Granted ... loaded guns and kids do not mix, and might not bea good idea but in this day and age, loaded guns are more and more common in American households. I still think it boils down to how you raised your kids as to whether they are at risk. When I grew up we had guns in the house. They were not under lock and key. Everyone in the houseknew it, we knew where they were, we knew what they could do, we even knew how to use them for the most part. Most important was, we also knew that if we messed around with them the punishment would come sure, swift and severe.

That is one reason I always felt that hunters safety, or at least gun safety should be taught in public schools. When people argue, we do not allow firearms in our home and do not want our children exposed to them, I respond that in this day and age there will come a time when your children might be exposed to them. The setting that happens in can vary. At least when it does happen they will be informed as to the proper way to handle the incident.

As for people crazy enough to answer a telephone survey or even a in your face at the door survey as to whether or not they owned firearms and if they were in the house would get the world's fastest hang up or door closed in their face in my household. And this is not because I have something to hide or am ashamed of the number of guns I own. I just do not feel it is the business of anyone other then myself.

Whether or not gun ownership and guns in the home have a direct correlation to the current crime rate found in an area, I could not say. I would suspect that the crime rate might be more influenced by the population density of a given area, the poverty rate of that area, law enforcement levels and other social influences such as drug use density figures and even overall education levels of the area. Of course a weapon in the home could influence a perpetrator and their decision to commit a crime against you.