pShould all school children be required to take a gun safety course?

Results

58 %

Yes, great idea

33 %

No, horrible idea

9 %

I'm not sure

@Feb '13 V 380 votes c 199 comments

Detailed Results Next Debate Vote Now

Activity Stmts Popular

380 Votes

u

4 hr
smbiz voted

v No, horrible idea
4 hr
Greggmcneill endorsed bouch

v No, horrible idea
11 hr
mcadwell endorsed Litdes

v No, horrible idea
15 hr
Jen13411 endorsed Armed_Veteran

v Yes, great idea
u

Sun
Synthesis endorsed Woody20164

v No, horrible idea
u

Sun
ematzke voted

v Yes, great idea
Sat

Carach

v No, horrible idea

The government has no place mandating any subject being taught in schools. That is not the purpose of government. Get government out of schools and let individual schools decide what they will teach, and let parents decide what school they want to send their children to.

Post
Jun 15
Nonya voted

v I'm not sure
u

Jun 15
WATCHDOG endorsed Armed_Veteran

v Yes, great idea
Jun 14
east2west voted

v Yes, great idea
Jun 14
Bluephoenix endorsed VVP

v Yes, great idea
u

Jun 14
skspls voted

v Yes, great idea
u

Jun 14

songbird

v Yes, great idea

When I was in elementary school all the students in my class took gun safety. It was great. And there has never been a death of any of my classmates from mishandling a weapon.

Post
u

Jun 14
hancel voted

v Yes, great idea
Jun 13

Tejano1969

v Yes, great idea

Seems the schools these days would rather teach them about being good subjects these days.

Post
Jun 13
EdVet voted

v No, horrible idea
u

Jun 12

ErnestPayne

v I'm not sure

Teach'em how to use a gun. That way when they are sent abroad to murder little children they will be semi trained.

Post
u

Jun 12

beemerphill

v Yes, great idea

There are just as many firearms in the US as there are people. There is no need to teach proficiency or marksmanship. A simple course showing the correct terminology, and the SAFE handling of a firearm that they may encounter would be ideal. The younger children can be taught to inform adults if they see a firearm, and the older children can be taught to remove it from access to the younger ones, then inform an adult. Like I said, keep it simple and basic. If their families are into firearms, they can learn more advanced skills from their parents.

Post
Jun 11
littlewolf8469 voted

v Yes, great idea
Jun 10

JesusLivesInMe

v Yes, great idea

Don't say "having these courses would encourage kids to use guns and then bad things would happen, bla bla bla". Nothing wouldn't happen that wouldn't already happen with or without these courses. It would be a good idea to have these courses. It would be a great way to educate law abiding citizens and bettering their chances of being able to protect themselves should the time ever come. As for those who choose to do not so good things with them that would happen either way. They would learn how to use guns whether we had these courses or not so why punish the law abiding citizens? Again, we can't get into the whole "blaming guns for crimes". That is a crock of dung!

Post
u

Jun 8
USN-22 voted

v No, horrible idea
u

Jun 6
nagydonnac voted

v Yes, great idea
u

Jun 5
Atcman voted

v I'm not sure
Jun 4
Kacela endorsed Armed_Veteran

v Yes, great idea
o

Jun 4
StackOLee endorsed Slowmo

v Yes, great idea
u

Jun 3
Knoll37 voted

v No, horrible idea
Jun 2
Ktulue voted

v No, horrible idea
u

Jun 1
sml11 endorsed Armed_Veteran

v Yes, great idea
Jun 1
Dsroka voted

v Yes, great idea
Jun 1
rtoberl voted

v Yes, great idea
u

May 30
Texasbuzz voted

v No, horrible idea
May 29
Rpete endorsed Slowmo

v Yes, great idea
May 29
btmatto voted

v Yes, great idea
u

May 29
BeamMeUpScotty voted

v I'm not sure
u

May 28
cpier14 voted

v Yes, great idea
May 24

LEC

v I'm not sure

They have done experiments with young kids about 4 years old whose parents had instructed them in gun safety and when put in a room with an unloaded gun.. most could not stay away, shocking their parents. Now I bet if we did the same thing with teenagers... the same thing would happen... so I am not sure that gun safety is a good idea in school or useful although I really wish gun ownership came with lots of hours of safety instruction and practice... the only less safe than having a gun in your house, is having one with no idea what to do with it and thinking just because you told your kids not to touch that they won't....

Post
May 23
warwil630 voted

v I'm not sure
May 22
Qavvavak voted

v No, horrible idea
u

May 22
The_Bald_Guy endorsed VVP

v Yes, great idea
May 21
9MileTrucking voted

v Yes, great idea
May 21
bleakoutlook voted

v No, horrible idea
u

May 20
DesignerLM voted

v No, horrible idea
May 20
Yobyag endorsed Woody20164

v No, horrible idea
May 20
Bill2E endorsed cathyc123

v Yes, great idea
u

May 20
buckilaked voted

v Yes, great idea
May 18
Garbl endorsed Woody20164

v No, horrible idea
u

May 18
DrSilicon voted

v Yes, great idea
May '13
MeandMyselftoo voted

v Yes, great idea
u

May '13
Maestro333 endorsed VVP

v Yes, great idea
u

May '13
Obsidion endorsed VVP

v Yes, great idea

Sat

Carach

v No, horrible idea

The government has no place mandating any subject being taught in schools. That is not the purpose of government. Get government out of schools and let individual schools decide what they will teach, and let parents decide what school they want to send their children to.

Post
u

Jun 14

songbird

v Yes, great idea

When I was in elementary school all the students in my class took gun safety. It was great. And there has never been a death of any of my classmates from mishandling a weapon.

Post
Jun 13

Tejano1969

v Yes, great idea

Seems the schools these days would rather teach them about being good subjects these days.

Post
u

Jun 12

ErnestPayne

v I'm not sure

Teach'em how to use a gun. That way when they are sent abroad to murder little children they will be semi trained.

Post
u

Jun 12

beemerphill

v Yes, great idea

There are just as many firearms in the US as there are people. There is no need to teach proficiency or marksmanship. A simple course showing the correct terminology, and the SAFE handling of a firearm that they may encounter would be ideal. The younger children can be taught to inform adults if they see a firearm, and the older children can be taught to remove it from access to the younger ones, then inform an adult. Like I said, keep it simple and basic. If their families are into firearms, they can learn more advanced skills from their parents.

Post
Jun 10

JesusLivesInMe

v Yes, great idea

Don't say "having these courses would encourage kids to use guns and then bad things would happen, bla bla bla". Nothing wouldn't happen that wouldn't already happen with or without these courses. It would be a good idea to have these courses. It would be a great way to educate law abiding citizens and bettering their chances of being able to protect themselves should the time ever come. As for those who choose to do not so good things with them that would happen either way. They would learn how to use guns whether we had these courses or not so why punish the law abiding citizens? Again, we can't get into the whole "blaming guns for crimes". That is a crock of dung!

Post
May 24

LEC

v I'm not sure

They have done experiments with young kids about 4 years old whose parents had instructed them in gun safety and when put in a room with an unloaded gun.. most could not stay away, shocking their parents. Now I bet if we did the same thing with teenagers... the same thing would happen... so I am not sure that gun safety is a good idea in school or useful although I really wish gun ownership came with lots of hours of safety instruction and practice... the only less safe than having a gun in your house, is having one with no idea what to do with it and thinking just because you told your kids not to touch that they won't....

Post
u

May '13

Gatnos

v Yes, great idea

The NRA has an excellent gun safety program for children. It is called the "Eddie Eagle" program and it is funded for the most part via the NRA Foundation, which is a non-profit branch of the NRA. This program teaches children respect for firearms and what to do, if they should find one. This is basically a 3 step process 1. Stop, don't touch. 2. Leave the area. 3. Tell an adult. The NRA also provides firearm training through organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America, Future Farmers of America and Woodsmen of the World to name a few. The NRA also trains most police officers and our armed forces.

Post
May '13

Glich

v I'm not sure

It should be voluntary. Years ago - many - many schools had shooting clubs - how many times did these participants commit crimes at school ? None documented that I am aware of.

Post
u

May '13

fraps

v Yes, great idea

Only if the children are not part of a family of democrats. We need a gun control law that prohibits all democrats from having a gun. All other regular citizens should have the gun of their choice. Their children should be taught about guns at home even before they go to school. By third grade they should be trained in the care and use of guns. By fifth grade they should be regularly trained with target practice. Remember the important part. No Democrats. They know that guns are evil and we should respect that.

Post
May '13

ZombieMedic

v I'm not sure

Depends on who is teaching it. If the NRA is teaching it, then fine, it's a good idea, as they are responsible, qualified, and use common sense in regards to firearms.

Post
o

May '13

NoAmnestyEVER

v Yes, great idea

All children should be require to own a target with Barack Obama's face to practice on.

Post
o

May '13

GvtMule

v Yes, great idea

Even if you don't like guns you AND your children should at least know how to safely handle a firearm. You complain about gun accidents. This is the most effective way to prevent them.

B1

Post
u

May '13

JohnInLa

v Yes, great idea

Kids in schools should be fully informed about gun safety and what to do if they stumble across one. They also need to know that the misuse of a firearm can land your happy go lucky behind in the slammer...That being said, perhaps some adults should take the course.

Post
u

Apr '13

callmecrazy

v No, horrible idea

I think every person should know how to handle a firearm, especially how to unload and check safety, but making it mandatory I don't support.

Post
u

Apr '13

JackinVienna

v No, horrible idea

Mandatory gun safety in school is a horrible idea for the same reason that handing out contraception without parental consent is. On the other hand, gun safety training in school should be allowed with parental consent. When I was in school, we had hunters safety training. We used to bring our guns into school to show our teacher. Just goes to show you how times have changed.

Post
o

Apr '13

TheHandsomeOne

v Yes, great idea

Not all 12 year olds should allowed to come near a gun just as many adults are rightfully prohibited gun ownership. Some have had proper upbringing and home training to respect and know the value of human life while understanding a gun is not a toy used in some comic book or video game type fantasy world.

B1

r1 reply

Post
u

May '13

fraps

Which adults are rightfully prohibited gun ownership besides violent felons and severely mentally ill people. That is an extremely small percentage of the population.

@fraps Post
u

Apr '13

910disaster

v Yes, great idea

Just like sex ed...its needed

Post
u

Apr '13

Gumbeaux

v I'm not sure

What's good for rural school children isn't necessarly right for, say, kids in urban and/or inner-city areas. It starts at home with responsible parents.

Post
u

Apr '13

stingray2054

v Yes, great idea

As parents we teach our children about hazards in their environment all the time. Instructing them on gun safety is an extension of that.

Post
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Feb '13

VVP

v Yes, great idea

Last I checked, knowledge is power. Teaching children how to properly hold, use and most importantly having respect for firearms is a good idea. A large part of the problems we face with guns right now is due to there being an abundance of ignorance and fear going around about them. Remember kids.. Knowing is half the battle!

B1

r4 replies

e54 endorsed

Post
Feb '13

Armed_Veteran

v Yes, great idea

Most accidents involving children and firearms comes from the child NOT knowing what they are doing when they pick up a firearm. They are made especially curious when they are told by a parent "Don't touch that!" or "Don't go near it!". What's the first thing a kid wants to do when told that by a parent??? All those parents are doing is raising the curiosity of the child without teaching them anything. Teaching children about firearms EARLY removes any mystique that firearms will hold with the children, and they will know what to do if they ever come across one, or if a friend of theirs approaches them and says "Hey, you want to see my dad's gun." Education is the key ...

B2

r1 reply

e20 endorsed

Post
Feb '13

JoeJared

v No, horrible idea

This is the job of responsible parents, not government.

r4 replies

e21 endorsed

Post
Feb '13

Thegrif

v No, horrible idea

No. Some parents are against guns period. They may not want their child to ever touch a gun. I for one can respect that idea and their right to not expose their child to firearms. Plus, wouldn't it be awful if a child who thought he knew everything about guns, because he learned about them in a gun safety course, shot himself, or got some idea to harm others and now feels he has the means to do so. With all that said, I taught mine. I took them to the firing range, with a real range master, taught them gun safety, and how to fire the weapon. I have taken them through that 3 times, because I feel you can't learn all the details by only going through it once. I have sh...

r1 reply

e8 endorsed

Post
Feb '13

Woody20164

v No, horrible idea

Here's a concept, what say we dedicate the few hours per day in school on actually teaching important things? The U.S. ranks 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math. That's far below South Korea and Singapore, for crying out loud. They still eat dogs. If we want to prepare our kids for a better future, stick to readin', writin', and 'rithmatic. Leave the gun training to the parents and the NRA, which already has top notch education resources.

B1

r3 replies

e6 endorsed

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u

Feb '13

BelinKS

v I'm not sure

I already taught my child about guns. Do not touch one! If a friend pulls one out at their house, get out of the room and tell them to put is up. Tell the parent. If the child does not put it up, get our of that house. Call me. If your scared to tell the parent, hand the phone to me, I will!

B3

r11 replies

e4 endorsed

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u

Feb '13

Slowmo

v Yes, great idea

If you're not teaching them about them, then you're teaching them to be afraid of them. Fear should not be taught.

r3 replies

e4 endorsed

Post
u

Feb '13

cathyc123

v Yes, great idea

I love the idea of a gun safety course for kids but I don't think it should be required. Some ppl don't believe in guns at all and don't want their children taking part in any such thing, they are entitled to that. When I was about 10, my dad gave me his version of a gun course and it kept me from being curious and picking up a gun and playing with it. But yes, I think it should be an offered class from kindergarten all the way through college.

B1

r1 reply

e3 endorsed

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Feb '13

DrFunkenstein

v No, horrible idea

Nanny state maniacs trying to get children more interested in guns. What purpose would this serve? If you own a gun and have children then it is YOUR responsibility to make your child understand to NEVER touch the weapon. These regulation hungry maniacs must be stopped.

B1

e3 endorsed

Post
Feb '13

ASmith

v No, horrible idea

The mentally retarded rightwingnuts and religious morons want children to learn how to use guns, but to be told "just say no" as sex education. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Intelligent people want the reverse - just say no to guns, and proper sex ed so kids don't hurt or kill themselves or others with sex.

B2

r3 replies

e1 endorsed

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