Small children should never be allowed to play with a gun...

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JohnKSa

Administrator
"...if it has any value, as they will surely ruin it, either by taking it apart, using it as a hammer or by subjecting it to other abuse."

This quote is from a well known entity in the gun world and is not meant to be humorous. It's not a recent quote.

Thought it would be interesting to see if anyone recognizes it, and also as a commentary on how things have changed.

To be fair, the sentences following this quote do address gun safety. ;)
 
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JR47

Moderator
Sounds like someone from the Colonel's era. For that matter, NO-ONE should be allowed to "play" with a gun, regardless of age. That would include those who are "the only person in this room qualified to handle a gun.......BANG!!":D
 
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Ernest T Bass

New member
good advice

I don’t know who said that, but it is certainly sound advice. I grew up living with my great uncle who was a gunsmith, and I used to play in his shop everyday. Some of my earliest memories are of me disassembling guns and having springs fly everywhere. I have ruined some very durable firearms in my youth. Also, one time when I was about 6 or 7 years old, after watching a cowboy movie, I went and grabbed a K frame from my uncle’s shop and snuck up behind my father (who was on his knees picking up toys in my room) and pistol whipped him on top of the head. He fell to the floor, rolled on to his back with his eyes glazed, and mouthed the words “why did you do that?” I responded proudly “that’s what the cowboy did on TV!”
 
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Mike Irwin

Staff
My guess is that it was Charles Askins' father. His name escapes me, but he was a well-known firearms writer in his day, especially on shotguns.
 
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Dewhitewolf

New member
I was recently with a friend at his gun club out in PA (we're both from New Jersey), and saw another club member with his son, who appeard about 10 or 11 years old. As they were leaving, the father gave his son the two handguns to bring to the car, and he gripped both of them, muzzles pointed upwards and to the sides, to the car (no case, no action open, etc.)

I thought it was completely inappropriate to allow a child to carry handguns that way. For one, it looks bad for all of us gun owners to see a child walking around unsupervised with two handguns, and it's also irresponsible teaching of gun safety to a child. If he didn't have cases for the pistols, then he should have taught his son to carry the guns, muzzles down, with the actions open.

I'm not trying to sound like a grumpy old man here. But where does the line get drawn? I'm sure we all can agree, guns are not toys and need to be handled with great care.
 
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Smokey Joe

New member
"Small children..."

Col. Townsend Whelen? P. O. Ackley? Gen. Julian Hatcher?

The wording AND the attitude appear to come from an earlier (more innocent) time.
 
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redblair

New member
Perhaps for someone who doesn't get how to be responsible and how to teach responsibility, such as dewhitewolf described, fear of a child ruining his toys may be the only way to keep that child safe. And the rest of us safe as well.

Be safe.

Blair

Dec 15, 1791
 
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JohnKSa

Administrator
At least one correct guess so far.

Here's the complete paragraph.

"Small children should never be allowed to play with a gun if it has any value, as they will surely ruin it, either by taking it apart, using it as a hammer or by subjecting it to other abuse. It is also dangerous if it can be loaded and fired at all. They should be taught that guns should be left alone. It is only natural for children to want to play with guns, and their education should start early in life so they will grow up with due respect for a deadly but useful tool."
 
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Mal H

Staff
My first inclination was that it was said by Col. Cooper like JR47 implied.

He was more "into" firearms safety statements than most others of his generation and earlier.
 
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Smokey Joe

New member
Col. Cooper???

Mal H--My sense is that the quote isn't sufficiently didactic to have come from Col. Cooper. Almost so, but that note of a certain smugness is lacking.
 
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Edward429451

Moderator
That kinda sounds like something Elmer Keith would say. I first thought it sounded like Cooper but in context with the full quote it doesn't. Hmm.
 
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ceetee

New member
My first thought was Elmer Keith too, but I'm hardly well-versed on the works of gunwriters of the past...
 
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mtnbkr

New member
My guess is Elmer Keith as well. The writing style seems close to his and I've read similar comments from him in the past.

Chris
 
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JohnKSa

Administrator
How about an answer, or are you going to let this drag on for another 5 or 6 months?
Click to expand...
I figured that you could hold out for at least a week or two! :D

The quote is from the Care & Cleaning chapter in Sixguns! by Elmer Keith.

I just finished re-reading it and that's the last chapter. A memorable quote from a book full of memorable quotes.
 
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Mike Irwin

Staff
I would have guessed Keith, but that passage was FAR more intelligible than most of his writing.

I never made it the whole way through "Hell I was there."

The writing was simply too painful. Lots of neat stories, but...
 
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mtnbkr

New member
It was probably an edited version of his statement. Based on what I've read, his editors had to put a lot of work into polishing his words before it was published.

Chris
 
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