GUNS FOR THIRD GRADERS
Having been apprised that children at the third grade level in this country have reached a level of maturity not seen previously in their young lives, it is time to consider firearm training for third graders. Rather than spending time running up and down the gym floor chasing a ball or playing tag on the school grounds, target practice and the mechanics of firing a pistol should be implemented throughout the country.
After all, we come up with new criteria for educating the next generation of Americans quite regularly, so one more amendment to the complex statutory authority of childhood education should not be difficult to implement. And the only cost to the school would be to construct indoor shooting ranges on school grounds - - just a big box with targets and chairs is all we would need.
The cost though, that must be considered, is the cost of the firearms and the ammo. Obviously, the ammo will be the biggest expenditure; the firearms would be a one time cost to the parental units. Recess would be for target practice. We should consider the purchase of firearms and ammo the same as school lunches; for those who cannot afford the gun and the bullets, they would have to be provided by the school district in question. The firearm itself would remain with the child through graduation.
Storage is another issue. Unfortunately, we have somewhat got away from providing desks for each student with space to store things. It really wouldn't be very effective if the kids had to keep their guns in their lockers; they wouldn't be available if, of a sudden, they needed to shoot someone. For older students, say highschool or middle, they should rather be required to have them in a holster during the school day always at the ready - - or at least in their backpacks next to their desks.
I see three necessary elements of providing third graders and up with firearms then: a firing range, the mindset to shoot fellow humans (when necessary of course), and ample and accessible availability for both the gun and the ammo. Obviously, a loaded firearm should be as necessary to possess as the other school supplies required of a student.
The main issue with giving each student a loaded firearm is to insure that they only shoot people who require shooting. This, of course, will be one element of the firearm training for these students. We all know a third grader and older children can get picked on by classmates or otherwise traumatized; and, then we have teachers who can be rather unpleasant. We really don't want any unnecessary gunfights in the classroom where not only other students get shot but an occasional teacher (they'll have guns too). This would really destroy the whole purpose of guns in schools now wouldn't it?
But on the whole, the benefits obviously outweigh the costs of an occasional dead or wounded student or teacher. Such occurrences should not deter us from implementing such a policy throughout the country. Parents will sleep much better knowing that everyone at school is fully armed and trained to kill.
Richard E H Phelps II
Mingo
