Why not keep them safe?

Lodge2004 · Post by **Lodge2004** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 7:50 am

Good letter to the editor in today's online Houston Chronicle. Will the responsible forum member raise their hand?

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/edi ... 68489.html

In the contest between knowledge versus ignorance, I feel that ignorance is winning. Too many innocent children are drowning in private swimming pools and natural waterways.

The media should get the word out to the public that the vast majority of these tragedies can easily be avoided. Drownings â€” just like accidental shootings â€” occur because the basics of water (gun) safety are not well disseminated through society.

A child can drown accidentally or because they do not know how to swim.

Accidental shooting victims die because they do not know the proper handling, care and use of a firearm.

Why not set up public swimming classes for infants? Most healthy infants can learn to swim before they learn to walk.

Why not make firearms safety a mandatory course in all secondary public schools? Why perpetuate ignorance?

If the media and our elected officials are not part of the solution, they are part of the problem.

Every day, innocent children are paying the price for this abyss of collaborative incompetence.

JACK HOFBERGER
Houston

stevie_d_64 · Post by **stevie_d_64** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 8:09 am

There are "free to the public" (but not really free to the taxpayers) courses all over the place addressing pool safety...I believe the YMCA's have a multitude of courses for all sorts of home safety issues...

As far as gun safety courses...That may be a subject that is a bit to PC for any organization other than the NRA and other "pro" organizations to address...

As great an idea that actually is, there is no requirement to do so outside that Hunter Safety stuff before you can get your hunting licenses...At least thats what I understand...I'm not much of a hunter, so I stand to be corrected...

The only reason this issue (drownings) are making the news is because so many have happened in a very short period of time...And the (local) media have keyed up on it...

We've only had one local ND at a gunshow here recently, and as I have said in that discussion, that could very well have happened to any of us...

And that is a case I believe we should follow very closely, because what happens to that guy, is something we should all be very mindful of, once it has been fully investigated, charges are filed, and how the court rules on that incident...

Nothing is ever totally fool proof, and I believe we do a very good job of minimizing the risks we face everyday as well as we can...

Venus Pax · Post by **Venus Pax** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 10:04 am

I would also like to see gun safety taught in schools.

The powers that be will argue, however, that the school is a gun free zone. Since it is a gun free zone, no guns will be found on campus. (Really.) They will argue that parents keeping guns in the home should teach their children gun safety. (Some will even argue that parents that keep guns in the home should consider removing them.)

I would love to see a Gun Safety or Basic Gun Skills course at school. I'd sign up to teach it.

Wildscar · Post by **Wildscar** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 10:36 am

Venus Pax wrote:Since it is a gun free zone, no guns will be found on campus. (Really.)

I wonder if anyone relizes that most high schools that have a R.O.T.C. program has a safe full of 22 caliber and .177 pellet rifles for use by the rilfe teams.

stevie_d_64 · Post by **stevie_d_64** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:01 am

Venus Pax wrote:I would also like to see gun safety taught in schools.

The powers that be will argue, however, that the school is a gun free zone. Since it is a gun free zone, no guns will be found on campus. (Really.) They will argue that parents keeping guns in the home should teach their children gun safety. (Some will even argue that parents that keep guns in the home should consider removing them.)

I would love to see a Gun Safety or Basic Gun Skills course at school. I'd sign up to teach it.

This has been tried before...

Remember the DEA Agent??? Told all the kids he was the only one qualified to handle and teach (a.k.a. scare the crap out of the kids about guns) them about these issues of guns and drugs...

Then he proceeded to shoot himself in the leg???

Not that I believe anyone here would do that...

Even though it is widely known that public schools today are a breeding ground for political correct subject teaching and seminars on the proper use of condoms, and other assorted social issues...

I believe the subject of gun safety is a line some schools are ironically opposed to conducting...There may be a few instances where that may not be true, but for the most part...I'd trust an NRA course and instructor I know, over anything our public school system can regurgitate...

But thats just my opinion...

Will938 · Post by **Will938** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 2:17 pm

Wildscar wrote:
Venus Pax wrote:Since it is a gun free zone, no guns will be found on campus. (Really.)
I wonder if anyone relizes that most high schools that have a R.O.T.C. program has a safe full of 22 caliber and .177 pellet rifles for use by the rilfe teams.

So my first day of class last semester I was exploring the building I had class in. In this building where I wasn't allowed to carry a pistol in I walked down the stairs, down a short corridor, and ended up face to face with a couple thousand M-16s. Not its cousin the AR-15, but the automatic M-16. The only thing between me and them was a chainlink fence held in place with a regular lock. 10 seconds and a bolt cutter would of done the trick.

Venus Pax · Post by **Venus Pax** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 4:24 pm

And don't you just feel safe?

DSARGE · Post by **DSARGE** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 5:27 pm

The hunter's safety course was taught at my school when I was in junior high. EVERYBODY took it just to shoot the .22's and brag about your score. Haven't times changed?

Thane · Post by **Thane** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 1:36 am

There were no operational firearms in my high school's JROTC lockers. There WERE, however, some VERY operational .177 caliber lead pellet rifles, used for competition. Those things were highly accurate (Walther and Anshultz, IIRC) and rather potent. There were also some rather good shots...

I shot "expert" with one of those things, according to the scoring standards. And I was one of the WORST shots there...

There were a couple teenagers there who could shoot a fly in the head at 30 meters, and call which eye it'd go in.

There were no "gun scares" during my and my peers' incarceration at "high school," needless to say. A couple idiots always called in bomb scares towards the end of the school year, but that's about it.