Seattle Schools Community Forum: Gun Education in Public Schools

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Gun Education in Public Schools:

Gun Education in Public Schools

by Melissa Westbrook

Danny Westneat:  Last week, when I wrote that we are so awash in guns we may as well teach gun safety in the schools, people across the political spectrum had fainting spells.

We are now one of the most heavily armed states (according to gun-permit counts). Some object to gun classes on the grounds they only endorse this arms race.

McAuliffe has introduced a resolution for the state to promote the use of the National Rifle Association's Gun Safety Program in schools. She co-sponsored it with some gun-rights conservatives, such as Sen. Pam Roach, R-Auburn. (It was introduced near the end of the last legislative session and won't be up for a vote until next year.)

The basic premise is on gun safety, not how to shoot. The NRA's course for the littlest kids, in elementary schools, doesn't include actual guns. It teaches them what to do if they're ever around a gun (stop, don't touch,