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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17217-2001Mar3.html

Let's Enroll Our Kids In Shooting Classes=20
Sunday, March 4, 2001; Page B08=20


National Public Radio ran an item recently about Carroll County offering =
the nation's first gun-safety program in public schools. It sounded long =
overdue.

No, I'm not a gun nut, but I do own hunting guns and felt it was prudent =
to teach my kids how to handle and shoot them without endangering =
themselves or others. Neither showed much subsequent interest, but I'm =
glad that they understand how guns work and the harm they can do if =
handled improperly.

In a country that guarantees citizens the right to bear arms, it seemed =
peculiar that no one before had ever devised a gun-safety program for =
schools. I called over to Carroll County to have a look. Bill Pearcy, =
who oversees the program as the county's assistant supervisor of health =
and staff development, said there was a class that day at South Carroll =
High in Eldersburg.=20

He warned that "gun safety class" was a bit of a misnomer. No guns were =
involved; it was more a class on what kids should do if they found =
themselves around firearms. The class is in the health curriculum. =
Administrators sold it to a nervous school board on the assertion that a =
child dies by accidental gunfire every 48 hours in the United States. =
The teacher, Rachelle Saunders, collared State's Attorney Jerry Barnes =
to describe the legal consequences of kids fooling with guns.

I sat through the 90-minute class with 28 freshmen. They asked good =
questions, including one by a student who challenged the state's =
attorney by asking whether bearing arms was an appropriate right in =
these times. Barnes said that he didn't make the rules, just enforced =
them.

In the end I found the class disappointing, though. Barnes droned on =
about jail terms of as long as 25 years for those caught with a handgun, =
which doubtless fell on deaf ears, kids being savvy enough about our =
legal system to know how unlikely that is.

Saunders hammered away at one message: If you find yourself in the =
presence of kids with guns, or in the company of kids talking about =
getting guns and using them, beat a hasty exit and tell an adult.

She also handed out a questionnaire that showed the warning might be =
coming too late. Question 7 asked: "Have you ever been shot at?" Three =
boys raised their hands.

One said he was walking through the woods at night with a flashlight =
when someone started shooting. "A bullet hit the tree right over my =
head." Another said a playmate pulled a pistol and fired it at him at =
point-blank range. "It was a blank pistol," he said, "but I didn't =
know." The third said he'd been shot in the hip in a hunting accident.

In an environment like that more than the usual platitudes and =
boilerplate warnings were in order. In Havre de Grace, which calls =
itself the "decoy capital of the world," every kid must carve a duck =
decoy before graduating from middle school. What's wrong with having =
every kid learn how to shoot safely before reaching the hormone years?

They're sure getting lessons on how to do it unsafely. By the time the =
average youngster is 12, he or she has seen hundreds of hours of unsafe =
gunplay on TV, in the movies and in video games. As a result, any child =
who watches popular entertainment thinks the natural thing is to pick up =
a gun and point at someone. In real life, it's the number one no-no. A =
youngster who learns to handle a gun from TV is a loose cannon. One who =
learns under proper guidance should know firsthand the terrible power of =
the thing, and by extension, how to keep himself and others out of =
harm's way.

Oh, sure, I'm barking up a tree on this. In our litigious society, the =
chance of public schools introducing kids to guns is minuscule.=20

But here's what I'd do if I had little ones. When they got to be 12, I'd =
teach them myself or find a rod and gun club or shooting range where =
some responsible adult could show them the basic mechanics and safety =
protocol of guns and let them shoot one to feel it for themselves.

That way, when they ran across guns in the wrong hands, being handled =
unsafely, they would know viscerally the peril they were in, and how =
important it was to get away.

-- Angus Phillips=20

is The Post's outdoors writer.=20



=A9 2001 The Washington Post Company


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<DIV><FONT size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17217-2001Mar3.htm=
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<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=3D4><FONT face=3DArial>Let's Enroll Our Kids In =
Shooting=20
Classes<!--plsfield:stop--></FONT></FONT></STRONG>=20
<P><FONT size=3D2><!--plsfield:disp_date-->Sunday, March 4, 2001; Page =
B08 </FONT>
<P><!--plsfield:description--><NITF>
<P>National Public Radio ran an item recently about Carroll County =
offering the=20
nation's first gun-safety program in public schools. It sounded long=20
overdue.</P>
<P>No, I'm not a gun nut, but I do own hunting guns and felt it was =
prudent to=20
teach my kids how to handle and shoot them without endangering =
themselves or=20
others. Neither showed much subsequent interest, but I'm glad that they=20
understand how guns work and the harm they can do if handled =
improperly.</P>
<P>In a country that guarantees citizens the right to bear arms, it =
seemed=20
peculiar that no one before had ever devised a gun-safety program for =
schools. I=20
called over to Carroll County to have a look. Bill Pearcy, who oversees =
the=20
program as the county's assistant supervisor of health and staff =
development,=20
said there was a class that day at South Carroll High in Eldersburg. =
</P>
<P>He warned that "gun safety class" was a bit of a misnomer. No guns =
were=20
involved; it was more a class on what kids should do if they found =
themselves=20
around firearms. The class is in the health curriculum. Administrators =
sold it=20
to a nervous school board on the assertion that a child dies by =
accidental=20
gunfire every 48 hours in the United States. The teacher, Rachelle =
Saunders,=20
collared State's Attorney Jerry Barnes to describe the legal =
consequences of=20
kids fooling with guns.</P>
<P>I sat through the 90-minute class with 28 freshmen. They asked good=20
questions, including one by a student who challenged the state's =
attorney by=20
asking whether bearing arms was an appropriate right in these times. =
Barnes said=20
that he didn't make the rules, just enforced them.</P>
<P>In the end I found the class disappointing, though. Barnes droned on =
about=20
jail terms of as long as 25 years for those caught with a handgun, which =

doubtless fell on deaf ears, kids being savvy enough about our legal =
system to=20
know how unlikely that is.</P>
<P>Saunders hammered away at one message: If you find yourself in the =
presence=20
of kids with guns, or in the company of kids talking about getting guns =
and=20
using them, beat a hasty exit and tell an adult.</P>
<P>She also handed out a questionnaire that showed the warning might be =
coming=20
too late. Question 7 asked: "Have you ever been shot at?" Three boys =
raised=20
their hands.</P>
<P>One said he was walking through the woods at night with a flashlight =
when=20
someone started shooting. "A bullet hit the tree right over my head." =
Another=20
said a playmate pulled a pistol and fired it at him at point-blank =
range. "It=20
was a blank pistol," he said, "but I didn't know." The third said he'd =
been shot=20
in the hip in a hunting accident.</P>
<P>In an environment like that more than the usual platitudes and =
boilerplate=20
warnings were in order. In Havre de Grace, which calls itself the "decoy =
capital=20
of the world," every kid must carve a duck decoy before graduating from =
middle=20
school. What's wrong with having every kid learn how to shoot safely =
before=20
reaching the hormone years?</P>
<P>They're sure getting lessons on how to do it unsafely. By the time =
the=20
average youngster is 12, he or she has seen hundreds of hours of unsafe =
gunplay=20
on TV, in the movies and in video games. As a result, any child who =
watches=20
popular entertainment thinks the natural thing is to pick up a gun and =
point at=20
someone. In real life, it's the number one no-no. A youngster who learns =
to=20
handle a gun from TV is a loose cannon. One who learns under proper =
guidance=20
should know firsthand the terrible power of the thing, and by extension, =
how to=20
keep himself and others out of harm's way.</P>
<P>Oh, sure, I'm barking up a tree on this. In our litigious society, =
the chance=20
of public schools introducing kids to guns is minuscule. </P>
<P>But here's what I'd do if I had little ones. When they got to be 12, =
I'd=20
teach them myself or find a rod and gun club or shooting range where =
some=20
responsible adult could show them the basic mechanics and safety =
protocol of=20
guns and let them shoot one to feel it for themselves.</P>
<P>That way, when they ran across guns in the wrong hands, being handled =

unsafely, they would know viscerally the peril they were in, and how =
important=20
it was to get away.</P>
<P><B>-- Angus Phillips</B> </P>
<P><I>is The Post's</I> <I>outdoors writer.</I> </P>
<P></P></NITF>
<P>
<CENTER>=A9 2001<!--plsfield:end--> The Washington Post Company</CENTER>
<CENTER>&nbsp;</CENTER></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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