Guns guns everywhere.
And another one was found in a Peoria high school.
What to do?
Naturally the knee jerk reaction is more police and more metal detectors. Let's lock down the high schools. Turn them into virtual prisons. This is not good for education. Yeah, guns aren't either. A good education requires an open campus. I am sure those who want to lock down Peoria's high schools would say the same thing, once everyone was sure there were no guns. In the meantime locking down the school is just as ruinous, maybe even more so, than knowing there might be guns at school. That a gun showed up on campus is not the school's fault. It really is an isolated incident in the greater scheme of things. Thousands of kids go to school each day with little incident. If some kid down in BFE Southern Illinois, showed up with a rifle in his car, at high school, I doubt many would blink an eye. They might not even sweat it if he stored in his locker to keep it safe. Context matters. Why? Well... bear with me here.
In my extended family (like so many families) on both sides, learning to fire a gun is a virtual rite of passage. I missed this little rite but so what... About aged 10-12, it seems every kid learns how to fire a gun. They learn how to care for it. They MOST IMPORTANTLY learn how to respect the gun. This is done by role modeling of the father in the care and use of that gun. If the kid should ever so slightly mess up in the proper behaviour with regard to that gun, you could be sure that pain would be set upon you that would not be forgotten. With my kid, if I ever see him mishandle a gun, you can be certain that that is one incident that will pull the belt off my waist. I am not one for corporal punishment but with regards to guns, it matters greatly. And so... well everyone in the family is very good about the care and respect of guns.
A few years back I used to occasionaly deliver pizzas on the south end of Peoria, I was the manager at the time. I remember well a house I went to. Normally, drivers are instructed to never ever enter a customer's house. But as most drivers know, sometimes it is good service to do so, and thus the advice gets fudged. Same was true with me. So there I was inside while mom was looking for her money. On the couch were three kids. A toddler, a 6-7 year old, and one around 10-12 years old. The middle kid was happily playing around with an air pistol. Waving it around, goin bang bang. The other kids were laughing.. the kid points at me and smiles sort of menacingly. Trying to be 'intimidating' as sometimes kids that age try to do. The other kids laughed along. Mother was utterly indifferent to the behaviour. Air pistols, can still hurt mightely at close range, and even kill if you get a lucky shot.
Several emotions swept over me. One, I broke my own advice to my drivers, very stupid. Two, are these kids really playing? Is it loaded? Three, where the fuck is the father!? Four, I really wanted to take that gun out of the kids hands, smack em, and lecture them all (mom included). Clearly NO ONE ever showed them how to respect a gun. There was no role model for these kids, save the video games they were emulating in their play.
Time and again, it seems there is a vacuum in the public with regards to the proper use and respect for guns. Time and again, the incidents involving guns stem from those who never were educated in their proper handling. The recent events at the Peoria high schools only reinforce this.
Here is a radical idea... make a gun class manditory for all 7th graders and up. The instructors must absolutely be male. They must be given some latitude with regards to 'touching' of their students. If joey starts waving the gun around like a moron, the teacher should be allowed to put the kid in his place. Knock the arm down, whatever. The proper care, use and most importantly RESPECT for the guns will be taught. They will be able to shoot them in a controlled shooting range. Understanding the gun requires experiencing its power.
Like sex education, like drivers ed., you play with guns irresponsibly, someone may get hurt. It is just as important, like sex, like driving, that kids learn ALL the facts and are instructed in the 'right' behaviour.
Hopefully, fewer incidents will occur and we will get better citizens for it.
What to do?
Naturally the knee jerk reaction is more police and more metal detectors. Let's lock down the high schools. Turn them into virtual prisons. This is not good for education. Yeah, guns aren't either. A good education requires an open campus. I am sure those who want to lock down Peoria's high schools would say the same thing, once everyone was sure there were no guns. In the meantime locking down the school is just as ruinous, maybe even more so, than knowing there might be guns at school. That a gun showed up on campus is not the school's fault. It really is an isolated incident in the greater scheme of things. Thousands of kids go to school each day with little incident. If some kid down in BFE Southern Illinois, showed up with a rifle in his car, at high school, I doubt many would blink an eye. They might not even sweat it if he stored in his locker to keep it safe. Context matters. Why? Well... bear with me here.
In my extended family (like so many families) on both sides, learning to fire a gun is a virtual rite of passage. I missed this little rite but so what... About aged 10-12, it seems every kid learns how to fire a gun. They learn how to care for it. They MOST IMPORTANTLY learn how to respect the gun. This is done by role modeling of the father in the care and use of that gun. If the kid should ever so slightly mess up in the proper behaviour with regard to that gun, you could be sure that pain would be set upon you that would not be forgotten. With my kid, if I ever see him mishandle a gun, you can be certain that that is one incident that will pull the belt off my waist. I am not one for corporal punishment but with regards to guns, it matters greatly. And so... well everyone in the family is very good about the care and respect of guns.
A few years back I used to occasionaly deliver pizzas on the south end of Peoria, I was the manager at the time. I remember well a house I went to. Normally, drivers are instructed to never ever enter a customer's house. But as most drivers know, sometimes it is good service to do so, and thus the advice gets fudged. Same was true with me. So there I was inside while mom was looking for her money. On the couch were three kids. A toddler, a 6-7 year old, and one around 10-12 years old. The middle kid was happily playing around with an air pistol. Waving it around, goin bang bang. The other kids were laughing.. the kid points at me and smiles sort of menacingly. Trying to be 'intimidating' as sometimes kids that age try to do. The other kids laughed along. Mother was utterly indifferent to the behaviour. Air pistols, can still hurt mightely at close range, and even kill if you get a lucky shot.
Several emotions swept over me. One, I broke my own advice to my drivers, very stupid. Two, are these kids really playing? Is it loaded? Three, where the fuck is the father!? Four, I really wanted to take that gun out of the kids hands, smack em, and lecture them all (mom included). Clearly NO ONE ever showed them how to respect a gun. There was no role model for these kids, save the video games they were emulating in their play.
Time and again, it seems there is a vacuum in the public with regards to the proper use and respect for guns. Time and again, the incidents involving guns stem from those who never were educated in their proper handling. The recent events at the Peoria high schools only reinforce this.
Here is a radical idea... make a gun class manditory for all 7th graders and up. The instructors must absolutely be male. They must be given some latitude with regards to 'touching' of their students. If joey starts waving the gun around like a moron, the teacher should be allowed to put the kid in his place. Knock the arm down, whatever. The proper care, use and most importantly RESPECT for the guns will be taught. They will be able to shoot them in a controlled shooting range. Understanding the gun requires experiencing its power.
Like sex education, like drivers ed., you play with guns irresponsibly, someone may get hurt. It is just as important, like sex, like driving, that kids learn ALL the facts and are instructed in the 'right' behaviour.
Hopefully, fewer incidents will occur and we will get better citizens for it.
posted by Mahkno at 10:33 AM
2 Comments:
FINALLY! Someone with a clue.
Thank you for writing that...I thought I was the only one that thinks metal detectors do more harm than good.
Well Said! Grandpa had "long" guns on the farm. I remember at a young age, maybe 10, dad & grandpa loaded up the double barrel 16 guage, leveled it on a fence post and let me pull the triggers. You bet. Flat on my butt and a bruise on my shoulder that lasted until the next time I was handed a gun...about age 14. Think grandpa ever had to worry about me (or my cousin) wandering into the shed or basement and playing with these things? Hell no...we scared to death of them. At age 14, we were shown the proper way to shoot the .22 rifle.
I dunno. If you need to take a gun to school to protect yourself, what the hell did you do that makes you think you need this type of protection? Spending a few hours doing homework every night isn't going to get you a baseball bat upside the head.
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