Teaching gun safety to kids in schools locally.

[PlayboyPenguin]

There has been some talk from politicians in other states about wanting to teach gun safety in schools.

I was just thinking tonight how great it would be to get a group together and work up a presentation that could be made to middle and high school kids regarding gun safety. Not just the "do not touch it and get an adult" stuff...but also the safe handling aspects.

I wonder what the chances of getting schools to allow it to be presented. I bet if it was sold properly as a safetuy measure to prevent future gun incidents it could possibly be palatable for most schools.

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[CarlMc]

Don't hold your breath. There's way more superflous things to spend your tax dollars on than something that might matter in their future lives.

 

[Spad]

Playboy, you have a good idea. The "do not touch it" thing is good as far as it goes, but young ones are curious, why not. Teaching them that it is a dangerous but useable mechanical advice is good stuff. I was brought up and obviously most members of the forum with enlightened parents who taught what a firearm was and that it was dangerous, but so is a car if not handeled correctly. We live in the northwest, used to be a place where a lot of hunting and woodsmanship was practiced, seems now the liberals from the Peoples Republic of California and other eastern liberal states have come and brought thier twisted citified views and think they know best, obviouly they don't. Keep sending the word out Playboy, just might help. Better then not saying anything.Spad

 

[rpatton]

I got my Hunter Safety card at school back in the 70's. Too long ago to remember the specifics but obviously gun safety was part of it. Of course a lot more people put meat on the table by hunting back then.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

Don't hold your breath. There's way more superflous things to spend your tax dollars on than something that might matter in their future lives.

It would not be something that cost money. It would be provided free to the school by volunteers.

 

[NCW Ray]

Check out the NRA's Eddie Eagle program then see if your local gun club would sponsor it. Eddie Eagle is geared for younger kids, I think pre-kindergarten through third grade, but they have other programs for older youths.

 

[Trlsmn]

If you want to get a wealth of ideas take the Oregon hunter safety class, when I took it with my sons there were kids taking the course as young as 10. The course is 14- to 16 hours over 7 weeks, all for $10.

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[Sawz]

The "do not touch it thing" hasn't worked before, so we have sex ed class. There is a definite need for education regarding safe and responsible firearm handling. I wouldn't object to a class or some other form in school, but ultimately it's a parents responsibility and honor to educate their children. I wouldn't advocate handing out free snap caps though

 

[22many]

While I do think it would be a good idea One can expect the school to get the evil backlash from angry parents. Unfortunally (as you all know) these days guns are considered evil thing that if you touch them you will instantly die.

I just bought a place with acreage up in Washington. When talking with my new neighbors a couple days ago, they asked me my thoughts on electric fences as they have them around their property. After telling them that I didn't care and the kids will just have to get used to not touching it, they proceeded to tell me that the people that used to live in my new place wanted them to take it down because it posed a threat to their kids! And this is in the country! I can only imagine what would happen with a firearms safety course at a school......

 

[Arkitek]

Maybe ROTC only exists at Roseburg High School? I'll be the first to admit it...I'm not really familiar with the other High Schools in Oregon. I had to take ROTC in the 70's (Leavenworth, Kansas) where it was mandatory for all sophomores. Then moved to Roseburg a year later, where they had just started an ROTC program and its still running strong, some 35 years later. My son graduates this year and survived a year of ROTC...he loved the instructional shooting range experiences. He sure handles his firearms responsibly. Its a good program, for this community. They did a lot of visitations/demonstrations to the elementary schools, to keep interest up in the program. I guess we're just stuck in a time warp down here!
The way things are going, where the fear of offending everyone seems to rule; I think its up the parents (us) to educate our kids about fire arms...you cant depend on the system to get behind that..they are way too concerned about... ... enough said.

 

[drew]

Maybe ROTC only exists at Roseburg High School?

Isn't it JROTC in high school? There are JROTC units outside of Roseburg. There was one at my HS.

 

[WA_SIG]

OK. My age is going to show now, but I have to comment on this. I think the political climate on this side of the Cascades would never allow this idea to happen.
I think it would be great ( as it was for me growing up ). I was shooting at the age of 8 and got my first elk at 9. We had marksmanship badges in Scouts and my local sporting goods store had a range in the basement. In high school we had a rifle and pistol club and shot at the local gun club. In the school parking lot we left our guns in unlocked cars with no worries.
I realize those days are long gone and will never will happen again . We never had to deal with gangs, drugs, and political correctness.
If it could be implemented I think it could help relax some of the anti-gun rhetoric, but I
think that would be wishful thinking.

Just my .02

 

[Cougfan2]

You might have a chance at some schools in rural areas, but not a snowball's chance in **** in the PDX metro area. You'd have people wanting to burn you at the stake for even broaching the idea.

 

[oasis618]

Snowball's chance in ****.

 

[CarlMc]

I consider the politics in this kind of situation a big pendulum. At one time, conservatives (or what we would call them now) ruled the schools and institutions. Then the pendulum swung to the left. Despite their best efforts, the kids coming out of college nowadays are more centrist or conservative than they wanted them to be, and in 20 years or so they'll start getting replaced, thus swinging the pendulum back to the right. That works unless they manage to screw things up too badly to make it fixible in the meantime. Unfortunately, I'm not betting on time.

 

[Chee-to]

There has been some talk from politicians in other states about wanting to teach gun safety in schools.

I was just thinking tonight how great it would be to get a group together and work up a presentation that could be made to middle and high school kids regarding gun safety. Not just the "do not touch it and get an adult" stuff...but also the safe handling aspects.

I wonder what the chances of getting schools to allow it to be presented. I bet if it was sold properly as a safetuy measure to prevent future gun incidents it could possibly be palatable for most schools.

Great idea, problem is with the "PC" crowd, they expel kids for drawing pictures of guns.........

 

[usfatboy01]

Tried this in the mid '90's with the NRA's Eddy Eagle program in Beaverton schools, went no where. Sunset High school even has a indoor 22 range, been closed for many, many years. Always worth a "SHOT" LOL.

 

[atypicalparkie]

I agree that it'd be an excellent EXCELLENT idea, and especially here in PDX and other urban environs. I'd gladly volunteer in any capacity; planning, lobbying school boards, PTA's, whomever. Ha, I might be a good spokes-model for such an endeavor 'cos I'm fluent in Liberalese & diplomat-speak and look like I should be in the cast of Portlandia , though I clean up very nicely.

This is a good discussion for us to have, and you can be dang sure you'd get a full house of kids when and where ever such classes would happen. I've been itching to become a certified safety trainer anyways, and am finally at a point where I can start pursuing that... heck it's almost 4am and this thread isn't helping me defeat my insomnia any, it's got my mind going a hundred miles an hour.

True, there would be many many questions that we'd have to be prepared to answer & likely we'd have to be free from any implicit or explicit connection to any 'Big Scary 2A-Rights' organizations to gain traction. One hurdle I could see would be the likely insistence that no presenters would cc on school premises (Constitutional or not...) and/or that any demonstration weapons be rendered inoperable (not a biggie, just like at the SHOT shows, yeah?).

But like PBP said, if it were properly sold as a means to prevent future gun accidents, it just might work. There are very real, rational, and pragmatic reasons that firearms safety programs should be available to city kids, and those reasons all transcend political identification. Sure, I know that there would be a million roadblocks. But, as (for instance) elective, after school presentations, maybe those roadblocks could be reduced to minor speed bumps... it's an unfortunate truth that almost EVERYBODY knows someone who has been affected by a firearm related tragedy, but that could be one of the strongest points in favor of such programs.

Let's keep talking about this