Courtesy Oleg Volk
In the NRA Basic Pistol course, you learn that the two leading causes of firearms accidents are ignorance and carelessness. It should be obvious that firearms safety training can help overcome both of those deficiencies.
With that in mind, some states, like Arizona, have made available to students a gun safety program as an optional class. While that is a great idea, it should be taken to the next level and be made mandatory.
A study lead by Jason Cash, B.S. of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah was conducted in 1999 to look at 6 year crime statistics for the state of Utah following the 1995 passage of legislation making it easier for its citizens to obtain permits to carry concealed firearms. One of the results showed that "unintentional firearm injury rates decreased despite a 17-fold increase in permit holders..." This can be directly attributed to the safety training required by law before obtaining a ccw permit.
Much has been made of the fact that in the not too distant past, guns were much more readily available than they are today. Most hardware stores sold them, nearly every home had at least one, and they were even available via mail order. Yet, gun crimes and accident rates were very low. One primary reason for that was that kids were taught proper respect for firearms, as well as gun safety rules, from a very young age.
In Ohio, we require twelve hours of training before you can get a concealed handgun license. Reasons for this requirement include ensuring knowledge of gun laws as well as providing for, as codified,
- The ability to name, explain, and demonstrate the rules for safe handling of a handgun and proper storage practices for handguns and ammunition
- The ability to demonstrate and explain how to handle ammunition in a safe manner
- The ability to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary to shoot a handgun in a safe manner
- Gun handling training
All of those requirements have safety in mind, which goes along with the idea that ignorance of gun safety matters are one of the leading causes of accidents.
Therefore, since studies like the Utah one show that safety training decreases accidents, it should be a mandatory part of school curriculum. The Arizona statute outlines an excellent curriculum.
- Instruction on the rules of gun safety
- Instruction on the basic operation of firearms
- Instruction on the history of firearms and marksmanship
- Instruction on the role of firearms in preserving peace and freedom
- Instruction on the constitutional roots of the right to keep and bear arms
- Instruction on the use of clay targets
- Practice time at a shooting range
- Demonstration of competence with a firearm
The only caveat is that this safety training must not be presented in a poor light and subject to anti-gun paranoia and propaganda. It should stick to the facts and be taught by qualified instructors.
The opposition, like the National Academy of Sciences, often make claims like, "for children, firearm violence education programs may result in increases in the very behaviors they are designed to prevent, by enhancing the allure of guns for young children and by establishing a false norm of gun-carrying for adolescents."
Actually, there is nothing abnormal about choosing to carry a firearm for personal defense. Statistics show that more than half the homes in this country have firearms in them, and demystifying guns leads to familiarity that reduces the allure. Guns become "no big deal" instead of a taboo items to be experimented with in secret, and kids who find guns have the proper respect for them reducing the risk of "horsing around" with them.
Of course, the above quote came from the same study that gave us these factoids: "Research has found, for example, that higher rates of household firearms ownership are associated with higher rates of gun suicide" (in other words, people without guns choose other methods of committing suicide), and "that illegal diversions from legitimate commerce are important sources of crime guns and guns used in suicide" (criminals & some suicide victims usually obtain their guns illegally). At least they admit "that firearms are used defensively many times per day."
The NRA's Eddie Eagle program accomplishes this task with young children by teaching them to "STOP! - Don't Touch! - Leave the Area! - Tell an Adult!". Firearms education should begin at a young age and continue through early teens. If it saves the life of just one child, whether by preventing an accident or igniting a lifelong interest in firearms that one day leads to successful self-defense against a criminal attack, it is worth it.
For Kids Only: The best little gun safety page for kids on the 'Net
Children and Firearms - A safety guide from American Derringer
Children and Gun Safety
FBI Safety Tips: Gun Safety
Check out other Gun Rights Examiners:
- Charlotte Gun Rights Examiner: 'Gun trafficking' bill for NC? Part 3: Traced guns are not 'crime guns'
- Los Angeles Gun Rights Examiner: Take me shooting, Part II: Personal Dignity in self-rule
- National Gun Rights Examiner: Arrested development in Georgia gun case
- St. Louis Gun Rights Examiner: Welcoming the Obama administration, waiting for the 'government monopoly on force,' Part I
Honorable Mention: Lawmakers seek new gun legislation: Ammo control laws
Comments
One big problem here. "Mandatory" anything has nothing to do with freedom. What other "mandatory" items can you think of that are far less than effective at their stated goals?
Children learn best from their parents and other adults they trust. Putting this sort of thing into government schools, even if possible, would have many unfortunate and unintended consequences.
Voluntary programs, staffed by volunteers or parent paid instructors are far better at teaching children when their parents do not have the necessary skills.
No to "mandatory" anything.
I have to agree with MamaLiberty. If parents have guns and kids are likely to find guns around the house, then the parents should train the kids to have proper respect.
Mandatory training means that the hooligans will suddenly have a much better understanding of firearms. Would you want them knowing actual shooting stances and how to aim? No, thanks. I prefer my crooks shooting holding their guns sideways. Oh, and buying crappy FMJ ammo if they're dumb enough.
Also, I would rather not have them graduating to the level of understanding how to get night sights, shoot rifles, etc. Criminals and sociopaths have a very distorted sense of what "freedom" means.
If lawful citizens want to keep their kids from getting killed, either teach your kids or lock it up.
Don't forget that Charles Whitman was able to kill a lot of people because he was a Marine (albeit with brain dysfunction).
Oh yeah, Massad Ayoob once documented a case of where a crook was unable to fire a weapon at an innocent woman because he had stolen a gun and didn't know how to remove the safety. She shot him with her 44 mag.
Sure, none of this info is secret, but if you make the dumb sociopaths have to work for this information, they probably won't bother to learn how to clean their guns.
Smart crooks are a different story of course.
Parents -should- train kids about guns. The problem is that many don't, usually because they don't have the knowledge themselves.
"Mandatory" minimum educational requirements are found throughout our educational system, and aren't necessarily a sign of loss of freedom or choice.
I also am not convinced on the "teaching crooks to be better crooks" theory. These are the same kids that skip school and can't pick up simple arithmetic, yet you're willing to scrap a safety program because you worry it would turn them into snipers?
While there are some merits to the opposing arguments, I think the potential benefits far outweigh the potential negatives.
well, parents are SUPPOSED to do a lot of things, but with the state taking over more and more they don't. I'd rather see a class like this, even if it was a "what used to be common sense" class, complete with all kinds of other things thrown in...living on a budget, gardening, not poking animals with a stick, whatever.
The left constantly shouts and shuts down abstinence only programs to prevent pregnancy, but that is the ONLY thing permissible with guns. They argue "kids are going to do it" about sex, but not guns.
This class should be required and it should be an easy A (they still grade kids?) for anyone with responsible parents...anyone's kids getting a bad grade needs to have a look at what they're doing as parents and adjust.
"for children, firearm violence education programs may result in increases in the very behaviors they are designed to prevent"
And yet they claim the opposite for sex education. Knowledge in anything and everything is always good. It's up to the individual to make the call how to use that knowledge.
That said, the best thing you can do is get your kids out of government school and give them a real education.
We don't have to have a class on extensive firearm operation and maintenance. However, the basics of firearm safety could be taught in every school. Treating every gun as if it were loaded and never point at anything that you don't want to destroy would not teach gangbangers how to remove the safety on any firearm. I believe that Basic Firearm Safety should be a mandatory course taught in all schools.
Obama has a web site where he is asking for citizen input about what needs to be done. People can the vote for or against these suggestions.
I have posted a suggestion about teaching children about their first amendment rights and the proper and safe usage of firearms. This item could use more votes.
I tried to post a link to the site entry but links and URLs can not be posted here.
Today most kids and gun(people)control types get their firearms education from TV and movies. They are shown bogus fiction and accept it as fact. Teaching basic firearms safety with the option of advanced instruction as they get older could only be a positive change. In the worst case the gangbangers might be able to hit what they were shooting at and reduce collateral damage.
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