I was astounded by the bias of the piece "Loss and Anger Inspire Mother" (Sunday, 07 May). I would have liked the author, Francis X. Clines, to expound on the "harrowing aberrations of the gun culture" mentioned, but of course s/he did not. I do not mean to belittle the pain of parents who have lost children, but I do think that the Million Mom March is misguided at best. Rather than providing reasons that new laws will be ineffectual in curtailing accidental (and intentional) shootings–though that is certainly the case–I will present some ideas to prevent accidental shootings by children.

There are a few rules of firearm ownership in a household with children. The most important is to store the weapon(s) where children cannot acquire them. This simple step, whether buying a quick-access handgun safe or storing the gun unloaded in a locked cabinet, will curtail accidental shootings by children. The father in this article failed in this responsibility, and so should be held responsible for the shooting.

The second rule is to teach one's children about firearms. Take them shooting to illustrate the firearm's destructive power. Most importantly, teach them how to handle a firearm safely and to respect it. Teaching a child that "guns are bad" simply makes them curious, more likely to handle an improperly stored firearm (at home or at a friend's house), and more likely to shoot someone accidentally. A child whose parents will take them shooting regularly will be far less likely to be interested in handling a gun when unsupervised.

Unfortunately, not all firearm owners are responsible. The obvious course of action, then, is to teach firearms safety in school. We teach sex and driver's education, either one of which, if done improperly, can kill. Are anti-gun groups and politicians afraid that such schooling could cause the "un-demonization" of firearms through education? I would bet that the NRA would provide help for such a course, if school systems are willing to accept it. I believe that teaching gun safety for a few days in health class would save lives. How many lives is another law going to save? I propose that new gun laws only cost lives–the lives of those that lose their legal means to self-defense through these laws.

Since one cannot count on others teaching their children firearms safety, my advice to parents is to buy a firearm and teach your children to handle it responsibly and safely. If your child has this knowledge and a friend starts playing with a gun, your child could save both their lives.