NRA Against Adoption Questions

[Bruce]

As I was adopted, in Florida no less, this was somewhat interesting to me:

From Newsmax.com

(http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/g...06/282673.html)

NRA Backs Law Against Adoption Agencies' Gun Questions
Friday, November 6, 2009 9:56 AM
By: Rick Pedraza

“An adoption agency has no right to subvert the privacy rights of gun owners,'' Marion Hammer, a lobbyist for the NRA, told The Herald.

Hammer noted that requiring individuals to register guns is illegal in Florida; therefore, requiring couples to disclose whether they own firearms before adopting a child should be, too.

I agree.
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[LorDiego01]

whenever I'm asked that by a doctor, or anybody who I feel shouldn't be privy to that information...

I just say... "naaaaaah" and leave it at that.

[BTA88]

I agree, too. I didn't even realize it was a question that they could ask. Ridiculous...

[MTechnik]

If it is a two part question - "Do you have guns, and are they secured?" then I am fine with it. They ask a lot of other questions to determine if your home is ready to accept children. I'm pretty sure they also ask if you have plug covers too.

[tes151]

Originally Posted by MTechnik

If it is a two part question - "Do you have guns, and are they secured?" then I am fine with it. They ask a lot of other questions to determine if your home is ready to accept children. I'm pretty sure they also ask if you have plug covers too.

In today's society, where there always seems to be somebody trying to criminalize the exercising of your rights in order to keep you from doing something, I've adopted a different tactic. I tell the person exactly what they want to hear. In this case, " I would never own a gun." They are happy, and you get what you want. I know some will be bothered with the dishonesty part of that, but, these people would never have a problem lying to us to get their agenda put forth.

[Paradigm]

Guns? Nooooooo.

But I do have lots of knives, saws, and power tools!

[GunLawyer001]

I'm opposed to anyone hijacking a process for their own purposes. Asking about inherently dangerous conditions is one thing, but do they ask about the much more likely factors?

This is no more legitimate than a racist who perverts everything into a black/white issue. Could you ask adoption applicants how often they meet with black people, or Jews, or Muslims?

Here's a chart that's lost most of the formatting, but you can see that "firearms accidents" account for 00.46% of children's deaths, less than 1/2 of 1%. Car accidents are more than 40 times more likely, drownings are more than 10 times more common. So if you have a car or a pool or a bathtub or a 5-gallon bucket, forget it, you have a kiddie death trap.

http://www.statisticstop10.com/Cause...eath_Kids.html

Rank Cause of Death Total Deaths No of Deaths Percent

1 Unintentional Injury 1176 38.97%
* Motor Vehicle Traffic 621 20.58%
* Drowning 159 5.27%
* Fire/burn 153 5.07%
* Suffocation 40 1.33%
* Other Land Transport 33 1.09%
* Pedestrian, Other 27 0.89%
* Struck by or Against 20 0.66%
* Unspecified 20 0.66%
* Fall 18 0.60%
* Other Spec., classifiable 17 0.56%
* Poisoning 15 0.50%
* Firearm 14 0.46%
* Other Transport 12 0.40%
* Other Spec., NEC 8 0.27%
* Natural/ Environment 7 0.23%
* Machinery 6 0.20%
* Pedal cyclist, Other 4 0.13%
* Cut/pierce 2 0.07%
2 Malignant Neoplasms 537 17.79%
3 Congenital Anomalies 199 6.59%
4 Homicide 140 4.64%
5 Heart Disease 92 3.05%
6 Benign Neoplasms 44 1.46%
7 Septicemia 42 1.39%
8 Chronic Respiratory Disease 41 1.36%
9 Influenza & Pneumonia 38 1.26%
10 Cerebrovascular 33 1.09%
11 Anemias 29 0.96%
12 Perinatal Period 15 0.50%
13 Meningitis 10 0.33%
14 Nephritis 9 0.30%
15 Acute Bronchititis 7 0.23%
16 Pneumonitis 7 0.23%
17 Meningococcal Infection 6 0.20%
18 Diabetes Mellitus 5 0.17%
19 HIV 4 0.13%
20 Hernia 4 0.13%
All Others 584 19.35%

[Bruce]

I believe (I could be wrong, but from how I interpret the article) that this issue is with a private (rather than State run) agency and their "questionnaire".

I've asked my father for my adoption records. All I get is shrugged shoulders and a "your what?" look from him.

Bear in mind, I am asking him to recall back nearly 43 years about an undertaking that was handled mainly by my (adoptive) mother (whom I am not speaking with) and her mother (who past away about 17 years ago). All my dad can tell me is that my adoption was arranged prior to my birth through a lawyer, that I was born in Florida, and that he and my 'mother' flew down to Miami to pick me up the day I was born.

By the way - I wasn't informed that I was adopted until I was 40 years old.

My guess is - there was no questions about guns or outlet plugs or anything of the sort - probably just money changing hands (quite a bit of it, I am told) and legal documents signed, notarized and duly filed.

Also, remember, this was back in 1967; of course there was an 'anti-gun' movement back then, but it wasn't nearly as aggressive.

It wouldn't have mattered much in my case. There were no firearms in my home anyway. None of my relatives had any firearms. There weren't any hunters of any kind in my family. Heck, I wasn't even allowed to have cap pistols - ever - as a child (let alone a BB gun). I wasn't even allowed to have water pistols (unless they were shaped to look like anything but a "pistol"). My mother was (still is, I am certain) extremely "anti-gun".

I would be for a law like the one the NRA is backing. After reasonable interviews, background checks and everything else prospective adoptive couples have to go through, they should have more than enough information - no need for them to know if the parents actually own firearms.

The State of Florida already has a law against 'allowing minors access to a firearm', so it would be purely moot to discuss 'safekeeping' practices in any pre-adoptive "questionnaire". I can only conclude the question is asked for purely 'political' reasons.
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[Bruce]

In concurrence with GL, if anything - I think they should certainly ask if the parents have a pool! Forget about guns.

Pools (and such) *kill*, what is it...? ...Something like 5 times as many kids each year than firearm accidents.

We gotta get going on this anti-pool movement people!!

I mean... they are out there killing the children!! We need to make those evil pool manufacturers pay! Every pool in America should be registered and licensed - we have to get these illegal pools off the streets!!! Or... backyards, or whatever... But, you know what I mean!
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[Warpt762x39]

Originally Posted by tes151

In today's society, where there always seems to be somebody trying to criminalize the exercising of your rights in order to keep you from doing something, I've adopted a different tactic. I tell the person exactly what they want to hear. In this case, " I would never own a gun." They are happy, and you get what you want. I know some will be bothered with the dishonesty part of that, but, these people would never have a problem lying to us to get their agenda put forth.

You then reply: But my wife has a whole sh**load of them