Son's friend says his daddy has a gun

[JoeBongo]

So what do you do when a 5 year old says that to you?

Options:

1. 101 report as it's not an emergency now
2. Discuss with school
3. Crimestoppers report anonymously
4. Keep your nose out of it

Background info: parents of the child are constantly stoned doleys. Likelihood of truth in this are raised a little tiny bit above zero by being full-time dopeheads yet there is no evidence whatsoever of income beyond benefits; dealers are usually stupid and spend their money in visible ways. Coke, smack etc then yes guns tend to go with the high value territory but weed and guns don't really mix in reality.

One poster wrote, something like:
"Since when has it been ok to face a gun"

Since when has it been NOT ok to have a gun , if you store it properly, have a licence etc.

Ok, I'm going to go completely against the grain here. Inform crime stoppers. Yes they'll probably snigger but they will also probably submit an information log which may actually support existing or future intelligence known about this family. Sure lots of kids talk rubbish, lots tell the truth too. And plenty of people own guns illegally.

Why do people suggest informing the school?

mrsruffallo

I don't think that's that unreasonable.

At our school, any adult with any concern about a child's welfare is encouraged to discuss it with the designated CPO. If the OP suspects an illegal gun then that is a welfare issue

It probably wouldn't be my first thought (I'd call 101), but it's not unreasonable

I'm a bit sad that so many posters wouldn't believe a child just because they're 5yo. Yes kids do say wild things, but owning a gun is quite plausible. I'd believe the child. I'd also believe them when they told me daddy grows loads of plants in the loft. but as others have said , many people legitimately own guns.

Mrs ruffalo

Dope smoking dad+gun= child protection issue.

The school may already have concerns over child welfare. The family may already be known to social services and the dad maybe well known to the police. The Op won't know and we certainly don't so why are people telling her to be so dismissive.

There seem to have been a lot of gun-owning country-dwellers in the first few responses, whereas my reaction (inner-city) was dismay, so I guess it's all about perspective

All those talking about their Dads owning guns, can I ask - has the result been that your little ones are all blabbing about it to friends and school?????

NO! well there's a surprise, perhaps that's because they are locked in the gun cabinet and not touted around your DCs.

As a teacher I've often had children tell me about daddy's gun and even one nursery child who brought in his shotgun

Loads of people have guns here. And we are only 30 miles out of central London.

Dh used to, but doesn't now. He had a very secure bolted and padlocked gun cabinet in the loft.
He used to go shooting a lot.

Have any of you ever been clay pigeon shooting? I loved it.

But then I love going to the fair and getting those 10 pellets and trying to shoot the silver target.

No one ever done that? Doesn't make you a killing psychopath, you know!

"Lots of people taking about pheasants"

Two. Two people mentioned pheasants. One of whom was talking about a friend and precisely one (I went back and counted her again to be sure) has a husband who shoots pheasants.

From that you get "Wow, lots of people on here who like killing animals, or are married to people who like killing animals"?

"There seem to have been a lot of gun-owning country-dwellers in the first few responses, whereas my reaction (inner-city) was dismay, so I guess it's all about perspective"

I think you might be surprised. There are lots and lots of gun clubs in towns and cities. Little 25yard indoor ranges tucked away that you'd never know about. There's one hidden under a road bridge right in the centre of Cambridge, and several scattered through London's suburbs. I was talking to a guy who said he'd love to give it a try but didn't know where he could go. I pointed out that there was a rifle club with an indoor range literally at the end of his road! He'd lived there 5 years but had assumed the long thin building was something to do with the football club it was adjacent to!

Lots of airgun clubs use "pop-up" ranges in local sports centres, school halls and village halls. You just need a lightweight wooden framework to support some light ballistic netting (a heavy duty version of the stuff you use to catch wayward arrows in archery), add some target holders and pellet catchers on poles and you're laughing. As mentioned, lots of Scout groups shoot, and quite a few schools do as well (mostly public schools with cadet units, but I know a teacher who runs a popular air rifle activity in a state school).

The National Shooting Centre is a short walk from Brookwood station, which itself is 35 minutes on the train from London Waterloo, so lots of people in London are less than an hour from a major range complex. And yes, you can legally carry (unloaded!) firearms on the train :)

Off topic slightly but my dd once told her reception teacher that her daddy (sd) is William Wallace as he had the replica of the sword from Braveheart and quite proudly told dd about him when she asked why dh had a 'big knife' hung up on the wall

It could be a water pistol - lets face it, they will have spent all their doley on a 500inch plasma TV and pedigree goat so they wont be able to afford a real gun.

I have a gun in my loft, its an 22 calibre air gun, it is perfectly legal but looks scary.

And yes, you can legally carry (unloaded!) firearms on the train

If you're the license owner only, I would think, I know I cannot take DH's guns in my car any time, even to drop off for repair, as I am not the license owner.

hunton

I am surprised!

"If you're the license owner only, I would think, I know I cannot take DH's guns in my car any time, even to drop off for repair, as I am not the license owner."

Broadly, although there is a curious clause in the Firearms Act which says otherwise:

"11 Sports, athletics and other approved activities.

(1)A person carrying a firearm or ammunition belonging to another person holding a certificate under this Act may, without himself holding such a certificate, have in his possession that firearm or ammunition under instructions from, and for the use of, that other person for sporting purposes only."

Now, the interpretation of that section is grey to say the least. Does it mean it's okay for me to pass a cased gun to someone and say "go pop that in the boot of the car" as we're packing to go somewhere (so they're basically just carrying it down for me, broadly under my supervision), or does it mean it's okay for me to leave the keys in their possession and have them carry it in a car and meet me at a competition with it (for my use)?

Technically both are fine, but I think the view of the Police in 1968 when that was enacted would probably differ from the view of Police today! And I certainly wouldn't ask someone to carry a rifle on the train for me as the BTP have a reputation for not being entirely au fait with firearms laws (there have been cases of people being thrown off trains for carrying - entirely legal - firearms because the Police didn't actually know the law and thought it seemed like "the sort of thing that would be illegal". Which doesn't fill you with confidence!

"I am surprised!"
A lot of people are, which is surprising in itself when there's near enough a million certificate holders - one for every 70 - 80 people (odds are you know one, you just don't know it), and there's also an estimated 10 million airguns swilling around the UK unlicensed, so that's one for every 2 households - statistically a few houses on your road should contain airguns!

Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun shooting are all Olympic and Commonwealth sports We do very well at the Commonwealths and reasonably well at the Olympics. Beijing was a bit dry, but Peter Wilson won Gold in the Double Trap clay pigeon event in London.

Hopes OP hasn't done any of the suggested:
Why would you contact the school?
Despairs at society these days.

some people should mind their own business IMO.
And you know they are 'professional benefits claimants' how exactly?
It is people like you that makes me thank God our junior school days are over.

btw my dd's BF has a gun - it is airsoft

Likely the child is lying.

When I was that age my friend told me his dad could lift the earth. I believed him too!

I would do nothing.

I'm ignoring the rest of the post, tbh I don't understand most of it (doley??)

I live in the States and I have, in the past, phoned the parents of my kids' friends when I know they have a gun. I'm maybe a neurotic worrier but I'm not sending my kids to houses that don't have their guns securely put away.

If you're genuinely worried OP, just call them and check that your child won't be exposed to the gun. It's not that big a deal.

You can't just not believe the DC because if they told you that something inappropriate/possibly sexual had happened eg with someone you had up till then trusted implicitly, would you just brush it aside as DCs nonsense.