I don't know, why would you? By all means, if you think your kids are of the logic to be around guns, leave them laying around, loaded, like the OP does.
I wouldn't raise my kids the way most do today, because as you say, current norms don't seem very good. However, I also want my kids to have somewhat of a social life. To me, the "norm" means the majority, which in my mind is closer to 75% of a group than just 50%+1. What I'm trying to say is that out of four possible friends, I could see me not like the way three of them were raised. They could be honor roll students, but love to be mischievous. It isn't necessarily your kids, or my kids, but the other kids. Obviously the goal would be for my kids to hang around with your kids, or .40caltrucker's kids, but that isn't always going to be the case.
I follow the logic of Judge Judy: As soon as a pre-teen or teenager wakes up, the lie begins to form. We baby our mid range teens and treat them like children, when really they are closer biologically adults than children. Some of this has to do with genetics (early puberty) and the fact that even though the beings have changed, we still want to coddle them by using the current K-12 education system. To make matters worse, we now have higher ed costing so much money, and so many jobs wanting college degrees, that we have essentially enslaved our 18-22 year olds to rely on their parents/government for an additional four to five years of life after high school.
It isn't so much I want my kids to dislike firearms, but I really do want them to be more mature and to understand life. Today's kids usually don't get a taste of life until they have graduated college and are living on their own. Even then, most have already bought into the "live for the day" attitude, that I just don't see a level of maturity at age 25 of the current generation than of those from decades past.
This is why even with my friends and family who are in their 30s and ask about guns, I don't dig into the debate with "EVERYONE NEEDS A GUN!!" type comments. I just tell them that having a gun is a serious engagement, and that I would be more than willing to help them learn how to shoot, discuss security, etc..
I guess I could clarify my remarks. I don't want kids just seeing guns laying around. This is what the OP is all about, not really someone carrying a gun. Obviously, as one who carries 99% of the time, kids will see my gun. What I want them to see is me removing the gun and putting it in the safe or taking it out the safe and placing it on my hip. They will never touch it, look at it for long periods of time, etc., until they are much older and of a logic I think one should have.
I can't blame the OP's son for acting the way he did.
Police: Deputy's 4-Year-Old Son Shot, Killed Handling Gun - Indiana News Story - WRTV Indianapolis
Coroner: 2-year-old girl shot herself
There are numerous stories like this one. They all have the same underlying theme: Gun is left laying around, loaded, and somehow/someway, a younger child gets hold of the gun and manages to fire off a round. Either the child shoots themselves, or someone else gets shot.
And to add insult to injury he did it in front of his own children. What kind of message is that sending?
