You're not going to shoot your eye out

November 10, 6:37 AMGun Rights ExaminerDavid Codrea

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A Christmas Story House & Museum, illustration
by Ryan Tinnerman

Fans of the classic "A Christmas Story" will be happy to hear about "Ralphie's pals coming to Cleveland."

The iconic 1983 holiday film about Ralphie Parker and his dream of getting a Red Ryder BB gun from Santa is marking a big anniversary this month.

At the "A Christmas Story" House & Museum in Cleveland, a celebration Nov. 28-29 will feature a reunion of the cast, including Scott Schwartz, who played Flick, the kid who got his tongue stuck to the flagpole, and Ian Petrella, who played Ralphie's little brother Randy.

You can learn more about the event and how to attend by visiting the website for A Christmas Story House. Just one question: Where the heck are the Red Ryder BB guns? I don't know if exclusion is just for their online catalog--I'll have to check later today to see if they carry them, and if not, why.

Which prompts me to ask another question with Christmas quickly approaching: Why not get your kid a BB gun? I had one, my kids each got theirs when they were younger, and I'll bet most Gun Rights Examiner readers remember theirs. Contrary to worries expressed by some of the fearful adults in the film, none of us shot our eye out.

Anybody who thinks you can make kids safer by treating guns as forbidden fruits is sorely mistaken. Knowledge and familiarity, not ignorance and avoidance, are always the keys for achieving best outcomes, and you should see the way my feral pups would suddenly get focused when I took off my Dad hat and put on my listen up Range Master cap.

If you teach them proper safety, they're not going to put anyone's eye out. The biggest danger will be to your ego, when you find out how quickly their young eyes and coordination combine to create a challenge for those of us on the other side of that slope...

If you have fond memories of your first BB gun, please share it with us in "comments," below.

Things to come

Buckeye Firearms Association warns us about "Obama's first decision as President-elect: Adding to his anti-gun "F-Troop." If Rahm Emanuel's selection is any indication of the intent of the Obama administration, and you'd better believe it is, we're going to be in for an interesting four years.

Likewise, Ohioans for Concealed Carry comment on what the Obama win will mean to gun owners, but adds a hopeful note: Over 72% of their endorsed candidates won.