Children, Firearms, Safety, and Security

Chicago, IL—Let me begin with my personal story. I grew up in poverty, raised by a dysfunctional single mother who was mostly absent. By the age of 14, I was emancipated, living on my own, working full time at night, and attending high school during the day. Thankfully, I had a good sense to always stay  one step ahead of child protective services and foster care.  I learned early how to survive in a harsh world, and part of that survival was understanding the value of personal protection.

As a child, I was fascinated by guns. TV shows like Roy Rogers and Dragnet portrayed firearms as necessary tools for the good guys. I understood early on that guns weren’t just toys—they were instruments of security in a world with dangerous people. By the time I joined high school junior ROTC at 13, I was handling real weapons: M1 Garands, Browning Automatic Rifles, and .45 pistols. We were taught military discipline and, more importantly, firearm safety.

At 13, I saved up money to buy my own .22 rifle. No bureaucratic red tape, no mandatory age verification. This was before the federal government stepped in with the Gun Control Act of 1968, an overreach that only complicates law-abiding citizens’ access to firearms today. On rifle team day I took that cased rifle and a box of 50 rounds of ammunition with me to school on the CTA bus, and no one batted an eye. Back then, there was a respect for guns and those who handled them responsibly. That sense of responsibility is precisely what’s missing in today’s conversations about children, firearms, and safety.

Now, let’s talk about your kids and firearms. The harsh truth is, in a country with over 400 million guns in circulation, your children will inevitably encounter one. Will they know what to do? If you’ve chosen to shield them from guns entirely, you’re setting them up for danger, not safety. Ignorance is not a safety measure—it’s a liability. The most irresponsible thing you can do as a parent is leave your children ignorant of firearms, thinking that because you don’t own a gun, they won’t encounter one.

Children are curious by nature. Telling them something is “off-limits” without providing context or knowledge only makes it more tempting. If your child stumbles across a firearm—whether in your home, a friend’s, or elsewhere—will they know to handle it safely or leave it alone? That’s a question every parent must answer. And if you haven’t equipped your child with the knowledge and respect for firearms, then you’ve failed in your duty as a protector.

At around eight years old, you should introduce your children to firearms. Teach them firearm safety—every rule, every caution. Then, under your supervision, let them shoot. This takes the mystery out of guns, satisfies their curiosity, and instills a respect for the power of a firearm. The earlier you teach them, the more ingrained this respect becomes. Remember, it’s not just about today’s safety—it’s about preparing them for tomorrow’s reality. Whether it’s participating in shooting sports or, God forbid, defending themselves in an increasingly dangerous world, firearm knowledge is essential. -

In our modern society, we’ve turned firearm ownership into a taboo. The left would rather have you believe that by teaching your child to shoot, you’re endangering them. But the facts tell a different story. Many times, children have successfully defended themselves and their families with firearms. We don’t talk about those stories enough because they don’t fit the anti-gun narrative.

There’s another reality that the left doesn’t want you to face: when the world plunges into war again, or even when your child is drafted into military service, those who know how to handle a firearm will have a head start. Equality means that your 18-year-old daughter could be called into combat just as your son could. Would you want her entering the battlefield without any prior experience with guns? Of course not.

To those parents who shudder at the idea of their child handling a gun, I say this: By refusing to teach them, you’re abdicating your responsibility. Not teaching your child about firearms is, in itself, a form of neglect.

For the adults who have never touched a gun, it’s time to wake up. You’ve been conditioned by a society that wants you dependent on others for your safety. The truth is, when danger comes knocking, the police will not be there to save you. They’ll only arrive to clean up the aftermath and write reports. Self-defense is your responsibility. Don’t outsource it.

It’s time to arm yourself and your children with knowledge, not fear. Firearm safety is about responsibility, discipline, and survival. Those are American values