No I guessed wrong -hoping the one with the blue bow was a gift for a child.

I heard of a 7 yr old boy being fatally shot by police because he was brandishing a realistic looking toy gun at them.

I also read of a 3 year old boy, here locally, who shot and killed his father who was a police officer who left his gun on the table when he got home from work. It was late and the father thought everybody was asleep. ... not really a smart move but its still incredibly sad for the family.

I'd much rather my children play with some sticks and risk a few scratches than play with a fake gun and start thinking all guns were toys.

i wonder what kind of heck it would raise if you had to pass an i.q. test to own a gun. probably would be offensive, at least politically. same could go for political candidates, ya gotta pass an iq test, and maybe a few others in order to qualify for office.--could you imagine trying to get a law like that passed? not in this "democracy". oh well. the "dumming down" of america starts from the top, let's hope it doesn't trickle down.--nicolo

To stay passive and willingly take a bullet is already setting yourself up for self-destruction. Nicolo and SpookyMark, you got some interesting points there.

i'd say the opposite is true - you set yourself up for self destruction as soon as you get tooled up. the only way to break the cycle is to say 'not me'.

yup. if you arm yourself talk of peace becomes threatening, and aggression usually results. self-defense for me means a right here, right now reaction, not preemptively hording weapons or withholding basics of life from my so-called enemies. when we arm we often find the weapons control us rather than the other way around. sticking your butt in a war does not really make killing self defense, it's a bit different than having a knife at your throat in your own neighborhood. protecting your life is not the same as enforcing it on others.
to take a bullet or not is a sacred decision. if i believed it would save the lives of my loved ones i would lay down my own, and vice-versa, i would probably kill to protect them if it had to be.it has nothing to do with honor or patriotism or religion--just basic survival. i love life and living, i value this gift god has given me as much as freewill and god himself.how could i do otherwise, i'm human.--nicolo
Amyntor
Amyntor, Phillip's son, lies in this Lydian soil.
His hands were full of iron war.
No sickness led him into darkness:
He died holding his shield over a wounded friend.
--Antipater of Sidon c.120bc