[Dylan16807]

> Make sure they know that they can ask to use your [gun|device] any time they'd like -- but only under your supervision.

You could do that, but there's no particular need for it. "No guns until you're 16" works fine. You don't need to "take the mystery away".

You need to use the internet a lot before you become an adult, you need to use a gun never before you become an adult. You need a lot of practice to build up internet safety skills, you need barely any practice to build up gun safety skills.

Go ahead and have a basic gun safety talk, that's a good idea, but that's all you need.

[Ancapistani]

> "No guns until you're 16" works fine. You don't need to "take the mystery away".

This is what leads to stories about kids who make their way into their parents’ locked storage and hurt themselves or others.

“The mystery” is what leads kids to investigate things on their own. Let them know they can just ask. If they do ask, explain what you’re doing as you clear it. Strictly enforce the four rules. Let them disassemble it, or do it for them if necessary.

It’s just a tool. No less useful than a drill or saw, and no more or less dangerous than the car or can of gasoline in the garage.

[Dylan16807]

> This is what leads to stories about kids who make their way into their parents’ locked storage and hurt themselves or others.

> “The mystery” is what leads kids to investigate things on their own.

Do you have evidence that learning gun safety without use doesn't do enough here?

I'm not convinced there's all that much mystery. Even if talk doesn't do enough, I bet letting your kids use guns once would do more than enough to clear up mystery. If you let your kids use a gun every week (or whatever "any time" means) it's because you're a family that likes guns, not for safety reasons.

[Ancapistani]

FWIW, in practice they’ve asked maybe twice, ever.

We are a family that likes guns, but that’s not what I’m advocating. Familiarity and an emphasis on safety are what I’m talking about.

[Dylan16807]

Okay, I think "use guns once or twice with them" is a very reasonable idea for gun safety.

And it ends up being extremely different from internet safety. It's much much harder to teach and it's not practical to supervise the full learning process.