"You'll Shoot Your Eye Out ...."

It's become an annual Christmas tradition -- watchie Ralphie get "the greatest Christmas gift" he would ever receive, his much wished for Red Rider b.b gun.

But this year "A Christmas Story" played just days after a horrific mass shooting, and as Washington discussed what limits -- if any -- should be placed on gun ownership.

Just what will that mean for little Ralphies and Ralphettes in the future?

I remember a good friend -- one trained in weaponry and martial arts -- years ago telling me his thoughts on gun control.

"You know you can kill a person with the edge of a credit card," he said. "Does this mean we outlaw credit cards?"

At the same time, we require people to have a driver's license before they get behind the wheel of a car. Doesn't it make sense we should prospective gun owners to go through some kind of training before they take on that responsibility?

Over the holidays, I asked another friend -- a teacher -- what he thought about the idea of arming teachers.

"There are some teachers I don't trust with a book in their hand, much less a gun," he responded.

The question of emotional stability also has to be considered among any set criteria for gun ownership.