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View Full Version : Gun safety needs to be taught in schools: essay by 8th grader



CyborgWarrior
03-24-2010, 07:44 PM
http://www.capweek.com/stories/032410/spe_595670967.shtml



Gun safety needs to be taught in schools

By Corby Abel Floyd Dryden Student | Capital City Weekly

Picture yourself as a small child happily playing with a strange, new toy in you house. A moment later you're crying in the corner. You just shot your best friend. If you're an adult with kids you're probably thinking, "That couldn't be my kid...my kid would never do that." But what if your kid wasn't the one with the gun? Too many children don't know what to do around guns. All schools should institute gun safety classes.
If people knew how to use guns safely the number of gun related accidents would decrease dramatically. A 12-year-old boy was accidentally shot and killed by his 6-year-old cousin. If this boy had been taught gun safety his cousin might be alive today. And again in 2005 another 12-year-old boy was shot and killed while playing with a friend. I ran into too many stories like those. All of these could have been prevented if the child with the gun had known what to do with it. We've come a long way from the 1,501 deaths in 1908 caused by gun accidents, but we still have a long way to go. We can't stop until every child can make the right decision in a bad situation. Not only would the teaching of gun safety classes in schools prevent deaths, and injuries from gun accidents, but it would also prove that we shouldn't be focusing on gun control.
Gun control is not the problem. "How [guns] are used is up to the person holding it...a violent person doesn't need a gun to be violent," said a writer on topics-mag's Web site. The Second Amendment of the Constitution states, " A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right o the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Even if it was the right thing to get rid of guns altogether we would be contradicting the Constitution. People have the right to own a gun. Gun control wouldn't be a problem if people knew how to use guns; Floyd Dryden Middle School students agree.
Floyd Dryden students think that gun safety is important to be taught all over the country. Over 75% of students who went through a gun safety program think that it should be taught in schools throughout the United States. Mr. Milliron, principal at Floyd Dryden, and a supporter of gun safety said, "Guns are part of our culture...I think that you should go through firearm safety [before buying a gun]...I'm pleased with how many government volunteers take their time for the program." Milliron helped to get Floyd Dryden involved in the gun safety program. Mr. Casperson, a teacher at Floyd Dryden, agrees with Milliron: "Learning how to properly handle firearms at a young age is good." He was sure that they should be taught in Alaska, because "A lot of families have [guns] in homes... If it helps one kid [make the right decision around a gun] its certainly worth it." All schools need to be teaching gun safety. Gun related accidents would decrease, people would stop focusing on gun control, even students agree that gun safety should be taught. With gun control education in schools, more kids and even adults will make the right decision when dealing with guns. It would save lives, trips to the hospitals, and terrible memories.


Corby is a student at Floyd Dryden Middle School in Juneau, Alaska.
His school principals email address is millirot@jsd.k12.ak.us

Will-IB-Ready
03-24-2010, 07:53 PM
Very cool for a 14 year old. Where did you get this? Did this school in Alaska set up the gun safety on their own, or was it a group like MGO coming in and teaching it?...

Daniels
03-25-2010, 07:27 AM
We had gun safety in 6th grade. When we went to 6th grade camp we shot rifles and shotguns so the week before we left we just had gun safety every day. The teacher even had guns in the class and a fake range set up. I could not even imagine if they tried to do that today. LOL

Unistat76
03-25-2010, 02:22 PM
We had gun safety in 6th grade. When we went to 6th grade camp we shot rifles and shotguns so the week before we left we just had gun safety every day. The teacher even had guns in the class and a fake range set up. I could not even imagine if they tried to do that today. LOL

Ah, 6th grade camp in Wyandotte! I looked forward to shooting the guns (.22 LR and a 12 Ga, if I remember right) more than anything that whole week. I kept an empty .22 shell for years and years after.

Daniels
03-25-2010, 02:25 PM
Ah, 6th grade camp in Wyandotte! I looked forward to shooting the guns (.22 LR and a 12 Ga, if I remember right) more than anything that whole week. I kept an empty .22 shell for years and years after.

I did not know you grew up in the city too.

Yeah, the rifles where all single shot bolt action .22's and the shotgun I think was a 12 gauge.

I also remember going to some sand pit and walking around collecting old casings from when people would shoot there. LOL I bet parents would freak now-a-days.

Done Deal
03-27-2010, 03:02 PM
While I had been shooting long before 6th grade, I too remember going to camp and shooting .22 rifles and there was an archery segment. But, we also had archery in gym class in elementary school as well.

I can also remember taking a gun to school for a speech as late as 9th grade and there wasn't a problem having guns in vehicles in the lot or carrying a pocket knife.

As far as I am concerned, life skills should be taught in schools. That includes swimming if there is access to a pool and definitely firearms safety, no matter what.

Crazychild
03-27-2010, 03:11 PM
This article made me cry, because this is excattly what happened to my son, shot and killed by his best friend, maybe if he had been taught gun safety my kids would be here today.

WHat a smart kid for writing this.

wJAKE19
03-30-2010, 08:15 AM
While I had been shooting long before 6th grade, I too remember going to camp and shooting .22 rifles and there was an archery segment. But, we also had archery in gym class in elementary school as well.

I can also remember taking a gun to school for a speech as late as 9th grade and there wasn't a problem having guns in vehicles in the lot or carrying a pocket knife.

As far as I am concerned, life skills should be taught in schools. That includes swimming if there is access to a pool and definitely firearms safety, no matter what.

I too remember every year in high shcool, the principal would say on the PA the day before deer season, "if you bring your gun to shool, leave it in your car"

halfacop
03-30-2010, 01:07 PM
Yup - the days of taking your rifle stock into wood shop to refinish it is Long Gone!

I remember taking a couple of mine in and turning out some real nice finishes. Its total BS what has happened to the american culture.....

Boon
05-19-2010, 09:07 AM
Couldn't agree more. Guns are like a taboo and when a kid finds one they are bound to play with it/ handle it. I think the basics of guns should be taught at a young age, younger the better...

psi2941
05-20-2010, 03:09 AM
I'm studying to be a high math teacher and it's kind of funny how they make me learn abstract algebra, calculus 3, single variable calculus but they never taught me gun safety 101 at any education level.

fbuckner
05-21-2010, 06:05 PM
Boon you are spot on! we have tried to get into the DPS system via the DPD and have yet to crack that egg wide open. Feel free to write both and express your concern to them maybe if they get enough badgering from the good guys we can get it done.