Speaking Different Languages

In the comments on my last post, Nurse K. opined:

“Love ya, AD, but totally don’t agree with 7-year-olds + big guns.”

I replied that Katy never shoots unsupervised, that she knows, and more importantly, understands the Four Rules of gun safety, and can bark out range commands as well as any RSO. To which she replied, with trademark Nurse K. condescension and snark:

“I’m glad you are psychic and can read the mind of a seven-year-old girl and know exactly what she will and will not do and what is and is not fascinating. You should publish a book on that too; millions will buy it. I also was not aware that she was the only 7-year-old who could behave in a rational, calm, adult-like manner all the time, and follow rules 100% of the time that, if not followed, could results in death. Guess what? Even the best-behaved kids goof up sometimes and that’s to be expected. Do you want the goof-up to be related to gun safety or forgetting to put all your dolls away properly?

Just seems like an unnecessary risk for a child’s playtime, even in the best of circumstances. It’s not like you have to shoot to survive/eat like the pioneers did or whatever.”

[sarcasm]

Yeah, Nurse K., I turn my seven-year-old loose in the yard with an AR15 and a pocketful of ammo, with the instructions, “Go play with your gun, sweetie. Try to thin out the feral cat population while you’re out there, but don’t shoot anything I’ll have to replace, mmmkay?”

[/sarcasm]

We actually had quite a spirited debate via IM chat on the subject, from which I gleaned that:

1. Shooting ranges have stray dogs running loose downrange, and the rednecks let their kids run around the firing line unsupervised.
2. Most of the people at these shooting ranges only pay lip service to those Four Rules.
3. Teaching my child to shoot is irresponsible because, well, you know, guns are inherently dangerous, and the first time I turn my back on her, all that safety teaching will suddenly disappear and she will do Very Bad Things with a weapon, because I’ve taught her how to use them. Because, you know, seven-year-old kids are impulsive and can’t be trusted…
4. … Even though, I’m not really teaching her to shoot. Because I’m holding her in my lap and supporting the gun, apparently I’m just humoring my kid and making her think she’s the one doing the shooting. Because, you know, everyone can hold a 60-pound kid in their lap, wrap their hands around the kid’s hands to support the rifle, and repeatedly knock over a can at fifteen yards. Without benefit of a sighting system. Or a cheek weld. Or aiming whatsoever.
5. She doesn’t know what to do about a misfire, or a squib load, or “the barrel might blow up.” And truthfully, KatyBeth doesn’t know what to do about misfires. Well, except that part about keeping the barrel pointed in a safe direction, keeping her finger off the trigger, and letting the adult handle clearing the weapon.
6. All of the above observations are made valid by the fact that the observer has taken an “NRA gun safety thingamajiggy,” and has been to a shooting range once in her life.

That last one just about kicked over my giggle box, because she actually thinks that makes her qualified to comment intelligently about shooting and gun safety.  It’s akin to a 15-year-old believing her learner’s permit also makes her an ASE certified mechanic and a Formula One driver.

All my arguments left her unconvinced, however, because trying to reason with a hoplophobe is an exercise doomed to failure.  A person whose entire argument is based upon fear, ignorance and emotion is not going to be swayed by facts and reason.

Besides, the words open-minded and Nurse K. don’t often meet in the same sentence.

Ultimately, she offered the following video as proof of the irresponsibility of teaching a child to shoot:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K_oGwbyxnk[/youtube]

See what I mean? That is her frame of reference  when it comes to parental supervision, and kids shooting. When a person’s opinion of the gun culture is based on the idiocy they see on YouTube videos, arguing otherwise is pointless.

We’re speaking two different languages.