Missouri ups the craziness

[Nick]

I'm embarrassed to even post this but its my state and they are at the crazy sh it again.

Missouri state senator Dan Brown (R) from Rolla, Mo has a bill that will require all 1st graders to take the NRA-sponsored gun class in school.  Teachers must also along with some other gun related training.

Don't fuck with Missouri 1st graders.

[Disciple of Sagan]

Phew! For a moment there, I though you were going to say they were going to mandate teaching creationism in public schools! Now that would be crazy!

"So, what do you want for your birthday this year, Billy? A Bushmaster .223 caliber– model XM15-E2S rifle with high capacity 30 round clips? Well, only if you get A's in class, young man!"

Ugh.

[pianodwarf]

"So, what do you want for your birthday this year, Billy? A Bushmaster .223 caliber– model XM15-E2S rifle with high capacity 30 round clips? Well, only if you get A's in class, young man!"

"You'll shoot your eye out!"

[ParkingPlaces]

I think I've told this story here before, but it is apropos.

I was working on a construction job on a big ranch in Texas, and the owner had a five or six year old daughter. Her best friends were the two slightly older sons of the ranch foreman. The three of them would walk around in the woods alone barefooted (in rattlesnake/copperhead/cottonmouth/coral snake/fire ant/scorpion/god knows what else country) with a 22 rifle, shooting things. They had 2500 acres with two huge lakes (which had alligators in them) to play in.

The last I knew most of them were still alive. (well, all of them, but I had to make it funny). Saw the girl on a hunting program her daddy produces for the hunting channel and she still had all of her limbs and stuff when she was 12 or so.

All three of the rich guys kids had their own unlocked gun cabinets in each of their bedrooms. Full of guns. The six year old ( the youngest) had a custom downsized Remington 700 that fit nicely in her little girl hands.

All I can say is that Texans take "survival of the fittest" quite seriously for religious folks.

Kids who live around guns should indeed have gun safety courses, but I'd prefer ones that are not taught by highly biased nuts.

[Disciple of Sagan]

"So, what do you want for your birthday this year, Billy? A Bushmaster .223 caliber– model XM15-E2S rifle with high capacity 30 round clips? Well, only if you get A's in class, young man!"

"You'll shoot your eye out!"

  You. You're good, you.

[Disciple of Sagan]

Kids who live around guns should indeed have gun safety courses, but I'd prefer ones that are not taught by highly biased nuts.

You make a valid point, but I cannot help but feel that 6 and 7 year olds shouldn't be handling firearms. Not looking for a debate... just my personal opinion.

[pianodwarf]

Kids who live around guns should indeed have gun safety courses, but I'd prefer ones that are not taught by highly biased nuts.

You make a valid point, but I cannot help but feel that 6 and 7 year olds shouldn't be handling firearms. Not looking for a debate... just my personal opinion.

I agree, but how to handle firearms safely is not the only aspect of gun safety training.  The NRA's own gun safety program for children (Eddie Eagle) doesn't even include that at all.  The message the program carries is, if you [a child] see an unattended firearm, "Stop, don't touch, leave the area, find an adult".

[Nick]

I thought it was, "stop, drop, and roll".

[pianodwarf]

I thought it was, "stop, drop, and roll".

No, that's for when you're on fire.  Also good to know.  Just be sure you don't get them mixed up.

[Nick]

But don't you say "fire" before you shoot?

[Disciple of Sagan]

I agree, but how to handle firearms safely is not the only aspect of gun safety training.  The NRA's own gun safety program for children (Eddie Eagle) doesn't even include that at all.  The message the program carries is, if you [a child] see an unattended firearm, "Stop, don't touch, leave the area, find an adult".

Thanks for the clarification. This I can agree with. I was more concerned with PP's mention of a 6 year old having her own custom-made gun.

[pianodwarf]

But don't you say "fire" before you shoot?

Nah, that's only for when you're telling someone else to shoot.

Well, actually, sometimes you do have to announce it.  If you're at the range and you've had a ceasefire for a while for whatever reason and you're getting ready to start again, you're supposed to announce it before you start firing again so everyone else knows to put on their hearing protection.  And in CSI, when they're firing a gun to test ballistics, they announce it so that the cops don't come running to kill whoever's shooting the gun (which is probably what they do in real life crime labs as well).  So yea, I guess sort of.

[pianodwarf]

Thanks for the clarification. This I can agree with. I was more concerned with PP's mention of a 6 year old having her own custom-made gun.

Yeah, I'm not too comfortable with that, either.  It's fairly common in pro-gun circles for parents to teach their children to shoot (and get safety training and so on) at fairly young ages, typically pre-teen to early teen, but I've never heard of something quite like this.  And actually, I'm not sure that even middle school age is old enough, either.  I'm inclined to think that shooting is an adult activity.  No one would think it's a good idea to let a 12-year-old drive, vote, drink, smoke, or have sex, and yet a lot of shooting enthusiasts will start teaching their children to shoot right around that age.  I'm not comfortable with it.  Then again, I have no children and didn't fire a gun for the first time myself until I was about 28 years old, so maybe it's just me.

[screwtape]

seems like a ploy to funnel 'gummint' money to the NRA while simultaneously indoctrinating children into gun culture.

It's funny Missouri has terrible reproductive eduction, terrible teen pregnancy rate, terrible STD rate.  But they think teaching all kids about gun safety is important.  Perhaps the state should be renamed "Misery".  It's really just a matter of emphasis.

[Nick]

We (Missouri) are just trying to out do Mississippi.

[Nam]

I had a LEGO machine gun in 2nd grade. I built it myself, and everything.

-Nam

[Disciple of Sagan]

We (Missouri) are just trying to out do Mississippi.

I wish you and your sister nothing but the best with your upcoming wedding.

[Disciple of Sagan]

Yeah, I'm not too comfortable with that, either.  It's fairly common in pro-gun circles for parents to teach their children to shoot (and get safety training and so on) at fairly young ages, typically pre-teen to early teen, but I've never heard of something quite like this.  And actually, I'm not sure that even middle school age is old enough, either.  I'm inclined to think that shooting is an adult activity.  No one would think it's a good idea to let a 12-year-old drive, vote, drink, smoke, or have sex, and yet a lot of shooting enthusiasts will start teaching their children to shoot right around that age.  I'm not comfortable with it.  Then again, I have no children and didn't fire a gun for the first time myself until I was about 28 years old, so maybe it's just me.

I'm totally with you. I think a good yardstick would be that if the kid is too young to purchase a video game depicting realistic gun action (Call of Duty series for example), then they're too young to handle the real deal.

[Tero]

I'm stuck in MO another couple of years. We had no gun stuff in my kids' suburban schools. Do they still do ROTC in high schools? March with wooden rifles etc.

[Nam]

We had real rifles at my High School (and swords) but the rifles didn't work (purposely).

-Nam