Parallel worlds: Gun safety and safe sex

In the United States, talk comes and goes about the dangers of guns, and what to do about accidental shootings and crime. I notice a similar cycle in China, but here the talk is not about guns - it's about sex.

Yes, sex education is back in the news, with advocates and academics making their case for age-appropriate training of children and adolescents. (Why this subject is the least bit controversial in 2017 baffles me.)

Let's face it: Both guns and sex are dangerous. Either can be misused. But when it comes to sex, the greatest danger, by far, is not crime, it's Mother Nature. There is no stopping powerful teenage hormones. Like it or not, young people are going to discover their bodies and answer biology's irresistible call. That's just a fact. Anybody who thinks otherwise is daydreaming.

Pretending this force of nature can somehow be suppressed by refusing to talk about it - or, worse, burdening what should be a joyful experience with guilt and shame - is below wishful thinking. Denying young people the knowledge they need to deal with their natural sexual urges borders on criminal negligence. Their lives can literally be ruined because they simply didn't understand the consequences, or take precautions.

I was astounded to learn this week that there are 13 million abortions in China annually. That's a lot of people who don't seem to understand simple contraception. By comparison, the United States, whose population is roughly one-fourth of China's, sees fewer than 1 million abortions. The health impact on women has got to be staggering, both physically and psychologically. And then there are sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, which is now growing fastest among Chinese adolescents.

It seems a good time to pull our collective heads out of the sand for the sake of the next generation. What loving parent would refuse to tell a child not to eat poison, or not to run into the street in front of cars, or not to touch an open flame? Not one. Why, then, do so many seem to fail in teaching their children about safe sex?

There's a lesson in the guns.

In the US, I own many historical and recreational firearms. Target shooting has been part of my life, and I've shared my enthusiasm with my children, starting as soon as they were toilet trained. I won't be the parent of a child who killed himself or a friend because he stupidly didn't understand the basic mechanics of safety.

Safety was Lesson 1. If you touch a gun, check the chamber. Every time. Leave the action open. Never let the barrel cross something you're not willing to destroy. Those lessons, delivered at tender ages, took root. My children are now ferociously competent when it comes to gun safety.

It took me longer to understand that I needed to be equally direct about safe sex - but I got there. It's the only rational choice. Neglecting this duty would be like handing a kid a loaded gun.