crazy idea....

[Soybomb]

How do we solve the problem of teen violence and america? What do we do with the gun problem?

I think a large part of the problem is that most kids don't have respect for weapons, nor understand just how easily they go off or how powerful they are. In todays school system we have sex ed to teach them about the potentially letal effects of unprotected sex. Why not manditory gun education as well? Spend a half a semester of PE classes reading/watching gun safety material. Show some gory footage so they see the devistating effects. Maybe even on the lat day take the students on a field trip to a firing range where they observe pwoerful weapons like shotguns being used. I'm not saying necessarily let them shoot, but I think a manditory gun safety class might be necessary today. It wasn't years ago but with the glorification of guns in movies and teh like, why not? What do you guys think?

 

[Isla]

It's not a bad idea at all.

I think touring the local prison might not be a bad idea, either.

It may not stop all the kids from acting out in violence, but it will make some of them pause and consider the consequences a little longer.

 

[Pretender]

I think you're underestimating 99% (the other 1% being the mentally incapable and the purely idiotic) of children. To say that they don't know that guns are dangerous and very capable of killing is like saying they don't know that putting your hand in an open flame will lead to burns. They know what they're doing. And what's the point of teaching gun safety? Chances are, not all kids will arm themselves, and only those who plan on arming themselves (since guns are illegal in all schools AFAIK) will be the ones who will be killing the others, wouldn't teaching gun safety and usage do more harm than good?

I'm telling you people, leave the kids alone, they're taking care of the natural selection problem that things like Welfare have deprived us of....

 

[Soybomb]

<< To say that they don't know that guns are dangerous and very capable of killing is like saying they don't know that putting your hand in an open flame will lead to burns. >>



Nope I've gotta disagree with you. I don't think half of them understand the sheer power a gun has at 12-15. You're talking about kids who often go out and shoot realistic looking bb guns at each other and paintball guns at each other all the time. I think many underestimate just how lethal they are. It might not stop all the school killers, but I think it would greatly prevent accidental shootings where kids play with guns and someone gets hrut....

edit: just so we're clear i'm not advocating giving them target practice

 

[lestat]

a lot of the blame falls on the media =[

 

[Ashpool]

Guns in school sounds cool. Education I mean.

 

[Scrapster]

How do we solve the problem of teen violence and america?

Stop bad parents from having more children.

 

[Soybomb]

Well I did think I'd get more responses to this one.....
*shameless soybump*

 

[SmiZ]

<< Stop bad parents from having more children >>



How do you do that?

Chew on this:

Everyone talks about society's moral values falling, but we have no one to blame but ourselves. In the 50's do you think there would have been swearing, near nudity, same sex kissing, etc. on network TV? Of course not because there would have been outrage. Remember the days when people went to the beach fully clothed? All of this has gradually changed over the years. Is there any way to go back? Not without the government outlawing certain things, and I don't think most people want the government running their lives, I know I don't. Temptation island was a huge success, yet even 30 years ago people wouldn't have stood for it. How long until we have gladiators fighting to the death for our enjoyment?

 

[cxim]

better idea Soy....

line up all the kids in school &amp; shoot em once... in the leg or shoulder, just like in the movies .... a little realism would go a long way ....

This would be good technical training for local paramedics &amp; the disaster team as well.

Could combine it with vaccination by using poly-vac bullets.

 

[TheBrit]

Whenever the loonly is caught with the gun, they ought have their gun be use as to shoot their leg off, then teach them the safety of gun. In this way they can't hardly hop into the street with one leg and start shooting??

TheBrit

 

[poop]

I don't believe the blame goes to the media at all. Look at the statistics, crime has gone up and down over the years. Hell, the murder rate in the late 70's was double what it is now.

 

[woodie1]

Since anyone can be a parent I think parents should be held more accountable for their childrens actions. This idea of breeding and then not being responsible for their upbringing is crap. The way kids behave today is unbelievable.

 

[ratkil]

Good Idea, both Soybomb and Ilsa.

One interesting thing is that many people I know who are/were relatively anti gun really change their mind after shooting one. Target shooting is a very enjoyable and stress reducing activity.

 

[Pretender]

<< I don't think half of them understand the sheer power a gun has at 12-15. You're talking about kids who often go out and shoot realistic looking bb guns at each other and paintball guns at each other all the time. >>

Ok, I'll grant this, because there are a bunch of idiotic kids who do this. However, if you start off the topic about school shootings, shifting the topic makes your argument fall to pieces (it was still a clever trick to try, nonetheless ).


Kids who go in to schools to shoot other kids know what they're doing. They're doing it because society, namely the media, the other kids, and the frustration from their lives along with the adequate intelligence to obtain guns has created the opportunity for them to kill their enemies, gain media attention (to hopefully solve a few of the messed up problems with society), and end their own suffering. They know that guns kill, otherwise they wouldn't use them. They aren't running around schools setting off bombs to play around. They're doing it to kill. If they thought guns weren't dangerous, they'd come in with knives, swords, or just more effective explosives.


Sorry Soy-o, not buyin' it...

 

[Deicide]

When I was 12, I knew what a gun would/could do. I've known what a gun could do for most of my life, mostly from watching TV/movies, etc. Doesn't make me a violent person, I can discern fantasy from reality well enough. Education is fine, but it won't keep an unstable kid, who can't see the difference, from going in and blowing away his classmates without the knowledge of the repercussions.

 

[tkim]

not always, but i think it has to do with up bringing. most good kids i know have awesome parents who are involved. the kids are very responsible. some trouble makers i know have parents who work all sorts of hours and are not very knowledgeable about the childrens lives. like i said not everyone but most.

parents should listen and be there for their kids!

 

[tkim]

oh yeah...i second scrapsters motion!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Turkey]

Every generation remarks on &quot;kids today.&quot; In America, each generation gets more liberal than their parents... it's not really new, except that instead of doing drugs and having sex (60's and 70's), the media reports that the &quot;new and unusual thing kids are doing&quot; is shooting their classmates.

Like Pretender, I think that teens understand the power of guns... why would it be chosen as a weapon if they didn't? They probably don't understand the consequences of using one, though, which is a symptom of their parents not teaching them the value of life and respect for others. The easy fix to the problem of teen gun violence in America is gun safety. If anyone needs to be taught gun safety, its the parents who allow their kids easy access to their guns. Maybe they're still bad parents, but at least their kids wouldn't have easy access to a gun. The not so easy fix is to make better parents. Aren't many ways to do that.

 

[Pretender]

If it makes you feel better, as one of the kids in society, I also look down upon my group. Not as much for the shootings as for the media-driven culture that drives most of the teenage children.