C&P School gun safety class
I'm sorry this is lazy but some of you may find it very interesting.
I think most schools canceled these type of programs many years ago.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- A significant drop in the number of
hunters in West Virginia has left a hole in the state's budget, and
one lawmaker thinks he has a solution: allow children to receive
hunter training in school.
Seventh- through ninth-graders could opt for instruction in
topics ranging from survival skills to gun safety, but the weapons
would have dummy ammunition or be disabled. Sen. Billy Wayne
Bailey, who introduced the bill this month, doesn't envision
students firing real guns during class time.
"It's a way to take this kind of education in the classroom and
make it more convenient for young people," said Bailey, a Wyoming
County Democrat.
West Virginia, where roughly 320,000 people participated in the
recent two-week gun season for bucks, may be the only state
contemplating such a bill, according to the National Conference of
State Legislatures.
Although it still ranks in the top six nationally for sales of
hunting permits to nonresidents, West Virginia sold 154,763 permits
to residents in 2006, a 17 percent decrease from 1997, according to
the state Division of Natural Resources.
The decline is being felt at the state Capitol. This month, Gov.
Joe Manchin proposed spending $1.8 million on DNR's law enforcement
efforts to make up for revenue lost because of the decline of
hunting and fishing permits.
"West Virginia is probably in better shape than other states,
but this is really rather disconcerting from our perspective,"
said Paul Johansen, DNR assistant chief of wildlife management.
Nationally, the number of hunters 16 and older was about 12.5
million in 1996, a 10 percent decline from 2006, according to the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Part of West Virginia's problem is it doesn't require senior
citizens to buy a hunting license. The state has one of the oldest
populations per capita in the nation, and the ranks of hunters
aren't being replenished by young people.
To secure a license, residents have to complete at least 10
hours of training and be at least 10 years old when they take the
test, which includes demonstrating proper gun safety. Would-be
hunters have to show they can load and unload a gun, carry it
across obstacles, and keep the muzzle pointed in the right
direction.
I think most schools canceled these type of programs many years ago.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- A significant drop in the number of
hunters in West Virginia has left a hole in the state's budget, and
one lawmaker thinks he has a solution: allow children to receive
hunter training in school.
Seventh- through ninth-graders could opt for instruction in
topics ranging from survival skills to gun safety, but the weapons
would have dummy ammunition or be disabled. Sen. Billy Wayne
Bailey, who introduced the bill this month, doesn't envision
students firing real guns during class time.
"It's a way to take this kind of education in the classroom and
make it more convenient for young people," said Bailey, a Wyoming
County Democrat.
West Virginia, where roughly 320,000 people participated in the
recent two-week gun season for bucks, may be the only state
contemplating such a bill, according to the National Conference of
State Legislatures.
Although it still ranks in the top six nationally for sales of
hunting permits to nonresidents, West Virginia sold 154,763 permits
to residents in 2006, a 17 percent decrease from 1997, according to
the state Division of Natural Resources.
The decline is being felt at the state Capitol. This month, Gov.
Joe Manchin proposed spending $1.8 million on DNR's law enforcement
efforts to make up for revenue lost because of the decline of
hunting and fishing permits.
"West Virginia is probably in better shape than other states,
but this is really rather disconcerting from our perspective,"
said Paul Johansen, DNR assistant chief of wildlife management.
Nationally, the number of hunters 16 and older was about 12.5
million in 1996, a 10 percent decline from 2006, according to the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Part of West Virginia's problem is it doesn't require senior
citizens to buy a hunting license. The state has one of the oldest
populations per capita in the nation, and the ranks of hunters
aren't being replenished by young people.
To secure a license, residents have to complete at least 10
hours of training and be at least 10 years old when they take the
test, which includes demonstrating proper gun safety. Would-be
hunters have to show they can load and unload a gun, carry it
across obstacles, and keep the muzzle pointed in the right
direction.
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Not a bad idea. Seems like a similar program to the drivers' ed electives a lot of schools offer. 0 -
What a concept. Education as opposed to demonization. Sounds like a winner to me! 0
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