BoatBanter.com - Gun Show!

On Wednesday, June 12, 2013 6:44:26 PM UTC-4, Eisboch wrote:
"F.O.A.D." wrote in message

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On 6/12/13 6:20 PM, Eisboch wrote:

"F.O.A.D." wrote in message

...

On 6/12/13 4:57 PM, jps wrote:

I don't mind those who own guns responsibly and I suspect the gun

nuts

in rec.boats are responsible. What irks the **** out of me is when

responsible owners start talking about gun rights. As if they were

more important than any other right, including safety of the

general

population from an over abundance of guns that make it out into the

streets and promote violence and easy answers to hard problems.

These jerks would give up all their rights to privacy, search and

seizure, free speech and whatever else as long as they can keep

there

little dick extensions.

Meanwhile, the country's kids are at risk from idiots who can't

manage

to keep their guns locked up.

There's no question that discussions about guns brings some really

crazy

people out of the woodwork. To be involved on an issue where the

others

on your side include the likes of Wayne LaPierre, the new crazyman

who

is the head of the NRA and, of course, Ted Nugent, would make many

rational people get themselves "uninvolved."

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I recently heard about a proposal in some California location to add

a

"gun safety" course to the curriculum in a charter school system.

My

knee jerk reaction was that it was a stupid idea but then I thought

about it some more. It seems that school systems in general have

had

to take on the responsibility of educating youth in all types of

subjects that are not related directly to academics and that in past

generations were handled by parents. Since firearms and their use

are

so prevalent in our society, why shouldn't educating youth on their

dangers and safe handling not be included?

I took driver's education in Connecticut in 1964. One of the

classroom

instruction periods was conducted by a trooper from the CT State

Police. He presented a movie (old fashioned projector back then)

with

some of the most horrific and gory images of people dismembered or

having sustained horrible injuries or deaths due to car crashes,

mostly

due to speeding. I don't remember much of anything else

specifically

that was taught in classroom instruction of driver's ed but the

images

contained in that presentation remain fresh in my mind 47 years

later.

My conclusion was that as much as some would like, guns are not

going

to go away in our society. A little education never hurt anybody.

I agree that it would be a good idea to have firearm safety offered,

but

not in the public schools and not by a political organization like the

NRA. I think organizations like the Boy Scouts could do it, and even

put

on programs *in* the public schools, as a community service.

Public school assets are already stretched very thin. Diverting any

funds to pay for firearms safety courses means the teaching of basic

educational skills and course in phys ed and the arts will suffer

further.

I don't recall a driver's ed program in high school, but that doesn't

mean there wasn't one. I do remember a rather forward-thinking sex ed

class and film in the 7th grade, taught by a nurse.

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Good points regarding the stretching of school assets and I agree the

NRA should not be involved although promoting gun safety *was* the

original and primary purpose of the NRA before guns became such a

political issue.

When I was a kid ... maybe 8 or 9 years old, I wanted a Daisy BB gun

so bad I constantly bugged the heck out of my parents for one.

Finally one Christmas morning, there it was. But my father spent

hours with me on it's use, treating it like it was a Swedish Mauser or

something. It was the type that you could load up the whole barrel

with BBs that were sold in a little cardboard tube with a blue

cardboard cap that converted into a funnel. The BBs were loaded

through a little hole in the barrel. When full, the rifle was muzzle

heavy as hell, and off into the woods I'd go to "hunt". (never shot

anything)

But it seems to me that I remember a Boy Scout meeting at which some

representative gave a presentation on BB gun safety and also

demonstrated some "real" rifles. I don't know who he was or what

group he represented but it he could have very well been a

representative of the NRA. This would be in the late 50's.

When I was in the Boy Scouts (many years ago), our troup went on a camping trip not far from my home. It was going to get cold that night, and my Dad (I'll always beleive at my Mom's insistence) drove out that afternoon with a blanket and some warmer clothes for me. To cover, he brought a couple of pistols and some ammo, and the whole troup took turns in getting some instruction from my Dad and shooting the creek bank. A great memory for me, and experience for us all.

In these modern times, he'd end up on the nightly news. Sad, and indicative with what's wrong with our society.