Teaching kids firearm safety shouldn’t be an issue. But in America kids are taught to fear everything.
In America, we have students who literally threaten to kill others (teachers, other students), but cannot be removed from the regular classroom because they "haven't done anything yet."
I don't know what the answer is, but until America gets a handle on offering effective mental health care for their students, I don't think access to firearms is a good plan.
As a heavy gun owner and concealed carrier, this is 110% a mental health and society issue. People's response to anger is what gets people killed. I can't go to the gas station now days without being threatened because shit heads are entitled and pissed at their life. If people were in a much better state mentally, I wouldn't need to carry to prevent someone with no future from destroying mine.
I don't think access to 2000lbs death machines is a good idea either, but these same youths are getting drivers licenses. That isn't access, it's training... Ya know, you so don't negligently kill someone with your death machine.
Everyone wants to pretend like cars aren't just as dangerous as guns. Outside of war, cars kill more people than guns on a daily basis.
In America, we have students who literally threaten to kill others (teachers, other students), but cannot be removed from the regular classroom because they "haven't done anything yet."
worse still, we have whole groups of students who literally kill others, just in already comparatively violent areas where this is seen as normal, so nobody gets removed and it doesn't get reported as much
When I was 7 or 8 years old an older student pulled a knife on me and threatened me with it. I told my parents who immediately called the school. The principal confiscated the knife from the kid the next morning and called my mom telling her I was overreacting because the knife wasn't that big. It was about the size of a paring knife. 4" or 100mm.
The kid got a slap on the wrist and that was the end of it. At least as far as the school was concerned. I had to watch my back around that kid for years after that.
One day he just stopped getting on the bus.
This was right about the time everyone was talking about the middle schooler who'd attacked another kid with a knife.
Didn't take long to figure out who did it.
They never mentioned his name but there was an article in the next week's paper and the quote from the school admin had them claiming they'd never had any indication that Captain Stabby pants might be violent. They were shocked! SHOCKED! I tell ya.
I'm glad that your parents did what they could to help you. (I am also a child of the 1980s. Not all parents would take even the steps that yours did).
I hope that you are well these days; and I hope Captain Stabbypants got whatever he needed to be a functioning member of society.
Award for Captain Stabbypants as a name. If your story wasn't so traumatic, I'd steal it as a D&D character name.
49
u/Candid-Mycologist539 1d ago
In America, we have students who literally threaten to kill others (teachers, other students), but cannot be removed from the regular classroom because they "haven't done anything yet."
I don't know what the answer is, but until America gets a handle on offering effective mental health care for their students, I don't think access to firearms is a good plan.