Originally published on this website August 10, 2001

Utah Gun Owners Alliance Letter to Editor
In response to:
7th-graders firing guns in class
Some Davis officials alarmed at police-supervised activity

Once again the anti-gun educrats are hysterical. Apparently the same people who think it makes perfect sense to teach birth control as part of "abstinence education" because "someday the students will get married", think it's "sickening" to teach proper firearms handling to students, even though firearms ownership is legal for adults. It's also "wildly inappropriate" to teach students to make critical decisions rationally. Apparently not one of them can tell the difference between a juvenile delinquent bringing weapons to school and a police officer teaching safe handling and use.

When it comes to guns, these "professional educators" advocate ignorance. They think the best way to ensure safety is to portray guns as "forbidden fruit", and to ensure that students stay absolutely ignorant of firearms safety and facts. They're wrong - and unfortunately for our children, they're likely to be "dead" wrong.

What might a 13 year old be doing with a firearm? He might be target shooting with his parents. He might encounter a firearm at a friend or relative's home. A classmate or friend might bring one to school, or a park, or a mall. He might even need to defend himself against an armed intruder at home or even at school. Knowledge of firearms will increase the student's chances of survival should the unthinkable occur.

Apparently political correctness and the socialist agenda of the all-powerful UEA are more important than the lives and safety of our children. Apparently it's better for children to die than to learn that gun use can be safe - and fun!

Obviously the best solution is to teach your children safe firearms use and handling yourself. But not all parents have the skills to do this; many don't know these lifesaving skills themselves. While it's not government's job to teach our children firearms safety, it should at least not stand in the way of responsible parents and law enforcement officers who choose to do so.

The following letter was sent to the Deseret News:
ehayes@desnews.com
jtcook@desnews.com

I commend the law enforcement officers and students who participate in the "Shoot, Don't Shoot" program, and urge Davis County officials to continue the program. While I'm unfamiliar with the specifics of the program, the concept is sound.

Given the current hysteria about guns and school shootings, and the prominent role firearms play in TV, movies and video games, it is understandable that our young people are fascinated by firearms, all the more so when misguided adults turn firearms into "forbidden fruit".

While firearms related deaths have declined dramatically in recent years, this fascination can lead youths to handle firearms without proper training and adult supervision. This, in turn, can lead to tragic accidents.

Law enforcement officers are able to teach students about the safe handling of firearms, and the dangers of carelessness and misuse. And they are in a unique position to educate students about the awesome responsibility involved in the decision to use potentially lethal force to stop a crime.

A Department of Justice study shows that juveniles who are taught about firearms by a responsible adult have a 0% incidence of violent criminal behavior. Rather than a "public health menace", such instruction appears to "immunize" young people against firearms misuse.

Our students learn many adult skills in school to prepare them for the responsibilities of adulthood, skills such as parenting, financial management, and voting. Why not responsible firearms handling and decision making?

Officer Christensen is correct. Perhaps the most important lesson we can teach our children is that "they... are responsible for their actions".

Sarah Thompson, M.D.
Executive Director
Utah Gun Owners Alliance
Sandy, UT

http://www.utgoa.org

Please write to the Deseret News (I expect it will hit other papers today, so check your local paper). And if you live in Davis County, please write to the Davis County Board of Education too!