Mandatory NRA Gun Classes in Schools - SC lawmaker proposes

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Mandatory NRA Gun Classes in Schools - SC lawmaker proposes

South Carolina Rep. Alan Clemmons proposes that students would learn about gun safety, gun rights, the Second Amendment and the Constitution. It would be a three week course and a companion bill would attendance at shooting ranges.

It is called "The Second Amendment Education Bill" and would designate December 15 as 'Second Amendment Awareness Day' for elementary, middle and high schools.

He filed the bill in response to all the Zero Tolerance rules across the state. Another bill by SC Senator Lee Bright would take the children out to the range for a course on firearm safety. There is opposition to both proposals.

This is nothing new, some might remember 'rod and gun' clubs in schools back in the day. Some bought their rifles to school, or left them in their vehicles when hunting season started.


http://rt.com/usa/221987-south-carolina-nra-classes/


"Students in South Carolina could soon be studying material endorsed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), if a state lawmaker can successfully push his proposal into law.

Under a measure filed by South Carolina State Rep. Alan Clemmons (R), the state curriculum would require students to take a three-week class focused on the US Constitution – with a special focus on the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

During the class, high school students would learn about gun rights, gun safety, and – if a companion bill also passes into law – potentially attend shooting ranges. There is already a petition to fight the proposal."

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Amusing gesture, but it won't get anywhere. He'd have had much more success aiming for inclusion of specific 2A elements in the U.S. Constitution/BOR segment of history curriculum approved for public schools.
 
Interesting but won't happen.

Contemplating the aspects of liability is daunting.


"Your Honor, I don't know what they taught my precious little Johnny in that class - but he's dead today! They shoulda...!" OR: "They shouldn't have..." As applies for the maximum take home after the attorney's cut.

Todd.
 
Todd
What about those schools that have driving classes? The most at-risk group of drivers are young adults. WAY more of them die every year behind the wheel than those who die at the end of a barrel.
 
Let's try to stay positive and maybe someone who lives in that state will come up with a plan for the rest of the country to help them out.
 
Todd
What about those schools that have driving classes? The most at-risk group of drivers are young adults. WAY more of them die every year behind the wheel than those who die at the end of a barrel.
That's a generally good comparison but cars (outside of dread SUVs) don't carry the drama and emotion as do firearms. What they do carry is the perception of necessity and "right". I do in fact note the irony in that statement... more's the pity.

I'd like to see it happen but am quite certain that even in a state like Caroline... It'll be a costly experiment at best.

What I'd like to see is the return of the old days of schools more "tolerating" an NRA endorsed, sign-up program than actively supporting it. As was the case in my days of having a school-acknowledged marksmanship program if not fully embracing it as was done with say, a shop class or even the football program.

Taking on the responsibility of teaching firearms safety is a quagmire - without even getting into the mess that the American Federation of Teachers would make of it.

Todd.
 
I notice there's no mention of where, how or from who(m) this guy thinks this should be funded. Or who will teach it. Not necessarily a bad idea though.
 
Todd
What about those schools that have driving classes? The most at-risk group of drivers are young adults. WAY more of them die every year behind the wheel than those who die at the end of a barrel.
I would assume the parents signs some waivers before drivers ed limiting the liability. I don't know this, but I know you sign them if your kid plays football, so I would think that is likely.

Regardless, from a liability standpoint, driver's ed you really only have one particular student to worry about, a wreck wouldn't involve a classroom full of kids. In theory if a student could get a hold of the gun they could put other people at risk. That would be what I consider the difference.

Now you and I both know the likelihood of that is extremely low, but people that think like me and you don't make those decisions (unfortunately)
 
At least incorporating a safety class somewhere would be a good idea overall. And I figure the shooting parts would be a field trip to the local range. No need to keep anything at school, not too expensive for parents to fun, especially if the range gives the school a discount.
In some places, I could see it picking up. Hunters and all.

If nothing else, it's a gesture. The time and money the antis spend fighting things are time and money they're not using to push their side.
 
If the negative attitudes expressed here dominate thinking in South Carolina, too, it will never happen.
 
Many school systems have abandoned driver ed in favor of parent paying for private driver school training. It is more cost effective and it gets the publicly tax funded schools out of competition with local businesses.

The same could be said about introducing firearms shooting classes, were nearly no school has the appropriate facilities.
 
This has been done before on a voluntary basis.

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Virginia department of Education already has a grade-school program in effect.

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/guidance/safety/school_gun_safety_elementary.pdf


There are other references I could toss up, but pressed for time today.
 
It's too big and bold to go thourgh anywhere. People need to learn the patience of incrementalism, which is how we arrived where we are from the anitis.

I would have started witha simple "firearms safety" instruction merged in with "fire safety" and "stranger danger" and other "safety" programs, in the eddie eagle format. Safety instruction is very appropriate for the youngest of ages. 2nd Amendment in the ciriculum should addressed separately and incorporated into Constitutional studies, of all amendments, in later elemetary years when they would normally cover the Constitution.

A more advanced, age appropriate, firearms safety course at a gun range would probably have to be offered on a vountary basis, at least in the beginning.
 
Interesting concept but too many hurdles to clear; funding, liability, as proposed requires off site location for handling firearms so it will be limited to people owning commercial ranges, etc.

Keep in mind one of the sponsors once proposed the State create its own currency. Hard to be taken seriously with proposals like that attached to your resume.
 
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If the negative attitudes expressed here dominate thinking in South Carolina, too, it will never happen.
Not negative. Negative would be to say "don't do it" or "you can't do it".

The prevailing realistic or pragmatic views expressed here are that given the climate it is unlikely to happen and if it does, it is doomed to failure. Some of us are getting a little tired of grand and wasted gestures for gesture's sake. Using this energy to directly attend to the Second Amendment in general and SC's protection of it for her citizens in particular would be wildly supported.

Todd.
 
Maybe it would be good to start small. What I am saying is start with a gun safety program, that's it. Worry about range trips later. Just focus with the basics along the lines of Eddie Eagle, teaching gun safety, especially to the little ones. Since today's schools seem to teach well beyond what they were intended to teach adding basic gun safety shouldn't be a big deal. Then as children advance worry about the constitution and range trips.

Ron
 
I'm with ApacheCoTodd on this one. If it was a smaller step of teaching gun safety like Reloadron said I would be more excited and supportive. I would feel better as a citizen knowing that young people had some exposure to gun training other than video games.
 
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