"We don't have guns in our house" parents of daughter's friend....

[Bennettjh]

The crack she made about "native Hoosiers" seemed more like a dig on Hoosiers to me. She made it sound like she is better than or more sophisticated than a native Hoosier because she doesn't have guns.

IMHO, there is no need for you to disclose that you have guns.

 

[nakinate]

IMHO, there is no need for you to disclose that you have guns.

I agree. If she asks, then I'll be honest. But only because it is the right thing to do if her kid is coming to my house and she thinks it is that big of a deal. If she doesn't ask, then she doesn't need to know.

 

[printcraft]

Contrary to popular belief you can pick your kids friends.
It's called due diligence as a parent. You are responsible for your child and their safety.
Any "new" friends get screened pretty heavily in the printcraft household.
Not following this plan and being "accepting" HAS resulted in problems,
we (my entire family) resolved to solve these issues up front moving forward.

 

[nakinate]

Contrary to popular belief you can pick your kids friends.
It's called due diligence as a parent. You are responsible for your child and their safety.
Any "new" friends get screened pretty heavily in the printcraft household.
Not following this plan and being "accepting" HAS resulted in problems,
we (my entire family) resolved to solve these issues up front moving forward.

I get where you're coming from. Would you say no to a friend just because their parents are anti-gun?

 

[KellyinAvon]

The crack she made about "native Hoosiers" seemed more like a dig on Hoosiers to me. She made it sound like she is better than or more sophisticated than a native Hoosier because she doesn't have guns.

On a completely unrelated note. What is their address? I need a new tv...err I mean...nevermind I've said too much.

 

[printcraft]

I get where you're coming from. Would you say no to a friend just because their parents are anti-gun?

Nothing illegal about being 2nd Amendment deniers. No problem there. I hope they can deal with me being really pro gun.

Now, if the potential friends parents were meth addicts then yeah, no friend for you.

 

[KellyinAvon]

IMHO, there is no need for you to disclose that you have guns.

OPSEC (Operations Security) isn't just for the military.

 

[nakinate]

Nothing illegal about being 2nd Amendment deniers. No problem there. I hope they can deal with me being really pro gun.

Now, if the potential friends parents were meth addicts then yeah, no friend for you.

Yikes, yeah that is a deal breaker.

 

[KellyinAvon]

Dusty: you have to find out where they are from! Who says "native"? Gotta be from the east or the left coast.

 

[dmazzio]

This is an interesting discussion, we haven't run into this yet with our 11 year old daughter but we tell her not to talk about the fact that we have guns in our home to her friends at school. We just got her a Girls with Guns shirt at Cabelas last week and she wore it to school on Monday with no repercussions.

I have a spare LTR Gift Certificate for Appleseed maybe you should send it to them.

 

[HoughMade]

Other parents picked up on the kind of person I am when I serpentine down the driveway every night and "Instructor Zero" roll into the house.

 

[funeralweb]

"Mrs. Jones, should you need to reach me between 6-8 pm while Mary is in your home, here's the number to Acme LGC. It gets pretty loud at their indoor range so I might not hear, or even feel, my cell phone."

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Most of the people my kids hung out with either hear us shooting in the back yard or see the targets out there when they're over for a visit...they probably are able to piece the evidence together.

But I agree with the others above. FWIW, I'm not volunteering any info that I don't think is necessary. Phone numbers, what our plans are, pickup/drop off times, maybe if there's any dietary issues, etc. but that's about it.

If they ask about guns in the house, I'm not lying, but like I said above, I'm not giving them anymore information than necessary.

 

[nakinate]

Dusty: you have to find out where they are from! Who says "native"? Gotta be from the east or the left coast.

I second this!

 

[CTS]

"Oh sorry, I don't allow my kids to stay places where they aren't adequately protected."

 

[Que]

for the Eddie Eagle approach. I also like the idea of telling her that she doesn't have to worry about her belongings because yours have been taught to leave others' things alone, and if something dangerous is found (sharp knife unattended, gun on table, etc.) and noticed...after all, we all know how observant kids are of things we WANT them to be aware of, vs. things we do not!...they know to come get an adult and not touch. Might even tell her that they've been taught the NRA's Eddie Eagle rules don't apply only to found guns.

That would answer the question for her, put in a plug for NRA and gun rights, and also maybe open the conversation. Who knows... you could even find a new shooting buddy for yourself, your wife, or both.

Blessings,
Bill

Bill, you may even have a family package at the next Appleseed! That would be an awesome outcome!

 

[Dirtebiker]

Sounds like a nice family. I hope your daughter has fun.

I don't mention it, when my neighbors see me OCing, it's sort of speaks for itself. I would not mention it unless it is directly asked. Do you mention all things inappropriate for children that you have locked up?

Wait a minute. What do you know about these "locked up children"!?

 

[oldpink]

As others have noted, the response to you sounded kosher with the glaring exception of the obvious crack at Hoosiers and gun owners in general.
Probably decent enough people, but it sure sounds like a gratuitious and not so veiled sneer.

 

[Cygnus]

Why are some of you assuming it's a crack at Hoosiers? They perhaps were a bit sheepish about it. Maybe they think they'll be stereotyped for not owning guns due to them being fed stereotypes about IN? That could be a sheepish grin in the email.

But yea , OP find out where they are from. I am guessing mid-Atlantic

 

[mom45]

I always stressed to my kids not to talk about what firearms were in our home as it could be overheard by the wrong person and lead to a break in/robbery. They understood this so most of their friends didn't know we had them unless they saw us target shooting or happened to see one of us carrying.

I would not volunteer to the mother that you have guns in your home unless asked. If asked, I would be honest and say that you own guns and as a responsible gun owner, you have them stored in a safe manner. During the child's visit, I would keep them locked up, on your person or where it is not possible for her child to find one.

I see no reason to volunteer information that has not been requested. If the guns are kept where the child is unlikely to even see them during the visit, it is unlikely the mother would ever hear about them. If the child does observe you carrying during the visit, use it as a learning moment and share with her why you carry, how you do so safely and that there is on reason for her to feel uncomfortable with your doing so. If her mother questions after the face, again...stress that you are a responsible gun owner and exercise your right to carry. If she is uncomfortable with her daughter visiting, she may not allow her to return. She may still allow the kids to visit at her house if you are okay with that. You can't control her beliefs.