Anything I can say to my son?

[gilraen]

My son (age 21) and I are both waiting on our CHLs to arrive, and we carry in our cars. We also have our guns near us at the apartment I share with him and my other 2 kids.

My son is a good young man, but he's pretty stubborn, and doesn't like to admit he's wrong. The problem is that he isn't as safe handling his gun (or anyone else's) as I'd like him to be. He likes to take out the mag, pull the slide, and catch the cartridge with the same hand, and then reload. And last night, he handed my gun back to me (mag in, but nothing in the chamber) with the muzzle pointed at me. (This is not a one-time occurrence.)

I chided him. He answered "You and I both know there's nothing in the chamber." I replied with "Treat every gun as if it were loaded." He just dismisses that kind of thought as unnecessary, because HE knows what he's doing, and would never make a mistake.

After being on this board for a while, I know how wrong that thinking is, and what might happen on the day he DOES make a mistake. I don't even want to think about it.

Is there anything I can do or say to him to get him to take this more seriously? Do you have any suggestions? Or do I just have to wait for him to grow up, or to make a terrible mistake and learn the hard way?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[FIS0008]

I have two adult sons who both carry. On this subject I would treat them just like I do any other adult (which they are). Immediately point out the errors and if it persists, then I would refuse to be around them in the presence of weapons. This is truly a serious matter and my guess is that you would not allow any other adult to this, so I would not let him either.

[nedrgr21]

What were your nonverbal cues saying to him as you corrected him for his actions?
Has he seen the recent threads on ND's that've killed someone?
Don't hand him any more firearms and don't take any from him.
Your house, your rules, right?

Show him this thread after a day or two.

[dukalmighty]

I don't know if theres anything you can tell a know it all,maybe start showing him incidents where people were shot and injured or killed by unsafe gun handling and then tell him I bet they knew that gun was loaded.Also the next time he tries to hand you a gun that the chamber isn't locked open on or the cylinder open if it's a revolver refuse to take it,if he sweeps you with the muzzle take the firearm and lock it up til he wants to be more responsible

[levi333]

He needs to grow up or get out. There's no way I'd be putting up with someone pointing a gun at me on a regular basis, and I'm his age.
As long as he's under your roof, he needs to listen, simple as that.

When someone is accidently shot, it's "never loaded."

Sometimes I pull the slide and catch the round out of the air when I'm unloading the gun, but that's not exactly dangerous (mag is always dropped first).

[DarinD]

Bottom line, Gun Safety comes first and too bad if he doesn't like it. Your house, Your Rules.

[G96X0]

I was always told, "don't point any gun at anything you don't want to destroy"...

I think about that statement often.

[goldshellback]

My 21 year old is a hard headed, stubborn 'adult'......(he takes after his momma)

But.......my house, my rules.....and with gun safety there is NO compromise.

I'm blessed that he has a respect for all firearms and obeys the rules.
Lay it out for your son and stick to it. Catching self-ejected bullets is cool looking in the movies and on TV....but that fiction has NO place in the reality of YOUR home.

[Janq]

Lots of people were, are, and will be shot with 'empty' guns.

If he scoffs at that then sit him down and show him this; DEA Agent Shoots Himself

- Janq

[Ragin Cajun]

He might be 21 but you are the head of the household. You also have 2 other kids to worry about. Take control! Tell him if he is going to have a gun in your place he needs to take it more seriously or find his own place. What I would suggest is you make him take a quality gun safety course.

[deadhawg]

If it was my house, and he pointed a gun at me after being reminded not to, I would never let him handle a gun in my presence again. Period.

Ron

[Reborn]

Get him some outside training. He will probably listen to some instructor more than he will listen to DAD........

[TomEgun]

Wow and he went through a CCW course ? my 11 yr old can resight the 10 rules of gun saftey as if a prayer shooting his bb gun and if he see something usafe he will sound off and he wont let anybody shoot his bb gun unless they prove they have good gun control.. have him take an advanced course at local gun store with a strick gun instructor nothing like public embarresment to straighten out a kid...Also maybe frame the rules in a pic frame by door so he can see them everyday maybe it will sink in..lol

[cuban11182]

True story:

I too was young and stupid. I had just watched the movie man on fire, where Denzel Washington does the same thing, racks the slide and catches the bullet. I was sitting on the couch with my feet out in front of me. While doing this the gun actually fired. Missed my foot, barely...I felt like a retard. Also expected the police to be called. So I jumped on the computer with the speakers as loud as they could go and played Counter-Strike.

I don't do it anymore, but if I did, I would use snap caps.

[Herknav]

Wow and he went through a CCW course ?

You have a higher opinion of CCW courses than I do. I kept a wary eye on at least 2 of the 4 guys I shot with, as they seemed very unfamiliar with guns. Having said that, I realize the other two dudes who seemed more comfortable could have just as easily shot me.