Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion What would you do?

Please note - I'm one of the folks who posted already that I wouldn't worry about the location of the gun shop - but fwiw, criminals and/or people who have dangerous plans do in fact sometimes buy guns at gun shops. Sometimes they purchase the gun under false pretenses (false id), sometimes the gun shop owners are less than thorough in requesting id/following up with background checks etc. It's certainly not the usual norm and it's certainly not most gun shops, but it does happen.

polarbear

It's also worth noting that while a lot of soldiers are awesome people, a lot of them were bullies to begin with, and too many of them are coming home with PTSD and other psychological problems. The same can be said for law enforcement officers. Yet these people often have guns, extensive gun training, and can pass a background check with flying colors. The recent spate of shootings on military bases says it all.

But then, the historical record tells us that the people who pose the greatest threat to kids in schools are other kids themselves. The children of responsible gun owners have access to guns in the home, and they typically know how to use them.

You can count me in the "don't worry about it" camp as well, but if you use terrible arguments to support the position, you're going to make people worry once they notice how terrible the arguments are.

An example of a good argument would be that the gun store operators and patrons themselves are heavily armed, trained, and often experienced, so an active shooter would be confronted by an armed response quicker than you could dial 9-1-1.

Another example of a good argument would be that a school shooter is highly unlikely to obtain the weapon at a store next door, so the existence of the store next door does not add any level of threat. Most school shootings are done by current or former students, and the firearms usually are obtained from the home or the home of another gun owner. Whether that gun owner obtains that firearm from a gun store next door, or 50 miles away, makes no difference.

Ok, trying this again (for some reason my previous reply hasn't posted)...

Thanks everyone for the input. Indeed, this is ultimately a personal decision for our family so I am trying to weigh in on the matter in the most rational way that I can.

From what I understand, the store does have a legal right to be there as they and the school are private businesses. I spoke with the school regarding my concerns, and they did try to reassure me, and suggested that I visit the store to get a sense for what it is like. Unfortunately, the school cannot do anything about the store being there. The school claims that the people who own the store are respectful, friendly people who are indeed very professional, as are their clientele. They are like a specialty gun shop and sell many collector type of firearms (although it seems as if you can get pretty much anything). It is not a shady looking store, not in a shady area, and discreet looking. The sheriff/police are aware of the situation. The school says that when the store moved in about a year and a half ago, many people were upset about it as well, and probably had to go through much of what I'm feeling as a parent, but the fact that it is not much of an issue for them alleviates my worries (somewhat).

DH and I have been discussing it a lot. Yes, the likelihood that anything happening there is extremely low. Incidents/accidents involving guns don't happen right outside gun shops. But as a mom, especially with young kids, it's hard to overlook ANYTHING that may jeopardize the safety of your children. We have yet to make a final decision, but are leaning on keeping him there for now � as many of you know, finding a school which can accommodate your child and keep you and the child happy is so hard to come by these days, so that value of that cannot be overlooked either.

Thanks,
Sleepless