Idaho Lawmaker Introduces Bill Proposing Gun Safety Courses In Public Schools

[Varitok]

I thought this was an Onion article at first.

[IIamaKing]

Love the idea, approve 100%.

[Sunseeker]

Funny thing is when I was still in elementary school, high school kids would commonly have a rifle in the gun rack of their pickup at school. Some would even bring them in to wood shop class to refinish the stock. But that was back in the 80s, lol.

Sadly, we are not in the 80's anymore.

[IIamaKing]

Most of these shootings are done by adults and toddlers of irresponsible parents. I doubt this would make any difference unless Idaho has a problem with teenage shootings.

Teens grow up into......adults who become parents. Train em young and when they do have kids they may have the proper respect for a gun.

[Traveler Voltin]

I have no problem with this, provided that the school provides the weapons and there's no "bring your own gun" day.

But a single teacher is not enough to supervise 30 kids with guns. You'd need at most a 1/10 ratio and unless this lawmaker is also proposing massive budgetary increases for schools, that ain't gonna happen.

It will probably be a prop gun for awhile.

[IIamaKing]

Funny thing is when I was still in elementary school, high school kids would commonly have a rifle in the gun rack of their pickup at school. Some would even bring them in to wood shop class to refinish the stock. But that was back in the 80s, lol.

Whenever Columbine happened was the last year kids in my school had hunting guns in their trucks. I remember the announcements on the PA "Students will no longer be allowed to store hunting guns in their cars on school property"

[Kaleredar]

Really think there would be more gun safety and active shooter training courses already since people are so massively concerned for the week or two after any school shooting.

That's treating symptoms, not causes.


Having gun safety courses taught by the department of fish and game and law enforcement? Sure. But throwing in "and firearms associations?"

That's like having Smirnoff sponsor alcohol awareness classes.

[Sunseeker]

It will probably be a prop gun for awhile.

Sure, it's not hard to remove one part from a gun either to make it not fire...or hell even having working guns but don't have any bullets. Teach them basic cleaning and repair, but you can only do that so many times in a class.

[callipygoustp]

I spent my high school years in in the "sticks" south east of Buffalo; small town called Holland. I started hunting when I was 12 or 13(maybe younger), which wasn't really legal, but, whatever. To the subject at hand, I don't think its a bad thing teaching gun safety at school. In high school, when hunting season started, deer season specifically, school was closed for a few days because so many of the guys would disappear. For all of deer season you could see in most, if not all, of the trucks in the high school parking lot, students and teachers, gun racks with shotguns, bows, in some rare cases a .306 or a .22. I never thought much of it. Having a gun on me through almost all of the winter was as common as going to school, driving my car, etc. I never did, or felt the need to, take a course in gun safety. All of the men in my family are hunters so growing up I was regularly exposed to hunting and guns; knowledge came naturally.

I suspect, based on what little I know of Idaho(they are an open carry state I believe), gun ownership and hunting is probably pretty common up there and as such knowledge of and safe use of guns develops naturally for them as it did for me. Having a supplemental option, courses is school, on gun safety wouldn't hurt though in my opinion. I know I would have signed up for it.

[Nurasu]

Economics is a much broader and more complicated subject than gun safety, 90% of which could be taught by a pamphlet, and therefore benefits much more from formal instruction. Also, make no mistake, it's something that's critical for people to understand, as the economy is one of the biggest issues in government and we need people voting based on actual comprehension of the topic and not whimsical subscription to catchy slogans. It's also likely much easier to find a gun safety course than a thorough treatment of macroeconomics, as organizations like the NRA already offer them and the government works with other organizations to provide hunter safety courses, which are heavy on firearm safety. Despite having never taken a formal class, I've managed to learn how not to kill myself or others with a firearm just fine simply because there are a plethora of opportunities to learn about it from participating in normal childhood activities, such as Cub Scouts, and my parents, you know, not being deadbeats who expect the government to do their job for them because they can't be bothered.

I do actually agree with you completely on the relative ease of finding outside courses for gun safety; mine was a poor comparison, obviously. But regardless, in states with low graduation rates like this one, I think offering courses that may actually interest some students who might be on the verge of dropping out for a trade school or something could help change that. They would get far more education in the long run if their electives are interesting enough to them to keep them going through their primary courses. I'm not saying that will happen, because I simply don't know; but what if?

[kasuke06]

That's treating symptoms, not causes.


Having gun safety courses taught by the department of fish and game and law enforcement? Sure. But throwing in "and firearms associations?"

That's like having Smirnoff sponsor alcohol awareness classes.

My post was entirely sarcasm. Pointing out that people on the left don't want responsible gun ownership, they just want a boogeyman to keep their base in line. But yeah, the courses would preferably be handled by official agencies over associations and manufacturers.

[Gestopft]

Red States: "We'll teach you how to use a gun but not a condom."

I feel like people educated properly on guns (rather than the recent generation of millenials that scream about liberals coming to grab their guns) would in the long run be less resistant to some common sense gun control.

After all, education has a liberal bias.

I have to agree with this. As long as we have guns, we need education about how to use them.

That said- can you really stretch gun safety across an entire quarter/semester?

[Jastall]

Why not? If you want a society where lots of people are armed, best ensure they know and respect their weapons.

[De Lupe]

They can't even get their shit together and have proper sex-education, and yet they want to teach people about proper gun-handling? I think there are way more pressing issues, such as the mentioned sex-ed and drugs/alcohol etc.

Don't get me wrong, i support the idea, I just think there are more pressing issues.

Then perhaps, this could act as the metaphorical foot in the door for those other issues.

[Nurasu]

That said- can you really stretch gun safety across an entire quarter/semester?

Idaho doesn't require a permit for concealed carry, but other states have extensive courses for it. I would assume hunting education and things like that could also be included. There's plenty of content to pull from I think.

[God-King Skovald]

USA has basically reaped what it has sown, no one has done this to America, America has done this to America.

That's what I feel like when I watch videos of Europeans getting run over by box trucks.

[Turaska]

That's what I feel like when I watch videos of Europeans getting run over by box trucks.

At least we're actually helping refugees, unlike you, who constantly keeps screwing the world /destabilising it because 'murica hurr durr. Let's not forget it was America who destabilised the middle east shall we? basically your fault what's happening in Europe right now.

Ahh America, with it's ego of "Being the best in the world" we had that mentality once, we (the UK) owned most of the world at one point, look what happened to us, do you think it's going to end any differently for you? how naive are you.

[God-King Skovald]

At least we're actually helping refugees, unlike you

Yes, by shoving them somewhere out of sight and reminding them that they'll never be real Europeans! It's more important to appear compassionate than actually be compassionate.

Basically your fault what's happening in Europe right now.

See, that's the best part about the whole thing! But we wouldn't want to take all the credit. Don't forget the pants-on-head-retarded immigration policies and the unwillingness of socially inept Europeans to earnestly accept brown people into their culture.

[Stormspark]

I think basic gun safety should be required for everyone. I'm not talking about teaching people to shoot or be snipers. I am talking about teaching people to be able to handle the things properly without killing someone behind them or shooting their foot off.

[Etoo]

As long as it isn't a required class, then fine.