Kaitlin's mother says the opportunity for her daughter to learn about gun safety persuaded her to enroll Kaitlin in the program.
Posted on 07/08/2012 9:33:44 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
Houston police officer Karl Pederson is all too familiar with the consequences of a curious child coming into contact with a gun. During his 27 years on the force - 15 spent working at Texas Children's Hospital - he's seen too many kids die in gun-related tragedies.
"All the children's deaths have stuck with me," the 49-year-old father of two said. "Any time a child loses their life, it's just crushing to me, and I think it can always be prevented."
For some, prevention means keeping kids as far away from guns as possible. For Pederson, it means placing a loaded gun in his kids' hands.
In June, he sent Kaitlyn, 12, and Kody, 9, to Best Shot Camp, a summer camp sponsored by the National Rifle Association that teaches kids as young as 8 how to handle and fire rifles. The six-day camp at Best Shot Range in Friendswood incorporates the NRA's Basic Rifle Course into the curriculum, awarding kids with a lifetime certificate.
"It dispels curiosity," Pederson said of the camp. "People think, 'Well I don't have guns in my house,' but their friends and neighbors do. You can't always watch your kids, and if they've never been taught about guns, ignorance is a dangerous thing."
~snip~
Caroline Brewer, director of communications at the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, declined to comment directly on Best Shot Camp because she was unfamiliar with it. But she said gun-education programs don't dispel curiosity.
"We do know from a tremendous amount of research from independent scientists who study the effectiveness of educational programs like the NRA's Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program, which has been going on for years and years, is that it's absolutely ineffective from disabusing children from interest in guns and from keeping them away from handling guns." ~snip~
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
Kaitlin's mother says the opportunity for her daughter to learn about gun safety persuaded her to enroll Kaitlin in the program.
Gun Safety in Texas ping
Liberal logic kills children.
And unwilling to admit that gun-safety teaches safety and responsibility!
I grew up in Arizona in the early 50’s & 60’s.
We had NRA days at school where we learned to shoot a shot gun to scare off Cougars and Bears. That was in 5th grade.... Even younger kids were taught the same lessons if they lived in areas that had a history of regular cougar sightings and attacks of livestock as well as humans.
On NRA days at school, we brought our guns to the school bus stop, handed the rifle to the driver (after we cleared it to his satisfaction) and he placed it in a rack just behind his seat. It was not unusual to have 20 or more rifles in that rack.
How novel it costs parents $150 bucks per student. First, I applaud anyone who teaches firearm safety. I’m sure there are considerable insurance/liability costs today. States used to sponsor Firearm Safety and Hunter Safety classes in coordination with the NRA. An NRA approved, three day class with live fire was a whole $5.00 and had gone up to $7.50 by the early 1990’s when many states decided the liability was too high. Can anybody say trial lawyers!
We sponsor a 4H shooting program at our local sportsmens club
with over 100 youthful participants during the school year. The kids
participate in extensive classroom instruction followed by practical
application at our trap, rifle, and archery ranges. The volunteer
instructors are certified through a training program that is even more
rigorous than that of the NRA. BTW, we are located in Northern
California.
“Liberal logic kills children.”
Liberal logic kills Liberal children, mostly.
And the point is?
Those who deliberately defy logic and history get what they deserve.
Conclusion: Don’t argue with a hoplophobic Liberal. Let evolution occur.
Notice how deceptive and disingenuous the Brady spokesman is?
Caroline Brewer, director of communications at the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence...
“We do know from a tremendous amount of research from independent scientists who study the effectiveness of educational programs like the NRA’s Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program, which has been going on for years and years, is that it’s absolutely ineffective from disabusing children from interest in guns and from keeping them away from handling guns.”
Do you see what she did there?
The purpose of gun training is *not*, *no how*, to make children disinterested in guns or keep them from handling guns. In fact, just the opposite, so that they will be knowledgeable about guns and know how to safely handle and use them in their lives.
That is like saying that teaching children how to read does not dissuade them from reading, as if reading is a bad thing, and how teaching literacy is somehow bad if children still want to read after learning how.
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