A majority of Americans believe that keeping a gun in the house makes it safer rather than more dangerous, but should that extend to keeping that gun in a child's bedroom? According to one of the speakers at this weekend's NRA Annual Meeting, the answer is yes.
During a session on home defense Saturday, firearm instructor Rob Pincus argued that a child's bedroom could be the best place to keep a gun in the home, even though many would have "an emotional pushback" to that, according to a ThinkProgress report.
"If you’re worried that your kid is going to try to break into the safe that is in their bedroom with a gun in it, you have bigger problems than home defense," he said, explaining that a parent's natural reaction would be to run to their child's bedroom in case of emergency. "If I’m going to go to the kid anyway, and I have an extra gun and an extra safe, why not put it in their closet?"
The next day, the NRA hosted "Youth Day" events, with hundreds of kids attending to learn about firearms and take advantage of free six-month memberships to the NRA.
The issue of children's access to guns has received increased scrutiny in recent days after the news that a five-year-old Kentucky boy accidentally shot and killed his two-year-old sister with a rifle made and marketed specifically for children last week.