Should Gun Safety Be Taught In Schools?

With the rise of gun violence in the world there is a necessity for knowledge about firearms to be taught to children. In as much as some parents are not for the idea of talking to kids about guns, there is a significant number of parents who are for it. A number of people nowadays are licensed gun owners, a big percentage of which are parents. Of this per cent there are those who do not open up to their children and discuss gun safety this leaves these particular children at risk of coming into contact with the gun and not knowing how to handle it posing to a risk to everyone (Cornell, 23). There are those parents as well who do not own or handle guns, they too do see the importance of this topic as they view it as nonessential to the kids knowledge. The society at large needs to learn more about gun safety to prevent accidents and incidences that could end up being fatal (Hardy, 76). This paper will discuss the issue of whether gun safety should or should not be taught in schools.

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When dealing with the topic of gun safety, it is essential to mention what the core reasons behind its significance. For instance the set up rules in relation to gun safety are to ensure the avoidance of accidental discharge of fire arms, or negligent discharge and not forgetting that just like any other machine guns too can malfunction, leaving fatal consequences to those handling it or those around.

The main purpose of gun safety rules is to help subside and altogether eliminate the high risk of unintentional death, damage or injury to people due to the incorrect possession as well as handling of guns as well as storage.

Children are the most vulnerable when it comes to the issue of gun safety. Without proper knowledge and information about fire arms kids are bound to find themselves in the cross fire path leaving fatalities. Preventive measures are if no importance without proper education being implemented. Children have the right whatsoever to know in detail of what pertains firearms. This is evidently made by the mere fact that over one thousand children all over the world die every day by the gun because of negligence and ignorance (Hardy, 72). With this in mind parents, teachers and every other responsible person needs to teach a child or children what appertains to gun safety.

School is where most children meet and share experiences, from such a forum it is easier to tell which of the kids have had contact with or seen a gun. Education is the key to a lot of issues that keep distraughting the world, gun safety being one of them. When children are taught in detail about what gun safety is in school they tend to take it seriously as compared to a stranger walking up to them and dispensing the information to them (Cornell, 45). Teaching enlightens them by giving them a platform to ask any type of question without hesitating, such a forum allows for interaction and sharing what ideas they had about fire arms.

On another front keeping young people in the dark about guns only fosters their misunderstanding and not knowing fully the possible dangers involved with fire arms. This will most likely open a door to satisfy their curiosity thus venture out to find out more of what appertains to guns, leading them to try and use them without supervision from a qualified person.

In one way or the other children and youngsters are bound to come across guns, as they are pretty much part of our society. Parents have the role of talking to children about fire arms to satisfy their natural curiosity in regard to guns. Addressing the issue at an early age helps to pass important information down to the next generation that guns are dangerous and need not to be handled by them especially if they are very young kids.

Prevention is better than cure, knowledgeable children that have information regarding how to handle a fire arm when they see one are better protected from accidents from those who do not. In schools it is never too early to start teaching kids of what fire arms are. As long as kids can comprehend what is being said and taught they are good for this kind of information (Lee, 4). Incorporating gun safety as part of the curriculum would go a long way in saving so many young innocent lives from falling prey or being victims of gun violence.

Taking simple steps when teaching goes a long way to ensure the young people get what the main point is. For instance setting proper and consistent examples in relation to fire arms will get the point home that guns need only to be handled by adults. Even in homes that parents are fire arm holders, however the parents treat a gun the children will follow suit, in that if it is treated with respect and care as demanded, the children too are bound to follow the lead (Cornell, 65). Young children easily follow simple messages, whenever they are told hands off from a dangerous tool they just follow. This is also repeated in the instance of a gun. Should they see any fire arm real or fake they should not touch it.

For older kids get the point of once one handles a gun there is bound to fatal consequences, in that the bullet cannot be returned once the trigger is pulled just like once words leave the mouth they cannot go back, and one has to deal with whatever consequences that follow.

Having an interactive session with youngster opens up a forum through which the tutor can these children more about conflict resolution. When angry people tend to do a lot just to get rid of the anger, in the process fatalities happen like grabbing a weapon and attacking the other person (Mark & Mercy, 170). In this instance children are taught not use guns or knives to attack another person as there will be consequences to deal with. In so doing the gun safety program teaches kids to be responsible young citizens and look for better alternatives to resolve issues. Weapons should not be part of the resolution.

Despite the stress on the issue of gun safety to be taught in school there are a number of people who are against the idea demanding that fire arms are the problem of adults and they should take responsibility of the guns. Teaching young children about fire arms would only make them curious and make them want to be adventurous especially with the rise of video games that use guns as well as movies and programs. Passing the knowledge to them would only provide more information of what a gun entails and how it can be used.

Those opposing the gun safety education being taught to schools state that, it is burdening the children with a role that is adults. The accidents that often occur regarding children with fire arms is the fault of an adult who was not responsible enough to store his/her kit safely. Despite having its positive side the gun safety education forum would make the children more curious of what appertains a gun, how it is handled.

There is always a debate on the issue of teaching about fire arms, there was a contentious debate on whether the program was pro-gun or anti-gun (Mark & Mercy, 165). The main agenda was to teach children in how to handle themselves and to keep safe around guns, especially in regions where most of the people both parents and close relatives are gun owners.

Works Cited

Cornell, Dewey G. School violence: fears Vs facts. Lawrence Erlbaum, 2006

Hardy, Marjorie S. Teaching firearm safety to children: failure of a program. Journal of developmental & behavioral pediatrics 23.2(2002): 71-76

Lee Roberts, B. Its important to teach your kids gun safetyeven if you dont own a gun. The journal times. 13 Feb. 2011

Mercy, James A., and Mark L. Rosenberg. Preventing firearm violence in and around schools violence in American schools: a new perspective (1998): 159-187

Neiman, Samantha, and Monica R. Hill. Crime, violence, discipline, and safety in US public schools: findings from the school survey on crime and safety, 2009-2010. National center for education statistics, institute of education sciences, US Department of Education, 2011