Guns Safety Programs in Schools, Don't Work?

WNEP.com ^ | January 22, 2004

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

School gun safety programs don't work. That's the finding of a study in the journal Pediatrics.

Those safety programs fail when taught in a place where children would not encounter a gun, researchers find.

Researchers found better success when simulations were done in children's homes, or another place they might encounter a gun.

In a recent test in a home setting, 10-children who were taught not to touch the gun, but find an adult. Eight-out-of-10 children did the right thing, left the gun alone and found a grown-up.

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

No surprise to any parent who is a gun owner.

[BykrBayb]

Darn. Can we still teach driver's ed without a car?

[Redcoat LI]

The article does not say,but I am assuming from your comment that the "gun safety" course was taught without an actual gun being present.
And they are surprised it doesn't work?,sounds like whoever devised this program was trying to fail.

[BykrBayb]

Oops! I must have read between the lines. "Those safety programs fail when taught in a place where children would not encounter a gun, researchers find." Upon rereading the article, it appears to me that the extent of the training was "Don't touch it!" Much like the sex education I got in school. Films of people with advanced venereal disease, and the message "Don't have sex!" Not that I disagree with either of those messages in the proper context, but shouldn't sex education for a high school student involve more, like diagrams of the reproductive system? And shouldn't gun safety involve more, like how to clean a handgun without shooting your foot off? Depending, of course, on the age and maturity of the student. Teaching an 8 year old not to play with guns is fine, but if the subject is gun safety, shouldn't he also know a little about the gun? Then again, if the schools aren't even capable of teaching him not to pick up the gun in the first place, maybe it's best they don't try to tackle more complicated issues. And I should be glad my sex-ed teacher didn't try to explain where babies come from. I'm screwed up enough already.