NRA: Ban adoption agencies from asking about gun ownership

[bobbyw24]

NRA: Ban adoption agencies from asking about gun ownership

The NRA wants to stop adoption agencies from asking prospective parents about whether they own guns, saying the question is a violation of gun-owners' rights.
BY MARC CAPUTO
Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau

The National Rifle Association is pushing legislation to ban adoption agencies from asking potential parents if they have guns and ammunition in the home.

NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer said adoption agencies are violating gun-owners' rights by asking about firearms in an adoption form. She said any request about gun ownership from an agency connected with government was tantamount to establishing a gun registry.

``Gun registration is illegal in Florida,'' Hammer said. ``An adoption agency has no right to subvert the privacy rights of gun owners.''

The issue flared up in Brevard County where a gun-owning couple took umbrage at a request from the Children's Home Society that they disclose if they had firearms before adopting a child.

The couple complained to a lawyer, who called Hammer. She said it would be easier to change the law rather than sue.

A spokeswoman for the Children's Home Society, Liz Bruner, said the agency asks about guns because it is required to by the Department of Children & Families.

``If they don't want us to ask about it, we won't,'' Bruner said. ``We're trying to get an updated form to use, but there's a gray area over what [form] we can use.''

Bruner said that because the state child-welfare system is privatized, Children's Home Society is a subcontractor for a subcontractor and, therefore, communication with the state agency can be challenging.

DCF officials say they are not sure about the form the society is using and plans to make sure that all subcontractors are using the same ones. Some of the newer adoption forms don't ask prospective parents if they own guns.

Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, said his bill will make it clear that asking about guns is not allowed. He is sponsoring the legislation at the behest of two constituents, whom he would not name for privacy reasons. The one-page bill would make it ``unlawful'' for an adoption agency to ask about gun ownership but does not specify any penalties.

If the gun bill is as successful as others pushed by the NRA in the Republican-led Legislature, it will likely pass.

Some longtime NRA opponents, like Democratic Sen. Nan Rich, said she did not like the idea of banning an agency from simply asking about gun ownership. ``Parents frequently ask if other parents have guns in the home before their kids play there, so why can't an adoption agency just ask?'' Rich said.

Marc Caputo can be reached at mcaputo@MiamiHerald.com

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/sout...y/1317135.html

[MelissaWV]

I'm a little conflicted on this. I don't think that "gun ownership" should be a topic covered, but yet I do think that whether or not weaponry is stored safely in the home is relevant. I think this could be far more broadly stated. Perhaps it could be something along the lines of "Are any dangerous weapons/toxins in your home safely stored?" with a blurb indicating further information is available upon request if the prospective parent wishes it. The Government is a brochure juggernaut; I'm sure there are some on how to store your bleach and guns and prescription medication so that children can't get into them. The question is vague enough to cover everything from kitchen knives to antifreeze to guns.

I do think it will hopefully make EVERYONE think about what they have in their home, and get additional information if they think they need guidance as to how to childproof a house.

[angelatc]

Some longtime NRA opponents, like Democratic Sen. Nan Rich, said she did not like the idea of banning an agency from simply asking about gun ownership. ``Parents frequently ask if other parents have guns in the home before their kids play there, so why can't an adoption agency just ask?'' Rich said.

Because we said so? Because you're trying to circumvent the law?

[pcosmar]

Originally Posted by MelissaWV

I'm a little conflicted on this. I don't think that "gun ownership" should be a topic covered, but yet I do think that whether or not weaponry is stored safely in the home is relevant. I think this could be far more broadly stated. Perhaps it could be something along the lines of "Are any dangerous weapons/toxins in your home safely stored?" with a blurb indicating further information is available upon request if the prospective parent wishes it. The Government is a brochure juggernaut; I'm sure there are some on how to store your bleach and guns and prescription medication so that children can't get into them. The question is vague enough to cover everything from kitchen knives to antifreeze to guns.

I do think it will hopefully make EVERYONE think about what they have in their home, and get additional information if they think they need guidance as to how to childproof a house.

Ah, no.
Not relevant.
Childproof???
It has been proven (over and over again) There is no such thing. It is better to educate children.

Like this.
Texas Boy, 5, Shoots Down 800-Pound Alligator
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,559103,00.html

[noxagol]

Originally Posted by pcosmar

Ah, no.
Not relevant.
Childproof???
It has been proven (over and over again) There is no such thing. It is better to educate children.

Like this.
Texas Boy, 5, Shoots Down 800-Pound Alligator
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,559103,00.html

Epic.

[Promontorium]

Education really is the number 1 method of protecting kids.

That slime bag who claims parents ask if their friend's parents have guns is full of it. And a slime bag. I suppose by his logic, if you ask your boyfriend to wear a condom, the government should be able to make you buy them. If you ask your doctor if the rash looks normal, the government should make a list of all your rashes. If you ask a pool man to clean your pool, the government should be able to blow up your house and eat your children. See where this leads to?

No slime bag. Because humans have the right to communicate, doesn't implicitly give the government the right to regulate it.

[MelissaWV]

Originally Posted by pcosmar

Ah, no.
Not relevant.
Childproof???
It has been proven (over and over again) There is no such thing. It is better to educate children.

Like this.
Texas Boy, 5, Shoots Down 800-Pound Alligator
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,559103,00.html

You're thinking of it purely from a gun standpoint. The entire point of my phrasing was that it also applies to everything else a parent usually does to "childproof" their home, such as putting locks on crawl-level cabinets that contain cleaners. Or are you telling me you'd "reason" with a crawling-aged child?

I don't think it's relevant to ask what specific dangers there are in a home for a child. No one goes around asking "average" parents to number what potential hazards there are. Adoptions are routinely monitored after the fact. A kid getting abused by adoptive parents has the same recourses one being abused by their biological parents has. I do think it's fair to pose a generic question about safety and provide materials if the parent asks for it.

And yes, education (once a child is old enough to understand it) is the ONLY way to give them a chance at staying out of trouble, especially if it's reinforced with parental interaction (educating via the television, for instance, isn't as good as actually hearing it from mom & dad). We're mostly in agreement, just so you know.

[pcosmar]

Originally Posted by MelissaWV

You're thinking of it purely from a gun standpoint. The entire point of my phrasing was that it also applies to everything else a parent usually does to "childproof" their home, such as putting locks on crawl-level cabinets that contain cleaners. Or are you telling me you'd "reason" with a crawling-aged child?

No, I'm saying there were no such thing when I grew up. I never even heard of "Childproofing" till I was in my mid 20s.
I started shooting at 4 yrs old and had a rifle rack in my room at 8. By 10, I was walking around alone with a gun.

We had cleaning supplies under the sink. Fire in the fireplace, and parents that watched us to keep us out of them.

[fisharmor]

Originally Posted by pcosmar

No, I'm saying there were no such thing when I grew up. I never even heard of "Childproofing" till I was in my mid 20s.
I started shooting at 4 yrs old and had a rifle rack in my room at 8. By 10, I was walking around alone with a gun.

You'd be happy to know my daughter has known since 2 what colors of guns she can play with (green, red) and which she is not to touch (black, grey, brown).
She's 3 now and we already have 2 of Jeff Cooper's rules down with her green nerf gun. (Finger off the trigger, look where you're shooting and make sure there are no people or animals).

At 18 months this girl got a hold of some surgical scissors and had been carefully stabbing them between her toes for a minute or so before we caught her. We never did stop her.

Kids older than 8 months or so can learn all sorts of things if you take the time. Let them know the risks, and let them take the risks. That way they will grow up to be free.

Odds are, sir, that you grew up with someone in the home, eh? Same with my kids. I think that's the single most relevant question that will NEVER be asked on an adoption application.

[ghengis86]

Originally Posted by pcosmar

No, I'm saying there were no such thing when I grew up. I never even heard of "Childproofing" till I was in my mid 20s.
I started shooting at 4 yrs old and had a rifle rack in my room at 8. By 10, I was walking around alone with a gun.

We had cleaning supplies under the sink. Fire in the fireplace, and parents that watched us to keep us out of them.

lmao!

there were so many things in my house growing up that could kill me; power tools, firearms, chemicals, wood fireplaces/stoves, farm tools and machinery...somehow i managed to survive without baby gates, cabinet locks, etc.

firearms aside, i was told early on that using chlorine bleach with acid based cleaners could create a gas that could kill you. I learned never to put anything in outlets except plugs for lights/appliances. Blenders have sharp blades. medicine could make you very sick if you took the wrong one or too much...

maybe they should ask the potential parents, "do you have any common sense?"