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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Air gun at Beaver Hobby Talk

45 replies

Margetts · 11/09/2013 08:10

AIBU to be upset that a child brought an air rifle to a Beaver hobby talk? The child's parent was present when the gun was being shown. Personally I feel that the children who are between the ages of 6-8 are too young and also very impressionable to be shown fire arms.

OP posts:
SilverApples · 11/09/2013 08:37

They may well go on to shooting when they are cubs and scouts, DS certainly did. They also have a good archery group.
if you are unhappy, you can either ask for advance notification of events that you might want to withdraw your child from, or you could look for a branch of The Woodcraft Folk near you as they do many similar things to the scout movement without the religion or any military/martial aspects.

JenaiMorris · 11/09/2013 08:40

But presumably shooting is this child's hobby? And an air gun is hardly an assault rifle Confused

YABU.

ConfusedPixie · 11/09/2013 08:43

Yabu, it is a perfectly valid hobby. Also, your child will end up doing it sooner rather than later as a scout!

ConfusedPixie · 11/09/2013 08:45

Also, re them being impressionable, I'd much rather have a child actually learn about them young then pick up ideas about guns from TV and film as they get older.

SilverApples · 11/09/2013 08:51

YABU to object to a hobby talk at Beavers involving an air rifle.
YWNBU to remove your child from Beavers if you disagree with the variety of activities and subjects that may be covered.
My Dsis edited all of the Playmobil we donated to her children, removing all the guns and holsters with a craft knife as she hates guns. Her DS did not go to Beavers etc, or watch films with guns in them. She feels very strongly about it.

Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 11/09/2013 08:57

Yabu. Not all gun owners are crazy murders. They really can just shoot at cans or clay pigeons.

Guns can help people.
Guns protect lively hoods.

It's a hobby he wasn't using it to hurt any one.

BrandiBroke · 11/09/2013 10:14

My response to a six to eight year old telling me all about his friend having a gun would be,

'That's up to his parents if they let him. Your parents aren't letting you have one.'

I wouldn't be bothered about them seeing one though. There are plenty of things some kids do or have that I wouldn't want my kids (if I had any) to do or have. Kids learn that they do and have different things to their friends and it doesn't have to be a big deal.

TiggyD · 11/09/2013 10:22

YABU.

Pest control, army, killing animals to eat, etc. Lots of perfectly reasonable reasons for guns.

BarbarianMum · 11/09/2013 10:23

YABU the child's parent was present as extra supervision and (s)he was talking about a hobby. It is not up to you to decide which hobby another child has, although of course you are free to make that decision for your child.

My son's hobby is ballet. I'm sure when he talked about that for his hobby badge several parents thought boys shouldn't be dancing. Should they have the right to veto his choice of activity as their children are 'impressionable'.

Floralnomad · 11/09/2013 10:25

YABU we did shooting at our cub camp and some of them were 8 ,I think if it was being talked about in a responsible fashion its a good thing .

LookingThroughTheFog · 11/09/2013 10:26

I wouldn't be mad-keen, but as the hobby badge included questions such as 'where do you practise this hobby' and 'who teaches you about this hobby', I suspect it's better to have it explained there that this is a specialist skill.

My son took his karate belt and some trophies and talked about that. Arguably, he could have been seen as inciting physical violence.

DeWe · 11/09/2013 10:34

I wouldn't be too happy if that happens at ds' beavers, but only because ds would be saying "X has an airgun, when can I have one..." Wink

Actually ds would be thrilled and it would have been the highlight of the evening. I wouldn't really have a problem with it.

Original poster
Margetts · 11/09/2013 12:07

Thank you for the replies

OP posts:
JenaiMorris · 12/09/2013 07:40

Well that was a disappointingly easy AIBU Grin

Original poster
Margetts · 12/09/2013 08:50

Yes it was, I was surprised that my opinions were so different from everyone else's!
Maybe living in Scotland so close to Dunblane, it's something I will never forget and therefore a bit more sensitive with regards guns!

OP posts:
fridayfreedom · 12/09/2013 09:07

Scouts do shoot air rifles , but there are very strict rules and they have to be supervised by adults who are properly trained. They can only shoot at paper targets, not at pictures of animals or people.
They have their own national shooting squad and many of these go on to represent GB at junior level.
Young shooters can not carry there own rifle outside of a range. My son is 14 so I have to carry it for him.
Scouting takes it Very seriously re safety and rules. I have seen scouts thrown out of competitions and off ranges for just joking about what they could do with a gun.

kinkyfuckery · 12/09/2013 09:45

offtopic a bit but...

Is shooting a mandatory part of Scouting? We dont do it at out Beavers or Cubs and AFAIK at Scout level either....

titchy · 12/09/2013 10:01

Nothing is mandatory in Scouting, except the promise and a certain code of behaviour!

SilverApples · 12/09/2013 10:25

It depends very much on the volunteers running the groups, their strengths, interests and willingness to offer a broad range of activities.
Living where we do, our lot are fortunate to have easy access to watersports, shooting, camping and hiking. And volunteers that are enthusiastic and multi-skilled.

TiggyD · 12/09/2013 15:55

I'm quite close to Hungerford. Used to work there. Used to drive up the route the killer took and drove past a memorial every day. Used to work with a lady who's relative was killed. Unsurprisingly, guns were frowned on for a bit, but it's a rural area. There are foxes and other wildlife that need controlling and culling, as well as hunting and bird shoots. Guns are a useful tool and I would be happy for children I know to understand what guns can be used for in real life as opposed to film and TV.

SoupDragon · 12/09/2013 16:00

I wouldn't have a problem with it. The child's parent was present and I assume the safety aspects were covered in the talk.

We have to sign a specific consent for when the Scouts do rifle shooting.

Original poster
Margetts · 12/09/2013 17:24

Unfortunately no safety aspects were covered as the talk was given by a 6 year old! The only contribution bu yhe parent was where the local gun shop was.

OP posts:
AnneUulmelmahay · 12/09/2013 18:06

It's fine

(Secret lol at lively hoods, wheresmycaffeine)

dunblanemum · 12/09/2013 18:09

This is just my second ever post with this username but i wanted to post my thoughts.

My DD was one of the children killed at Dunblane and i really hate guns and those who want to shoot them. I understand why they are useful for armed forces and for people like farmers or vets, however i struggle with shooting as a hobby. I see shooting as a means to kill and that shooting as a hobby is a legitimate way to hone these skills.

I do understand however that my views may be very skewed. What i do know is that i would be very unhappy to find that my child, without my knowledge, had been subjected to a talk where guns were generally seen as a positive thing.

OP - i hear you. I do not think you are being unreasonable at all and i think the Beaver leader should have warned in advance what the topic was to be that evening so your son could opt out.

To others out there - i know people shoot for fun and as a hobby. I (and many other like me) will never, ever understand why.

Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 12/09/2013 18:09

I was thinking of farms and vermin control etc,

Euthanising animals.

Not nice thoughts but another legitimate honest use of owning guns.

:)