... alcohol and guns do not mix. But, what are we suppose to say? You're not ready to "handle" guns and protect yourself? I feel you, but I can only say that my conscience can only rest on the fact that I brought my daughter up, in my case, responsible enough to know; and, then it's up to her. Just like her getting involved with drugs or getting pregnant or any one of those things. Parents can only do so much, and then it's up to the children to make their own sound decisions.

 

Skate, I understand your concerns, as I have a 21 year old stepson that I wouldn't give him a gun. He's immature at times and lets other people influence him too much. If your son is pretty mature, I think Taurus's idea of the gun safe is great. It'll keep his buddy's away from the gun and give him a chance to think before he takes it out. I would go with your gut feeling as you know him better than any of us. If he has a good healthy set of legs to run away with, then tell him to use them for a while. Yep, it is hard being the bad guy.

 

Id go w/ a shotgun instead of a handgun in this situation.

 

I sold my .22 rifle to my 18 year old stepson on the condition that it stay in the gun vault and I have control over access to it.

I do not feel that you are a hypocrite, you know your son better than anybody else, and if you have reservations about him having it, those are you gut instincts, and a person should listen to them

Do what you feel is best and good luck.

 

Yes, you are a hypocrite. You own weapons, but do not want your son to have one? If he is 22 years old then I am to sorry to say but your part in raising him is done. All the morals and values he will have as an adult have already been taught to him. If it is actually HIS pistol, then it is just plain wrong not to give it to him. He, as an adult has every legal right to possess a pistol just as you and I do, and noone not even you has the right to tell him he cant. That right was afforded to us as citizens by the people who founded this country. Sorry but even though it means that sometimes the wrong people own weapons, I believe it is an essential right to secure the very freedom we all enjoy.

It is a $100 pistol, keep it if you want to but if he really wants to own one then I am sure he will just buy another.

Personally, I would pray he doesnt get robbed or something while he is at home without the ability to defend his life.

 

Newskate, I am kinda in with Jason on this issue. If the gun does belong to him and he's already out on his own, give him the gun. As Jason said, he's already been taught right and wrong and it's now your turn to trust that he knows the difference. Remember those times when you told him as a child "Daddy knows best"? Well, those times are gone my friend, it's now up to him.

 

I think being a gun owner must a be a choice he needs to make himself. Anyone that has not taken on personal responsibility for gun ownership should not have one. He can not be flippant about this responsibility.

The way you talk about this I would ask for the gun back!

 

"He's taken classes and I've shot with him many times"

It doesnt sound like he is irresponsible to me.

Skate didnt say anywhere in his statement that his son had demostrated any kind of irresponsiblity so far. He did say that he liked to party sometimes, but that doesnt mean he is going to shoot someone.

 

I would say no you are not a hypocrite on the carry issue. They are two different things. Kids can already buy guns while in college. They just cannot carry them to school. If they wanted to buy a gun and then carry it illegally they could do that too. When you say arm the kids you are really only saying let the good kids take their guns with them too. They already can own guns just not carry them on campus.

As for your situation with your son... yeah if it is his gun and he is old enough I say give it to him. He could just buy his own. If he gets his CCW he can keep a pistol with him at all times so that his roommate does not even know about it. A shotgun is less easy to hide...

 

1) He has shot before and you seemed ok with that.

2) You yourself said he can go buy another if he desires

3) Kids need to grow up, all kids, yours and mine sometime. If you did your job as a parent and I'm sure that you did then let him grow up more on his own.

Talk with him and voice your concerns, you're both adults.

 

As someone who has recently just gone through a similiar situation (recent college graduate, and owner of firearms) my dad was reluctant to allow me to take my pistol to college with me. I explained to him in a very resposible and adult like manner that I wanted the gun for personal protection and target shooting from time to time. Since I came to him and presented myself like a man my father agreed to allow me to take the gun to to school with me. The gun was not something that got pulled out and showed off and as someone else mentioned the gun safe is a great idea.

 

gun safes are great for storing guns you use for hunting or target shooting. but when there is an intruder in your house. "Hang on, just let me get out my shotgun and then I will show you!............ stupid combination!"

 

Gotta have a safe, and for 50-60 bucks you can get a gunvault. One nice feature is it will tell you if there has been failed attempts to access the safe. There's even models that have a monion detector/alarm for those super paranoid people.

 

You are right gun safes do take a few seconds to access your gun, but if he does have friends over for a party, etc. it gets him somewhere secure to leave his firearms. Afterwards he can always take it out.

 

As far as pistol storage for home defense, two words come to mind. Biometric safe. Equally as secure as anything out there and you can open it literally with the touch of a finger. They are pricey, but if you want security and quick access I think they are the way to go.