I try not to hate people because it doesn’t do anything to them and just burns you up from the inside. There are exceptions–pedos, for example, deserve nothing less than hatred, as does anyone who enables them–but for the most part, I really do try not to hate.

But it’s hard when someone uses a holiday to push an agenda that ultimately results in us losing our rights.

Even when that agenda seems reasonable.

For example, a member of Sandy Hook Promise took to US News & World Report to talk about gun storage.

However, I’m going to give the author, Mark Barden, a bit of a pass this time. It was Father’s Day and he lost his child at Sandy Hook…plus, he didn’t mention gun control at all.

Instead, he offers some of this (which isn’t all good, but we’ll get into that in a bit):

As fathers, grandfathers, uncles, older brothers and mentors, we pride ourselves on being protectors, the ones who check the locks, install baby gates and would jump in front of a moving car to keep our kids safe. But when it comes to guns, too many of us are leaving the most dangerous thing in our homes unsecured. We can do better.

This Father’s Day, I urge you to take real steps to protect your child:

• Store firearms securely. Lock them up, keep them unloaded and store ammunition separately. It’s a simple act that saves lives. 
• Know the Signs. Learn the warning signs of gun violence and talk to your kids about them. Teach them to recognize the signs and feel comfortable talking to a trusted adult, whether about themselves or their peers.
• Lead by example. Be a role model for responsible gun ownership and speak up in your community. Your voice could be the one that saves someone else’s child. 

Being a good father isn’t just about love, it’s about action. And there’s no better time than now to act.

This isn’t about politics. It’s about parenting. Our constitutional right to own firearms comes with a moral responsibility: to keep them secure, especially from the tiny hands that trust us most.

Now, I’m not going to agree with storing ammunition separately. That’s a common point among anti-gunners who try to talk gun storage, but it’s also nonsense. If a lock is enough, it’s enough. It’s just that simple.

If ammo is stored separately, the gun is essentially useless in a self-defense scenario.

This advice is common among those who are gun control advocates because it is, in fact, an additional check on unapproved hands getting hold of a firearm and misusing it.

However, it’s advice that doesn’t reflect the reality of why most people have firearms.

Sure, it’s one thing to keep ammunition for your hunting guns stored somewhere else because those aren’t likely to be needed in the case of an emergency. 

Self-defense guns are different, and if you need one for that purpose, you don’t have time to fumble with multiple safes just so you can load your gun before you and your entire family get slaughtered.

But keeping guns secured is solid advice. Knowing the warning signs of violence is good. Being aware of what your kid is doing is important, especially if they’re planning some kind of attack.

And yes, being a role model for responsible gun ownership is a very good thing, though Barden and I have different opinions on just how far that should go.

While he mentions the now discredited study from the JAMA in his piece, the truth is that kids do stupid things with guns far too often, including hurting themselves. We owe it to ourselves, if no one else, to prevent that as best we can.

You don’t need to go as far as Barden tries to suggest, but you need to do more than just hide a gun under a pair of cargo shorts, too. You don’t want to find out you’re wrong about your kid not knowing where your firearm is.