THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, March 24, 1996                 TAG: 9603220012
SECTION: COMMENTARY               PAGE: J4   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letter 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   46 lines

TEACH CHILDREN HOW TO LIVE WITH GUNS

After reading a letter from Alice Mountjoy, written from her perspective as president of Virginians Against Handgun Violence Inc., I have to write.

Ms. Mountjoy and her cohorts with Virginians Against Handgun Violence Inc. and other organizations such as Handgun Control Inc. need to wake up and smell the coffee. As more and more states allow concealed-carry permits to be more easily obtained, there will be more and more children exposed to weapons. The key here, as Ms. Mountjoy pointed out, is the insatiable curiosity of children.

It is the responsibility of adults to expose their children to the proper handling/nonhandling of those weapons. For small children, NRA's Eddie Eagle program has proved extremely effective in preventing mishaps by teaching that when finding a gun, don't touch, don't let any friends touch and tell an adult.

For older children, curiosity needs to be satisfied but should be done in a supervised program. NRA's youth activities, parents taking their teenagers to the firing range with them and completion of gun-safety courses (paid for by the parents) are all ways to teach proper firearm safety and prevent accidental shootings. All of these activities should be in addition to proper weapons security.

This nation has successfully lived with guns for more than 200 years, and guns have always been a big part of the American way of life. If you choose not to have anything to do with guns, I will defend that choice. However, I feel it is an adult's responsibility to know basic weapons safety and to ensure that their children do.

Let us quit trying to legislate common sense and parental control. There are already too many laws on the books. Instead, let us promote weapons-safety training, such as the Eddie Eagle program that is free for the asking, at an early age. Let us also encourage more parental involvement with teenagers, and just maybe we will have not only more gun safety but also more parent-child understanding.

GARY F. MOELLER

Virginia Beach, March 17, 1996 by CNB