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http://www.ijreview.com/2014/03/123469-students-field-trip-every-gun-control-fanatics-worst-nightmare/

A couple of generations ago this would not have been news at all. Now, it’s not only news but completely awesome.
After studying the Revolutionary War, students from Craver Middle School in Pueblo, Colorado spent the day at a gun range.
Coordinated by Project Appleseed, a nonprofit that teaches history and marksman ship via The Revolutionary War Veterans Association, the kids were shown gun safety and how to handle a firearm. All of them were allowed to shoot at the range with live ammunition.

These kids very maturely discuss their impressions of the field trip.

Yeah I read about this. Pretty cool.

Good for them.

That is 100% awesome. I don't know if the video mentioned it, but thanks to the parents that also signed off on letting their kids have the experience, also.

OK then...
I guess this is what happens Colorado.

I wonder if there was an opt out

Regardless of your stance on gun regulation, this is a good thing. It's education in the most direct form.

A field trip to a shooting range? What is so special about that? How could people have a problem with that (only if they are Dutch maybe )? In Russia, shooting lessons are a normal part of the school program and just given in the yard.
I guess the US is less gun-crazy than I thought it was. This forum sure is educational

Well if they used recreations of historical guns, yes. Can someone who watched the video tell me if they did?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I wonder if the targets were dressed in red...

The gun safety part should actually be mandatory. Many times over the course of their education.

As for shooting on the range, it might give them an appreciation of how hard it must be and that guns are not magic wands you wave around.

Would simulated bodies with gunshot wounds be taking it too far? I'm against guns, but I still see this can be used positively, especially in that cultural context (the US, not the history lesson)

 Mathieu Raymond wrote:
The gun safety part should actually be mandatory. Many times over the course of their education.

As for shooting on the range, it might give them an appreciation of how hard it must be and that guns are not magic wands you wave around.

Would simulated bodies with gunshot wounds be taking it too far? I'm against guns, but I still see this can be used positively, especially in that cultural context (the US, not the history lesson)

Perhaps a little gruesome and dramatic, but I think the core idea has merit. Maybe instead of body simulations, you use other targets than just paper cutouts, such as gel targets, or if you want something to grab attention, watermelons.

I think there's a difference between educating a child about gun safety and teaching a child to shoot "bad guys"

I was expecting something awesome when I saw Appleseed in the title.

You, sir, dissapoint me.

 Soladrin wrote:
I was expecting something awesome when I saw Appleseed in the title.

You, sir, dissapoint me.

I had the exact same thought.

Despite the fact there were no robots, I was still pleased.

 Iron_Captain wrote:
A field trip to a shooting range? What is so special about that? How could people have a problem with that (only if they are Dutch maybe )? In Russia, shooting lessons are a normal part of the school program and just given in the yard.
I guess the US is less gun-crazy than I thought it was. This forum sure is educational

Well given that the US in general has been removed from the World Wars and scores of other conflicts (as in the US hasn't at one time turned to ruble since the civil war), while the rest of the world has been more of less a battle ground for the past century, a culture of blaming the tool instead of the person using it and that were most people live in a non-wild animal rich environment. A person may go his or her entire life without firing a single live round of ammunition ( Video games don't count) and say that firearms should only be carried/owned by police and military, since their only real experience with firearms would be of those groups using them on a regular basis.

Pertaining to the topic at hand tough I think that this was really well done. It's one thing to hear about the destructive power of firearms in history or how it is used to tar families apart, but its quite another to the pressure of the recoil and to be looking down at a target. It will give them pause of thought and when they are old enough to own a fire arm I hope they do so as an adult and not as 'I want it, I want it, its so awesome!'

 Mathieu Raymond wrote:
Would simulated bodies with gunshot wounds be taking it too far? I'm against guns, but I still see this can be used positively, especially in that cultural context (the US, not the history lesson)

I would be in favour of ballistic gel blocks/dummies just to drive home the point that carrying a firearm is a serious responsibility.

Not a bad idea if it's opt in and closely supervised. If you're going to have gun rights, a good idea to outline the gun responsibilities too.

I'm fairly in favour of this kind of education. I'd like to bring a class to a slaughterhouse for example, or get them to kill and clean their own food once. I think it gives you a new respect and appreciation for where your food comes from. I really doubt I'd get away with that though

 Da Boss wrote:
I'm fairly in favour of this kind of education. I'd like to bring a class to a slaughterhouse for example, or get them to kill and clean their own food once. I think it gives you a new respect and appreciation for where your food comes from. I really doubt I'd get away with that though

I agree... They dissect animals in science class... I think seeing where meat comes from is equally important.

 Da Boss wrote:
Not a bad idea if it's opt in and closely supervised. If you're going to have gun rights, a good idea to outline the gun responsibilities too.

I'm fairly in favour of this kind of education. I'd like to bring a class to a slaughterhouse for example, or get them to kill and clean their own food once. I think it gives you a new respect and appreciation for where your food comes from. I really doubt I'd get away with that though

I don't think most slaughter houses would let you as that would drive a lot of people away from eating what they saw being prepared.

 Da Boss wrote:
Not a bad idea if it's opt in and closely supervised. If you're going to have gun rights, a good idea to outline the gun responsibilities too.

I'm fairly in favour of this kind of education. I'd like to bring a class to a slaughterhouse for example, or get them to kill and clean their own food once. I think it gives you a new respect and appreciation for where your food comes from. I really doubt I'd get away with that though

I had a room mate from Japan who told me he didn't know where meat came from until he was about 8 or 9. Up to that point he just thought it started out already cut and cubed.

nkelsch wrote:

 Da Boss wrote:
I'm fairly in favour of this kind of education. I'd like to bring a class to a slaughterhouse for example, or get them to kill and clean their own food once. I think it gives you a new respect and appreciation for where your food comes from. I really doubt I'd get away with that though

I agree... They dissect animals in science class... I think seeing where meat comes from is equally important.

I remember whenI dissected a cat

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

nkelsch wrote:

 Da Boss wrote:
I'm fairly in favour of this kind of education. I'd like to bring a class to a slaughterhouse for example, or get them to kill and clean their own food once. I think it gives you a new respect and appreciation for where your food comes from. I really doubt I'd get away with that though

I agree... They dissect animals in science class... I think seeing where meat comes from is equally important.

I remember whenI dissected a cat

In science class? In CA? Really? Was this a public school?

Yes, Yes, YES, And YES.
It was for a zoology claas, we also did Squid.

I think kids should learn Artillery Safety as well. It is a fun day outdoors and the explosions are so much more awesome.

Would have been way cooler with period pieces.

good for them! they stopped all the school based shooting training around here, I think my class was the last one to use the .22's officially though our school before the range/program was shut down by the hand wringers.

 LordofHats wrote:
Would have been way cooler with period pieces.

Yes! Muzzle loaded muskets with packs of black powder and freshly smelted lead balls just like in Mel Gibson's "The Patriot".

 Breotan wrote:

 LordofHats wrote:
Would have been way cooler with period pieces.

Yes! Muzzle loaded muskets with packs of black powder and freshly smelted lead balls just like in Mel Gibson's "The Patriot".

Even better would be period costumes and tactics

 kronk wrote:

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

nkelsch wrote:

 Da Boss wrote:
I'm fairly in favour of this kind of education. I'd like to bring a class to a slaughterhouse for example, or get them to kill and clean their own food once. I think it gives you a new respect and appreciation for where your food comes from. I really doubt I'd get away with that though

I agree... They dissect animals in science class... I think seeing where meat comes from is equally important.

I remember whenI dissected a cat

In science class? In CA? Really? Was this a public school?

In my Montana high school, we dissected squid, sharks and snakes. It was pretty cool.

Sure. Those are understandable. I just find cat difficult to believe.