Gun Safety/Laws taught in schools?

[Sombeech]

Would this be a valuable class in school?

The automatic response is "Everybody won't own or shoot a gun",

and my response is "Everybody won't play the guitar or speak German, but those classes are available in every high school that I know of."

There's Choir, Welding, Wood Shop, Drafting, Video Production, Business Admin classes, and many more options that some students will never participate in.

Politically charged backlash aside, Gun Safety/Law would be a valuable subject for young adults. Even if you HATE guns, wouldn't it be important knowing how they should be treated if you ever encounter one?

Another worry is that if the class is available, that means students will bring guns to school. Not true. On the other hand, guns currently make their way into schools without a gun class to blame.

So guns are unavoidable, what to do about it?

[Deathcricket]

I voted no, just because I feel the education system is a joke. Any new programs will be met with a request to increase funding by a magnitude of 10x. We should be cutting back our education budget not increasing it with more worthless programs.

Edited to add: I'm not against kids learning gun safety by any means however. I'm just a fan of them learning effectively and efficient uses of our money more.

[DiscGo]

I agree with you DC that there is a lot of mismanaged funding in the educational system, but I believe that one of the answers of education is offering courses which engage the students that will have a longer lasting educational value.

I probably had at least 20 classes worth of sports in high school (I took the required courses, plus weight training, football, in-door, outdoor track, inter-mural ultimate frisbee teams, etc.). I know that there is a rising epidemic in our country of obesity but the students enrolled in multiple extra curricular sports teams, should not be subject to the same physical educational requirements as everyone else.

Course on gun safety, computers, vocational skills, etc. will have a much longer lasting effect than your 20th art credit, or your 30th PE credit (unless you truly do aspire to be a professional athlete or artist). I know I felt like much of my high school experience was not worth my participation, and I have to believe I am not the only person who felt that way. Perhaps if there were more courses which offered long term benefit to the student, you would have a better chance of student involvement and higher learning.

[Sombeech]

Any new programs will be met with a request to increase funding by a magnitude of 10x.

True

[denaliguide]

if gun related hazards are such an issue concerning the youth of today, as the media would have you believe (although backyard swimming pools are more dangerous, just check the center for disease control), then i feel it is negligent not to have it taught in schools from an early age. the curiculum is already there. the nra "eddie eagle program" would be appropriate for the youngest and you could adapt from there as the kids get older. firearms are also a part of olympic sports. trap, skeet, biathlon are just a few of the sports that high schoolers could compete in.

[DiscGo]

Most kids are given swimming lessons as children, and all schools with pools do have swimming classes.

For the record, my wife is okay with having a gun in the home but refused to look at any house with a pool because of the threat to our small children.