Handguns and automatic weapons. Guns no hunter would take to the field. They were fired, not in the careful ritual of hunting, but usually in rage, or in the panic that accompanied the commission of another crime. The most thoughtful letter I received was from a man who described himself as a hunter and outdoorsman. He said he believed that teaching kids to hunt was one of the best ways he knew to instill in them a sense of responsibility.
Guns are powerful items, and children want to learn to use power.
The best thing we adults can do for children is to share our lives with them, placing power into their hands, appropriately and as they are able to handle it, under our careful guidance. At best, in the case of guns, this transfer instills not only a respect for weapons but a respect for life as well.