In the news on 3/20/2013, another story of over-reaction about a feared "gun" was highlighted. This time, a father, who is a NRA Hunter Safety Instructor, had taught his 10 year old son to safely shoot and get his Hunter Safety certification. With that, the boy was given a new rifle for his birthday. A photo was posted on facebook with the boy and his new rifle (AR look-alike, in .22 caliber).
Reportedly, someone, upon seeing the facebook entry, called the child abuse hot line and reported a possible child abuse. The New Jersey authorities, the local Police and the New Jersey Department of Children and Families personnel, showed up at the family's door. The dad was told that a call had been made to the NJDC&F about a possible child abuse, and they were there to look into the report.
Point - I'll make something clear on this. In all the states I know of, any call to report a possible child abuse is mandated by law to be investigated. And "hot lines" that people can call anonymously are a critical part of that. And I fully support that!
I ask, what part of that facebook picture, supported possible "child abuse"? A child, legally of age to hunt, having a gun? MILLIONS of kids hunt and shoot. I have taught 4-H Shooting Sports (Air Rifle marksmanship) to children 10-18! Have we conditioned people to fear the mere sight of a gun? Yes, we have. And that is an irrational fear, as MILLIONS of lawful gun owners, and MILLIONS of legal guns, cause NO deaths and pose NO threat.
But here is where this incident went wrong, VERY wrong in my view - The Police, and the NJDC&F, attempted to intimidate the family into letting them in, and to allow the authorities to search the home and family's gun safe for unsafe/illegal weapons without a warrant.
As an ex-Cop, I know about going confronting someone and asking permission to conduct a search of their person, car, or home. But in this case, they threatened to take the children away if the family failed to comply. That, they CAN NOT do. They also said to the father that he was "being unreasonable" and that he was "acting suspicious", because he wouldn’t open his safe. So ... IF we choose to not allow authorities unwarranted searches of our home, we're "acting suspicious"? Seriously? And another ploy that was used, "If you have nothing to hide, then you'll let us look into your safe to check out your guns." (This is classic "interdiction" ploy to get permission to search.) If this were a valid concept, then we wouldn't even need the 4th amendment!
Pay attention! THIS is the ploy to come to more gun owners. And ANYONE can make an anonymous call and have to authorities visit YOU! KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! Unless the immediate safety of someone inside is believed to be in jeopardy, no entry may be made without a warrant. DO NOT be intimidated into giving up YOUR rights. If someone does have something to hide, then the authorities can investigate further, and get a warrant. I did that MANY times in my career.
Another part of this fear of guns, or even the word "gun", is exampled by the many cases of schools suspending children for such things as pictures of guns, paper cut-outs of guns, fingers held like a gun, etc. In this case, someone viewing the facebook photo, had an irrational fear of even seeing a gun, and reported a possible child abuse.
Our society is moving more and more toward teaching kids a fear of things, such as guns, and creating phobias, and I suggest, a weakness. Instead of using such moments as teaching moments, let alone not being practical with how kids (more boys than girls) play and imagine, a disservice is done by teaching fear. We don't teach safety about guns, which is a greater disservice, because children who get overly inquisitive can get themselves into more dangerous trouble out of curiosity. The NRA has an Eddie Eagle Child Safe program, but schools run from anything NRA. And it's a better program than the NOTHING about gun safety the schools teach!
The anti-gun people have schools and citizens running in fear of anything "gun". While tragic deaths with guns are worthy of a discussion, teaching FEAR is not a solution. Neither are gun bans and confiscation from lawful citizens, when we have an abundance of guns laws now, that aren't being fully enforced.
But after school suspensions for such stupid things as toys and pictures, and now unlawful attempts to violate our civil rights, it's time to say ENOUGH! ENOUGH abuse by over-zealous law enforcement, politicians, school officials, etc. STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS. And DO NOT let more of our RIGHTS be whittled away by laws that only restrict freedoms, or violated in the false name of safety.
Say - ENOUGH!
