I'm currrently keeping my front end loader busy -- building backstop berms on my own (200 meter) private range -- and have my granddchildren well into airgun training. Soon the eldest (8 yrs) will progress to single-shot .22.
Most of us on this thread need not be concerned about what the government schools will teach our kids (or grandkids) -- because we are doing our own jobs properly.
However, incidents like this Fox News story:
Fifth Grader Takes Gun From Pre-Schooler
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
AUSTIN, Texas — A pre-kindergarten student brought a handgun to school, where it was seized by a fifth-grader and turned over to the principal, school district officials said Tuesday.
scares the ...[whatever]... out of me! (At least I know that my 5th-graders would have known to maintain trigger-finger discipline and keep the muzzle in a safe direction while taking it to authorities -- even if they didn't know how to safe and unload that particular weapon...)
So, I am convinced that it is in our best interest that other kids -- not so fortunate as ours -- get firearms familiarization and safety training including and beyond the "Eddie Eagle" mantra when they are old enough to handle firearms responsibly.
I, for one, would insist that any training done in our schools be done by NRA-certified instructors. (That should also ensure that firearms are presented from a strong RKBA viewpoint.)
I understand the desire to give kids familiarization with gun safety through the Eddie Eagle program - it's the only one of its kind that I know of. I understand being worried about what other parents are or are not teaching their children about guns. But as I keep saying, I don't trust the schools to provide education about guns.
Education today is marked by two overriding factors: a liberal to communist slant and lowered expectations. I'm sure that in the first two or five years, this program would be a "good" program. But give it time and I think it would become a problem the same way that sex ed and character ed have. I believe they would teach things about guns that are contrary to what I believe and what the Constitution says. And worse, I believe that when it becomes common place there would be a lowering of standards, as there has been in all things of government education, that would lead to serious safety concerns.
Someone accused me of have an expectation of failure. When it comes to government schools, I do have an expectation of failure. That's why every day I combat the schools when my kids get home by teaching or reteaching them myself. When they reach the sixth grade, there is a very good military school where they will attend. Until then, I'm fighting an uphill battle against the school that is trying to turn my sons into little communist girls.
Schools need to stop adding programs and start doing away with them. They need to get back to teaching the basics, math, science, English, Spanish (because our kids are going to have to compete), history and civics. Throw in some PE and some music/art and you've got a full day.
I think Eddie Eagle is fine and it's unfortunate the program isn't in all schools, but it's fine because it's the NRA and not the school system.
Those on this board who think this is a good thing may be right, but they have a faith and confidence in government schools that I will never have.
I, for one, would insist that any training done in our schools be done by NRA-certified instructors. (That should also ensure that firearms are presented from a strong RKBA viewpoint.)
Do you honestly believe that if a class with a strong RKBA viewpoint were in the public schools it wouldn't fall prey to a lawsuit by some leftist group? Don't you think the Brady Campaign or some other similar group would be all over this thing? We know how the leftist groups work, we know how the leftist schools operate, why would we expect them to act differently to a class giving firearms instruction in government schools?