Posted on 05/24/2005 10:42:04 PM PDT by FairOpinion
Arizona schools have added a fourth "R" to reading, writing and arithmetic — rifles.
Students who choose to enroll in this new course learn the safe way to handle a gun and earn one credit — the equivalent to ceramics or photography electives. Critics are gunning the debate; they say handing teenagers loaded weapons equals trouble.
“We learn life skills, like when we miss [a shot], not to get mad. You learn a lot of cooperation with your team members,” said student Kim Peters.
And many parents argue they would rather their children learn how to handle a gun and be safe, than be sorry.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
And it also reduces the "curiosity factor", which entices kids who've never been around guns to handle one when they encounter it.
Before my three kids ever fired their first shot, they had demonstrated the ability to field-strip, clean, and re-assemble any weapon in which they showed an interest. That did wonders to satisfy curiosity...
Would you say the same thing about character education? Afterall, don't we want our children to have the integrity character education is supposedly giving them? But what is the curriculum? Do you actually consider the things being taught to coincide with your value system?
The fact that a school system would even consider allowing a gun safety course should be your first clue that the school system is stepping into an arena where it has no business going. Why, in the name of all that's good and holy, would it be necessary for schools to offer gun safety as an elective?
What about behavior problem kids? Are they going to be allowed into the class? How, in today's world of inclusion, will you prevent them from being in the class?
The schools, the laws that govern the schools, the administrators and curriculum developers on college campuses - they are not on your side. Their goal, whether intentional or simply unconscious but institutionalized, is to strip you of authority over your children and replace you as the primary caregiver/rolemodel/disciplinarian ... parent ... in your child's life.
Military schools, like private schools or Catholic schools or auto mechanic schools are different because they have different goals. To compare military schools to government run public schools is comparing apples to the Citadel. One is a fruit, the other is a military school.
We handled different types of guns and learned the safety features of each. It was mandatory, and taught for half the semester...the other half was state history. At the time, all of my friends in neighboring school districts had the same program.
I also went to Bible camp where we had rifle and archery shooting matches. Not one parent complained in either instance.
What are you talking about? My school system decides for me what my child eats for breakfast. My school system decides for me whether or not my child is sick or has to see a doctor. My school system routinely threatens to have parents arrested and seeks warrants for parents. I saw my children's elementary school principal in court seeking warrants against parents just two weeks ago.
I don't want or need my school now teaching something to my child that is my responsibility to teach.
Do you oppose driver education? The two skills are roughly equivalent.
Math on the other hand...
I don't doubt that your congressman may have had good intentions, but I'm very hopeful this doesn't catch on. If your brother's granddaughter isn't learning gun safety at home, then it suits me fine that she's simply afraid of guns and leaves them alone. If your brother wants her to not be afraid of guns, then it should be up to him, not the schools, to teach her how to properly handle a gun.
No. It's definately an unrealistic scenario.
You're pulling hypotheticals out of your hat with no other result but failure as an option.
Schools do manage to occasionally teach a kid to read you know.
In today's world it is unreasonable to expect that everyone doesn't need to know how to drive. It is not unreasonable to expect that some people don't need to own guns. Furthermore, I hope we don't have to become licensed to operate a gun in my state, whereas operating a car you do have to be licensed.
That said, my experience with driver's education was that it was a waste of time. We watched some videos where we pretended to drive and kids in the videos chased balls into the street. Most everyone in my class pretended to hit their excellerator instead of their break. When we actually got on the driving course, the coach who taught driver's ed slept while we fooled around, jerking the wheels back and forth, tagging people's bumpers.
We all passed. If it is available, I will enroll my children in driver's ed to lower their insurance rates, but they will know how to drive safely long before they step into that classroom.
What about inclusion? What happens with the class idiot wants into the gun safety elective?
What about it? Do you need a degree to handle a gun competently?
Thank god for our right-minded conservatives in this state, our only stain is our governor and McStain himself.
We're not talking about your experience... why are you looking for a problem to have? How can total ignorance of the subject be preferable?
I believe that this is a bad idea. I will continue to teach gun safety to my children and not leave it to the schools to do something that is my responsibility. If you choose to not view this as your responsibility and turn over good home training to your wonderful Arizona school systems that reflect your values, then I wish you luck with that.
http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=03084899
Awesome....Arizona sound like my kind of state...except for J.M.
And you can continue to frame your opposition as some form of dedicated parenting, but you'd still be wrong.
The choice is not between good instruction and bad instruction, but between some instruction and no instruction.
Kinda puts temporary governor of Washington State Christine Gregoire's mandetory classes for local indian tribes study in perspective......
If you like that, you'd love Florida.
We don't teach gun safety cause around here that'd be like teaching shoe tyin'
;o)
What children are getting "no instruction" in gun safety?
Teaching children to be responsible with guns is not "dedicated parenting" it's just parenting.
How about virtually every child being raised by a single mother?
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