More guns is obviously the answer...

[Cooky]

Safe storage requirements are a reasonable burden for someone who only displays their firearms and never shoots them.

I am in total agreement. While I have no guns myself, my dad is a big collector, having over 50 firearms in his possession. He wisely keeps them locked up tight in a special closet he has set up just for that purpose.

...It's all about being organized and smart, IMO.

 

[esmith]

Safe storage requirements are a reasonable burden for someone who only displays their firearms and never shoots them.

I consider my firearms safely stored behind locked doors and loaded since no children come into the house and normally the only guest we get are those that are fully trained in the use of a firearm.
In addition there is absolutely no way that a law like this could every be enforced.

 

[oldbadger]

Did you read the article? Do you think this 'mother' would have cared about your 'strict safe storage practices'?

Good-Ole-Rebel

In a country with common sense gun control, such a person would never have completed the training, testing, insurance, home security and criminal record criteria.
So your point don't count. ;D

 

[oldbadger]

I consider my firearms safely stored behind locked doors and loaded since no children come into the house and normally the only guest we get are those that are fully trained in the use of a firearm.
In addition there is absolutely no way that a law like this could every be enforced.

Fully loaded......

 

[oldbadger]

If only the toddler could have returned fire... at himself...

Toddler, 2, put mum's loaded pink gun in mouth killing himself thinking it was a water pistol

Again........
Of course, there are crazy gun incidents in the US every day, I expect, but this one is just so blooming stupid and waste of young life
They won't change.....

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

As the father of a 3 year old son, this is gut wrenching.
And regardless of how you feel about 2A, having a pink gun shows that you did't take them seriously enough. It's flippant and tacky.

The article doesn't come out and say it, but the way they describe the child's mother, it seems like the implication is that she may have stolen the gun. If so, then the colour probably wasn't something she deliberately chose.

Now... I used to know someone who did deliberately choose something like this. A former acquaintance had his Glock powder-coated to look like a Nintendo Zapper. The fallout from that - and from me telling how foolish what he did was - is why he's a former acquaintance.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I consider my firearms safely stored behind locked doors and loaded since no children come into the house and normally the only guest we get are those that are fully trained in the use of a firearm.
In addition there is absolutely no way that a law like this could every be enforced.

Theres no way to enforcement laws abiut medications and how chemicals are used in homes either. Yet, most people tend to stay reasonably legal amd use medications in prescribed ways and as intended, and not many people are producing bombs made of common household stuff.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I consider my firearms safely stored behind locked doors and loaded since no children come into the house and normally the only guest we get are those that are fully trained in the use of a firearm.

If you're storing your gun loaded, you're not storing it responsibly.

If you're storing your gun in a way that it isn't secured against firing or in a gun safe - and a flimsy interior door isn't a gun safe - you're not storing it responsibly.

In addition there is absolutely no way that a law like this could every be enforced.

Enforcement wouldn't matter for those law-abiding gun owners I keep hearing about, right? They'd follow the law regardless.

Enforcement of safe storage laws generally comes up after an incident has happened. Prosecuting people after they break the rules and someone is hurt or killed as a result encourages compliance for everyone else for they cause an incident themselves.

It can also matter when the cops conduct a search for some other reason. When they, say, raid a drug dealer, if they find an unsecured firearm lying around, it can be one more thing to charge the dealer with.

 

[Erebus]

When I become dictator (by fabulous peaceful coup),
strict safe storage practices will become law.

In the UK, one of the conditions of gun ownership* is that you also have a secure means of storing them when they aren't actively being used. To me, that seems a perfectly reasonable requirement.

On the colour thing, I can see a couple of arguments why a pink gun could be a bad idea. The first is that it can more easily be mistaken for a toy. While that's pretty low down on the list of reasons the tragedy linked in the OP occurred, it's still something to consider. Perhaps it's better to stick with muted colours if you have young children (in addition to storing it responsibly of course).

The second is a bit more complicated and is related to colour psychology. In short, certain colours elicit an instinctual and/or culturally ingrained response from us. This is too long a subject to cover in detail so I'll keep it brief and encourage people to have a look into colour psychology as it's a pretty fascinating subject. Anyway, modern Westerners typically view pink as a calm, loving colour. Pale blue is considered serene and white is considered pure. None of those are appropriate subconscious responses to instill in somebody when it comes to a weapon.
I'm not keen on the pink power tools displayed earlier for the same reason.

*You can legally own guns in the UK. Not everybody knows that, including a fair few people who live here.

 

[Father Heathen]

Now... I used to know someone who did deliberately choose something like this. A former acquaintance had his Glock powder-coated to look like a Nintendo Zapper. The fallout from that - and from me telling how foolish what he did was - is why he's a former acquaintance.

That's exactly the sort of mindset I'm talking about.

 

[Father Heathen]

While I agree it's not a fashion accessory,
I wouldn't deny them their fashion.
Btw, all guns have their fashion aspect.
I am not immune to this....but I turn my
nose up at garish colors.

Do not obsess over appearance.
Conduct is the issue here.
Be safe.
Act safely.
Store safely.
Be trained.
And did I mention....
Be safe.

Obviously safety comes first, and I don't understand how people took my comment to suggest otherwise. It's baffling.
And I'm not "obsessing" over anything. I've merely stated what I believe to be in bad taste, which apparently inflicted a measure of butthurt judging by the response.

 

[Father Heathen]

As seen by the anti-gun culture!!!!!

No, it's unrealistic to think that an armed citizenry would rise up against, much less actually defeat, a tyrannical government. Who would the armed rebellion be organized and coordinated under, and how would you expect to come to a public consensus that the government needs overthrown? And how are a bunch of yokels going to take on better armed and better trained police/military? Most gun owners presume that a tyrannical government would exclusively be a leftist one (a scenario many of them probably fantasize about and hope for, imagining themselves being Rambo.) If a far-right totalitarian regime took power however, the gun crowd would probably be on their knees licking their boots in admiration. I simply don't trust drunken, shotgun toting rednecks to be my savior in the event I find myself under a dictatorship. In fact, I'd wager that their votes would lay the groundwork for such an outcome.
And all that aside, you have gun fetishists who buy chintzy military style gadgets, attachments, accessories, etc. that actually serve no practical use for civilians, just because makes them feel like some sort of bad@*** special-ops commando. Usually same set with open carry; it's about feeling like a bad@*** and letting the world know.
Many actually hope for a situation to occur where they can justifiably kill and be hailed a hero, but a gun should be regarded like a fire extinguisher; have on hand in case of an emergency but hope to never have to use it. Could you imagine people decorating their fire extinguishers or buying stupid, useless attachments for them? Or posing with them?

 

[Revoltingest]

In the UK, one of the conditions of gun ownership* is that you also have a secure means of storing them when they aren't actively being used. To me, that seems a perfectly reasonable requirement.

On the colour thing, I can see a couple of arguments why a pink gun could be a bad idea. The first is that it can more easily be mistaken for a toy. While that's pretty low down on the list of reasons the tragedy linked in the OP occurred, it's still something to consider. Perhaps it's better to stick with muted colours if you have young children (in addition to storing it responsibly of course).

The second is a bit more complicated and is related to colour psychology. In short, certain colours elicit an instinctual and/or culturally ingrained response from us. This is too long a subject to cover in detail so I'll keep it brief and encourage people to have a look into colour psychology as it's a pretty fascinating subject. Anyway, modern Westerners typically view pink as a calm, loving colour. Pale blue is considered serene and white is considered pure. None of those are appropriate subconscious responses to instill in somebody when it comes to a weapon.
I'm not keen on the pink power tools displayed earlier for the same reason.

*You can legally own guns in the UK. Not everybody knows that, including a fair few people who live here.

I agree that colorful guns pose an additional safety risk.
But I find it impossible to gauge the level of risk.

 

[Revoltingest]

Obviously safety comes first, and I don't understand how people took my comment to suggest otherwise. It's baffling.
And I'm not "obsessing" over anything. I've merely stated what I believe to be in bad taste, which apparently inflicted a measure of butthurt judging by the response.

Okie dokie!
Sometimes people have a hard time judging how much
weight one gives to various aspects of an issue. I too
will sometimes deal with something of lesser importance,
but it doesn't mean that failing to deal with other things
makes them less important.
Btw, I think "enthusiasm" would be better than "b***hurt".
And in fairness, some of us cannot use that word.
Further poster sayeth naught....rules, you know.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

No, it's unrealistic to think that an armed citizenry would rise up against, much less actually defeat, a tyrannical government. Who would the armed rebellion be organized and coordinated under, and how would you expect to come to a public consensus that the government needs overthrown? And how are a bunch of yokels going to take on better armed and better trained police/military? Most gun owners presume that a tyrannical government would exclusively be a leftist one (a scenario many of them probably fantasize about and hope for, imagining themselves being Rambo.)

I take it that you haven't seen the instructional film "Red Dawn."

 

[Good-Ole-Rebel]

I tried.

'Tried' dodn't cut it.

Good-Ole-Rebel

 

[Good-Ole-Rebel]

That is an assumption that is just as poor as assuming she is irresponsible just because her gun is pink.

No it's not. Did you read the article? Do you think this woman cares about following the law...at all? As I said, I don't know that she didn't kill the boy herself. It is probably 'assumption' on the legal system there and you, that it was an accident.

I don't mind if you have a pink gun. I just want you to have a gun.

Good-Ole-Rebel

 

[Father Heathen]

I take it that you haven't seen the instructional film "Red Dawn."

But in Trump's America, you invite the invading Russians in for dinner because the attack is fake news.

In seriousness though, I haven't seen the original film but the remake was garbage.

 

[Good-Ole-Rebel]

As seen by those who realize there is a serious problem with thinking a gun a first solution and have no problems with people not having to be trained to use a gun and safely handle them before being allowed to own one. The "good guy with a gun" is also a fantasy, cause more often than not it doesn't work out fast enough and we need solutions to reduce that need in the first place. Gun ownership keeps going up, but it isn't making us more safe.

We in the South who own guns, grow up with guns. Gun safety is not foreign to us as it is with the idiots who have never seen or handled a real gun. It is taught from the very beginning. We know right off the bat...don't touch that gun. It will kill you.

Your safety is your responsibility. If you want to trust the law to get there in time to keep you safe...go ahead. The grave yard is filled with those. If you want a chance...get a gun.

Good-Ole-Rebel

 

[Good-Ole-Rebel]

In a country with common sense gun control, such a person would never have completed the training, testing, insurance, home security and criminal record criteria.
So your point don't count. ;D

Why? We already have common sense gun control?

Good-Ole-Rebel