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Originally Posted by Briandg
I have a sword that I seized from another individual. Every once in a while, I show it to someone. What do they do? pick it up and start swinging it.
Thanks to over 50 years of tv entertainment and the toy industry, weapons are no longer seen as things that transfer death from one person to another. They are toys, nothing but props in an imaginary game.
Swish! Swish! "look at me, I'm sir lancelot!"
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This is one of the reasons people aren't allowed to handle my swords without having prior experience with them. The second is that every time I say "Do not touch the blade", the first thing they do is touch the blade.
A sword or knife is a loaded firearm, a firearm is always to be treated as loaded. The argument that kids see television and movies that show weapons as toys is quite ridiculous to me, as they also show what they can and will do. Taking away toys that replicate weapons will do one thing, make them want to play with the real thing, or make their own weapons. Rocks, sticks, and glass are all just as dangerous. I learned at a young age to make my own weapons, these WERE my toys. At 10 I had my first steel sword. Boys play with toys in mock battles and hunts because it's what we naturally want to do, just like catching bugs is "foraging". I feel like this is being taken away, leading to the poor health and judgment of children lately.
If it was a boy it would have been blamed on TV and movies and video games, being a girl it's because she didn't know better. The father is blamed for leaving the loaded gun around. What about the girl who was shot, what did she say when her friend picked up the gun? Did she know better?
Lastly, avoidable or not, a 14 year old girl is traumatized, and another is dead. No one should be charged, everyone involved is suffering enough. She should devote her time to teaching gun safety, help others who have gone through the same.
People should teach their kids that firearms and knives are deadly, not just by instruction, but by visual aid. It sounds wrong, but images of those who have been shot, cut, or stabbed will show the reality of it all. It's not just safety, it's understanding WHY safety is important. And with that, the principal of letting an adult know the firearm is there, is important. This should further the idea of something like the old warrior societies when everyone knew and understood weapons and their use.