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Children with guns: the answer is Education

Submitted by cbaus on Thu, 02/17/2005 - 13:19.

Two recent incidences (in Columbus and Dayton) of children misusing firearms have people asking questions. Shouldn't the law mandate that guns be locked up in homes where children live? Shouldn't we just outlaw guns so they can never be left lying around by irresponsible adults?

Since the host of existing gun control laws that made what these children did illegal did nothing to prevent these incidences, there is no reason to suspect new ones would.

What Ohioans should be asking is: Why didn't the parents and school system offer a gun safety course (Stop! Don't Touch! Leave the area! Tell an adult!) to these children, such as the NRA's Eddie Eagle program?

The Ohio legislature has set aside money for school systems to offer this excellent gun safety course to students. But too few schools have taken advantage of it, perhaps having been scared by gun ban extremists who claim that because the NRA is involved, the program encourages gun use by children.

  • In the Columbus incident, where a kindergartner brought a gun he found under his mother's pillow to school, there was, apparently, at least one educated child present when he pulled the gun out to show a friend on a school bus after class. That child yelled to the bus driver, "They have a gun!"
  • Unfortunately for the children in the Dayton incident, there was no such child present, and in the absence of adult supervision or education, a 4-year-old child was killed.

    It is time to start asking school administrators why they aren't utilizing these funds. Even if your child has been educated on what to do if they find a gun, they are put at risk when other children are not so educated.

    Click on the "Read More…" link below for part of an essay which addresses the questions of "How Old Should My Children Be Before I Teach Them to Shoot a Gun?" and "How Do I Keep Them Safe from Guns?"

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    Woman confronted at her workplace by armed, estranged husband

    Submitted by cbaus on Thu, 02/17/2005 - 09:03.

    The Akron Beacon Journal is reporting that Police arrested a Leetonia man on charges of kidnapping and carrying a concealed weapon Monday morning after he allegedly confronted his estranged wife as she was arriving for work in Cuyahoga Falls.

    There were no serious injuries, but responding officers used a Taser to shock the man and take him into custody after he fled the scene, Cuyahoga Falls police Lt. Jeff Childers told the newspaper.

    Childers identified the suspect as 26-year-old Chad R. Kaminski. According to the story, he also was charged with possession of a weapon while under felony indictment for a previous arrest.

    Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

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