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Do you ask about guns if your child has a playdate at someone else's house?

38 replies

foolysh · 22/05/2005 22:03

My cousin in California says that she always does, do they have a gun, is it locked up where children can't get it, where is the key to the lock kept, etc....

DS1 (5) has his first ever playdate in someone else's house without me on Tuesday. I forgot to ask the mother if she has a gun of any sort in her house. Lavenderr's thread reminded me that air rifles are legal (I guess?). And still dangerous. I think it's still possible to get shotgun licenses, too, in Britain? Should I ring the mother to ask? Would you?

OP posts:

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aloha · 22/05/2005 22:10

No, it wouldn't cross my mind in a million years. We are not in California.

KBear · 22/05/2005 22:12

but it's a different culture in the US. Guns are more available and I don't know but perhaps the legislation about storage of guns is different to the UK. Chances are they haven't got a gun in the house and if they have it would be locked in a gun cabinet. Check if you think they might have guns. It's your child....

bubble99 · 22/05/2005 22:19

Not unless the daddy wears stockings over his face for a living.

bubble99 · 22/05/2005 22:20

Or the mummy. Let's not be sexist here.

WideWebWitch · 22/05/2005 22:20

It wouldn't cross my mind either.

sansouci · 22/05/2005 22:20

ohhh! that laugh was better than an orgasm.

foolysh · 22/05/2005 22:22

We were househunting and a seller pointed out his gun cabinet (they had a young child in the house). I didn't think I would ever need to ask, but is it legally required that air rifles be locked up, too?

OP posts:

Caligula · 22/05/2005 22:28

No, but I don't live in Cambridgeshire.

sallystrawberry · 22/05/2005 22:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

assumedname · 22/05/2005 22:29

No. Equally I wouldn't ask if they smoked, drank alcohol round kids etc. If the parents seem ok to me then I assume they'll be responsible in other matters too.

Gwenick · 22/05/2005 22:30

It wouldn't cross my mind living in the UK!! In America I may feel differently as has been mentioned guns laws are much different over there though.

lemonice · 22/05/2005 22:30

IT's not so odd I did an interior design job over a few months for a premiership footballer and took ds with me a couple of times and the footballer had a rifle on a bed in one of the rooms. I was totally shocked, as he had young children who were there too.

Blu · 22/05/2005 22:32

DS goes to a Montessori-style nursery where they always use 'real'objects, so I have no doubts about his ability to use a gun properly, so no, I don't ask.

lemonice · 22/05/2005 22:35

mind you twas about the least printable thing i can say

JoolsToo · 22/05/2005 22:43

caligula

highlander · 22/05/2005 22:46

living in Canada, I half expect DS's playdates to involve slaughtering of wildlife with large metal objects

kama · 23/05/2005 00:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Gwenick · 23/05/2005 00:37

this reminds me actually.

Yesterday morning friend of mine came up to see me. I've known her since DS1 was a baby, and her DS1 is just 5 weeks youngers than my DS1 (still with me LOL). Anyhow, we don't see each other very often so was REALLY nice that she could come up.

Her DS's are 4.5yrs and 3yrs, and mine are 4.5yrs and 18 months - they spent most of the day chasing each other round with a toy rubber shooting gun (you know those ones with suckers on the 'bullets') shouting POW POW POW POW POW.........

after about 2hrs I suddenly realised I'd not asked said friend if she was ok with her DS's 'playing' gunes

Chandra · 23/05/2005 01:18

No, I don't ask, but I have stopped visiting the park since failing to get hold of an anti-bullet vest for my then 18m old who somebody else's child tried to shot down with an air rifle (pellet hit the climbing frame an inch from my toddler's head), that 12 yrs old boy also shoot pellets to other children in the park and I'm sure his well off parents have not a clue that such nice "toy" was used to hunt down other children in the park.

BTW... I didn't complain to the police because I know they can't do anything about him as he is under age, though someway I know that if this had happened in the US the police may have not been so condescending about his age....

ghosty · 23/05/2005 01:34

Chandra ... that is terrible!
I did phone the police when I saw two young lads get out of a car holding rifles a few months ago. On of them was aiming it at trees etc as they walked up the path of a house and went in ...
I got home and called the police because although I was pretty sure they were 'only' air rifles I was concerned about the nonchalance with which they carried them ...
The police went round and had a word with the mum and the boys who promised that they would be more careful next time (they belong to a rifle club) ...
If I were you I would call the police about this boy ...

bobbybob · 23/05/2005 01:39

I thought you meant toy guns. I suppose if I lived in rural New Zealand instead of suburbia then I might check.

bobbybob · 23/05/2005 01:40

Or maybe reading Ghosty's post I should check anyway.

ghosty · 23/05/2005 01:47

Blu, not sure what you are getting at ...

ScummyMummy · 23/05/2005 01:48

He's not under age, Chandra. 10 is the age of criminal responsibility in England. Even if he was under 10, I would definitely talk to the police. That is really dangerous and terrifying and his parents need to stop him before someone gets hurt. Poor you- you must have been so frightened when your baby had such a near miss.

ScummyMummy · 23/05/2005 01:49

Joke from Ms Blu, I suspect ghosty. Eee but she's a sarky one!

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