Texas Schools May Soon Offer Gun Safety Classes

[Excaliber]

I guess I just feel the kids will end up shooting someone in school. I just don't trust any of them under 18 with a gun. Really more of 21, but 18 is the youngest I would accept.

There's a huge difference between teaching a child how to behave safely around guns and giving that child unsupervised access to a gun.

However, failing to teach children basic safety and sending them out into a world where guns are almost everywhere is the equivalent of failing to teach them how to safely cross a street until they are ready to drive.

[Gungirl]

Kids who have been taught about guns and gun saftey are going to be less curious. It Is excitement of the unknown and movie hype that leads to showing off in most cases. Not knowledge. We need to educate our kids on the truth, otherwise there is void and voids always want to filled.

[Excaliber]

Kids who have been taught about guns and gun saftey are going to be less curious. It Is excitement of the unknown and movie hype that leads to showing off in most cases. Not knowledge. We need to educate our kids on the truth, otherwise there is void and voids always want to filled.

I agree. Trying to keep kids in ignorance of weapons is a losing proposition with a high risk of a tragedy in the future.

I took the opposite course. I taught my kids gun safety as soon as they were old enough to understand it, took them to the range as soon as they were able to safely handle the firing cycle, and had them help me with the post range session cleaning.

I took them to gun shops, had FFL friends show them unusual guns that I didn't own, and I took them into the armory at the FBI Academy to see their equipment. I also brought real world situations I encountered in my work or in the news to the dinner table for discussion and learning.

The rule in my house was no one but my wife and myself touched a gun without direct permission and supervision, but anytime one of my kids wanted to see any gun, all they had to do was say so and I'd stop what I was doing and show it to him or her. There was no need to sneak around to get a look at one or mess with it to figure out how it worked. They understood fully what they were for, how they were used, and what happens when they're misused.

I never had any problems at all, and I knew the kids knew what to do if they encountered a gun somewhere else. kids are now CCW holders and active shooting sports participants in their respective states.

I consider that course of action a proven success.

[goose]

Kids who have been taught about guns and gun saftey are going to be less curious. It Is excitement of the unknown and movie hype that leads to showing off in most cases. Not knowledge. We need to educate our kids on the truth, otherwise there is void and voids always want to filled.

Agreed. My two sons (11 and 13) have known for several years about the possible devastation at the sharp end of a barrel. They've seen and heard what they can do. They've felt recoil. They know how serious they are. I trust them considerably with my firearms. Because of my wife's fear of firearms (despite her loving that I have them for our protection) we have a "show me it's unloaded" routine. My boys will often say that they want to fondle this rifle or that pistol. They always ask me if they can and if I'll "show them it's unloaded." If they are asking me that question I know the respect is in there.

In fourth grade a classmate of mine was killed when he and another boy played with a dad's .410. I firmly believe that ignorance and no knowledge of the power is what led them to playing with a gun. I thought my boys so that I wouldn't have to fear them "playing" with a firearm over at a buddies house. They also know that I expect them to leave immediately if anyone does ask them to mess with any.

[LSUTiger]

I disagree..High school kids being taught..They are still to young and immature to handle them in my opinion.. I wouldn't want a 16 year old handling a gun by himself.. Yes, I know in the school of course a LEO, but think after class the kid is going to go find a gun and show off and end up shooting someone.

As early as age 5 my dad took me out to the woods and on many hunting trips and began to teach me about guns and gun safety Eventually at age 16, to get a hunting license I had to take a hunter safety course. It reinforced what I already knew.

I never committed any acts of gun violence or had any AD's or killed anyone.

Parenting helps more than anything but gun safety classes also help tremendously. For some, gun safety classes are all the parenting they will get on the subject. It's a lot better than keeping people ignorant. I knew kids whose parents didnt hunt but it didnt stop them from letting their kids learn about gun safety.

I guess I just feel the kids will end up shooting someone in school. I just don't trust any of them under 18 with a gun. Really more of 21, but 18 is the youngest I would accept.

This is the same thing our government is trying to tell us. They don't trust anyone with a gun who isn't them.

Do you trust this guy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ain2by4Fums" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uADb3NyYlSA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I would trust any youngster who has proven themselves worthy or at least I know has been taught the right way to handle guns by some trustworthy person.

I have been on many hunting trips that included other peoples children and was surprised at how well they handled themselves and their weapons. I was about 13-14 when I was hunting all by myself with Dad's 12 gauge.

[RottenApple]

Going back to who should be qualified to teach these classes, I think it needs to be a certified firearms instructor. Not all CHL instructors are certified firearms instructors.

[MasterOfNone]

Going back to who should be qualified to teach these classes, I think it needs to be a certified firearms instructor. Not all CHL instructors are certified firearms instructors.

Certified by whom?

[RottenApple]

Going back to who should be qualified to teach these classes, I think it needs to be a certified firearms instructor. Not all CHL instructors are certified firearms instructors.

Certified by whom?

I'd say NRA, TCLEOSE, or a nationally recognized firearm instructor school. Just because a person teaches CHL doesn't mean that they are qualified to teach firearm safety. At least not right now as there are many CHL instructors who don't have any of those certs.

[Beiruty]

Why other countries (like Russia) have para-militarry training for middle and high school students? What is wrong with that? Why not having the same in US?

[RottenApple]

Why other countries (like Russia) have para-militarry training for middle and high school students? What is wrong with that? Why not having the same in US?

Personally, I think its a great idea. it wasn't that long ago when many schools had ranges, shooting teams, or even just taught firearm basics.

[TexasGal]

Going back to who should be qualified to teach these classes, I think it needs to be a certified firearms instructor. Not all CHL instructors are certified firearms instructors.

Certified by whom?

I'd say NRA, TCLEOSE, or a nationally recognized firearm instructor school. Just because a person teaches CHL doesn't mean that they are qualified to teach firearm safety. At least not right now as there are many CHL instructors who don't have any of those certs.

You are getting your wish. The DPS is now requiring all new CHL Instructor candidates applying for training be certified by TCLEOSE or the NRA as a handgun instructor. It has not been announced, but it is expected that this requirement will likely be extended to include all current CHL Instructors sometime soon as well.

[TXPamIAm]

[der Teufel]

I disagree..High school kids being taught..They are still to young and immature to handle them in my opinion.. I wouldn't want a 16 year old handling a gun by himself.. Yes, I know in the school of course a LEO, but think after class the kid is going to go find a gun and show off and end up shooting someone.

I had to chuckle a bit when I read this. I bought my first gun when I was 16 years old. Well, it was actually my 3rd gun if you count the .22 my uncle gave to my brothers and me to share, and then the .22 my mother bought for me when I was 15 so I wouldn't have to time-share the one from my uncle.

I decided that I needed a shotgun for duck hunting, and so I took my money and began cruising pawn shops. I found a 16ga Mossberg bolt action for $20, and bought it. This was a little over 45 years ago. I paid for the shotgun, tucked it under my arm, and walked through downtown Port Arthur the three blocks back to the car. Nobody even blinked. Later I went with my brothers as they did the same thing at a different shop. My father never owned a firearm, and he never went hunting with us. However, he didn't at all mind that we hunted and we made countless trips by ourselves and with friends to hunt rabbits, squirrels, ducks, geese, and the like.

My friends and I all survived, and I still go hunting with one of my buddies from high school.

[Excaliber]

I disagree..High school kids being taught..They are still to young and immature to handle them in my opinion.. I wouldn't want a 16 year old handling a gun by himself.. Yes, I know in the school of course a LEO, but think after class the kid is going to go find a gun and show off and end up shooting someone.

I had to chuckle a bit when I read this. I bought my first gun when I was 16 years old. Well, it was actually my 3rd gun if you count the .22 my uncle gave to my brothers and me to share, and then the .22 my mother bought for me when I was 15 so I wouldn't have to time-share the one from my uncle.

I decided that I needed a shotgun for duck hunting, and so I took my money and began cruising pawn shops. I found a 16ga Mossberg bolt action for $20, and bought it. This was a little over 45 years ago. I paid for the shotgun, tucked it under my arm, and walked through downtown Port Arthur the three blocks back to the car. Nobody even blinked. Later I went with my brothers as they did the same thing at a different shop. My father never owned a firearm, and he never went hunting with us. However, he didn't at all mind that we hunted and we made countless trips by ourselves and with friends to hunt rabbits, squirrels, ducks, geese, and the like.

My friends and I all survived, and I still go hunting with one of my buddies from high school.

Your direct experience, and that of thousands of others, is clear proof that the hand wringers are wrong. Any kid who can be trusted to behave responsibly with a car can do the same with a gun if he's interested enough in using it to learn how to do it safely, and they've been doing exactly that for a couple of hundred years in this country on the farms and in rural areas. The problem kids are the ones who have grown up without either gun safety training or positive gun ownership role models in the peoples' paradise megacities on the coasts.

Teaching gun safety to children can't hurt.

Not teaching gun safety to children can.

[cw3van]

I disagree..High school kids being taught..They are still to young and immature to handle them in my opinion.. I wouldn't want a 16 year old handling a gun by himself.. Yes, I know in the school of course a LEO, but think after class the kid is going to go find a gun and show off and end up shooting someone.

I had to chuckle a bit when I read this. I bought my first gun when I was 16 years old. Well, it was actually my 3rd gun if you count the .22 my uncle gave to my brothers and me to share, and then the .22 my mother bought for me when I was 15 so I wouldn't have to time-share the one from my uncle.

I decided that I needed a shotgun for duck hunting, and so I took my money and began cruising pawn shops. I found a 16ga Mossberg bolt action for $20, and bought it. This was a little over 45 years ago. I paid for the shotgun, tucked it under my arm, and walked through downtown Port Arthur the three blocks back to the car. Nobody even blinked. Later I went with my brothers as they did the same thing at a different shop. My father never owned a firearm, and he never went hunting with us. However, he didn't at all mind that we hunted and we made countless trips by ourselves and with friends to hunt rabbits, squirrels, ducks, geese, and the like.

My friends and I all survived, and I still go hunting with one of my buddies from high school.

Your direct experience, and that of thousands of others, is clear proof that the hand wringers are wrong. Any kid who can be trusted to behave responsibly with a car can do the same with a gun if he's interested enough in using it to learn how to do it safely, and they've been doing exactly that for a couple of hundred years in this country on the farms and in rural areas. The problem kids are the ones who have grown up without either gun safety training or positive gun ownership role models in the peoples' paradise megacities on the coasts.

Teaching gun safety to children can't hurt.

Not teaching gun safety to children can.

Yup agree, my father passed away when I was 13 he had already taught me about shooting went to live with my grandfather who would let me step out back of our ole farm house and target shoot. Education about firearms is the way to go good move by our lawmakers hope it becomes law.