Demystifying Gun Ownership

One of the books that came out of the Gun Rights Policy Conference held here in St, Louis last year was "Keeping Your Family Safe, The Responsibilities of Firearm Ownership" by Doctors Timothy Wheeler and E. John Wipfler. A quote in the book taken from a 1994 DOJ study goes thus;

Boys who own legal firearms, however, have much lower rates of delinquincy and drug use and are even slightly less delinquent than nonowners of guns. The socialization into gun ownership is also vastly different for legal and illegal gunowners. Those who own legal guns have fathers who own guns for sport and hunting. On the other hand, those who own illegal guns have friends who own illegal guns and are far more likely to be gang members. For legal gunowners, socialization appears to take place in the family; for illegal gun owners, it appears to take place "on the street."

First off, I do take issue on what exactly makes a gun legal or illegal. The Glock 19 bought & paid for through a FFL and used in a safe peaceable manner, is legal. That same Glock 19 is stolen and used in a crime. It became illegal now. The tool is not legal or illegal, rather the intent of the user has legal ramifications. As to what the quote was saying, DUH! Introducing children to guns in an environment where responsibility is the biggest lesson can yield a host of disciplines in other areas of the child's life. Whatever in life a parent is teaching a child, if the parent wishes influences on their spawn, then they must be the source of that influence. It can be a trusted someone outside the family, but the parent must verify what is being taught to their child coincides with the parents wishes.