Strobridge Elementary Principal Charles Hill has implemented what he considers a key public safety effort: a toy gun buy back program. A child who turns in “their guns” will be given a book and a raffle ticket to win one of four bicycles. I fail to see why such programs are worthy of such effort. Not only will it have no likely impact on the natural tendency of children to play such games, I fail to see the the value of such programs.
For full disclosure, I have previously written columns on the campaign against toy guns (here and here). I fail to see the alarm over such play and, as noted in the prior columns, the obsession of some parents is often based on inaccurate accounts of academic research.
We have made an effort to force manufacturers to clearly mark toy guns to distinguish them from real guns. Tragedies certainly occur where police mistake a toy gun. However, they remain relatively rare given the number of toys and children in this country. We also have mistaken shootings with other objects.
Hill clearly subscribes to the view that playing with toy guns produces violent, criminally inclined children — ignoring the hundreds of millions of adults in his country who were raised on such games and never hurt a soul. Yet, “Playing with toy guns, saying ‘I’m going to shoot you,’ desensitizes them, so as they get older, it’s easier for them to use a real gun.” That is quite a stretch for any academic in cause and effect.
What do you think?
Source: Mercury
“I think the school districts want to make guns as socially unacceptable as smoking” (SwM)
yep … that is exactly what is going on
“I think the school districts want to make guns as socially unacceptable as smoking” (SwM)
SwM,
I agree with your premise, it is social engineering. Curious that they don’t try to “socially engineer’ the meaning of the Constitution much.
SWM: “I think the school districts want to make guns as socially unacceptable as smoking.”
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That’s how it strikes me. Social engineering.
Blouise, I had a good friend who was raised by 7th Day Adventists. Our connection was sports. That’s one of the few things he could do and as you might imagine, he was a helluva 3 sport athlete. He was such a good guy most everyone didn’t swear, talk sex, etc. around him.
Nick, Feminization of education? First sentence:
“Strobridge Elementary Principal Charles Hill…”
“Charles Hill”
What’s the logic here, there are a lot of females teaching school historically so a stupid policy must be related to that fact? While the teachers in K-12 schools are overwhelmingly female the sex of principals is roughly equal between male and female. I’d ask what other wrong-headed policies are part of this feminization process but really, the anger of the last sentence your comment puts me off. I’m thinking that it’s too early for me to open that can of worms.
http://www.edweek.org/media/pot2011final-blog.pdf
bloiuse, My dad’s mother bought me the cap gun and the Annie Oakley suit. My mother did not like it so much. I think the school districts want to make guns as socially unacceptable as smoking. California is a trend leader in many things.
We, my brothers and I, were denied toy guns, candy cigarettes, and bubblegum cigars as kids … my parents were way ahead of their time.
Take away the G.I. Joe dolls as well.
Don’t ask anyone to join the military. The Atlantic and Pacific oceans aren’t as much of a buffer as they used to be.
I had a cap gun as kid. My son had a Davy Crockett hat and a toy rifle and later water guns. My daughter never asked for a toy gun although she played with her brother’s rifle a bit. Never heard much about school shootings back then The shootings have changed the ways families and schools view guns for many but not all as you read of two year olds and four year olds involved in shootings nearly everyday. Too many two year olds play with real guns these days, Mike.
Schools cannot come up with forty cents to make sure a chronically hungry kid has lunch, but they can afford this? Somebody needs their heads examined. A lot of somebodies.
Boy, do I have a pop tart for you and better watch my cocked fingers…stoopid….
Of course, I NEVER asked to play w/ their dolls.
Here’s an unintended consequence. The toy guns that are turned in will be the old, uncool, broken ones. Kids will then go out and buy the new, more popular guns. I think Mattel is behind this Machiavellian ploy. Cap funs are a fond memory of my youth. My sisters always asked to use mine.
You know, there are girls who grow up to abuse their children. Maybe a doll buy back program is warranted?
You can’t make this shit up! If you give a boy a clothespin or a ruler he’s going to pretend it’s a gun. This is the feminization of our educational culture. Now, feminizing has some big positives. It has turned the formerly all male medical profession into a much more human and caring one. All of my docs are women by my choice. Unfortunately, female attorneys have not yet changed the ole boys network of barristers. That’s a real tough nut to crack. But education is a vastly feminine industry. And, when there is imbalance, EITHER WAY, you have stupid shit like this. Why don’t we just cut to the chase and neuter all boys when they get their school vaccinations. We’re kind of doing that w/ Ritalin now.
“Hill clearly subscribes to the view that playing with toy guns produces violent, criminally inclined children — ignoring the hundreds of millions of adults in his country who were raised on such games and never hurt a soul.”
How true that is. I always had toy guns from an age which I can’t really recall, but it was at least 4 years old. As I aged I would get yet more sophisticated ones. I even had a Colt 45 replica with “bullets” you would load with caps. I had a Winchester 73 replica at age nine and a Daisy BB gun at ten. Many, many childhood hours were spent in playing with guns, yet as an adult I’ve never owned a gun, nor ever wanted to. That’s anecdotal. What’s real is that I not aware of any scientific study that correlates a child playing with toy guns and later gun violence. If one can be produced I would be curious as to its experimental design.
This school program is downright silly in my opinion and is not helpful to the discussion of guns we are having in this country. It is the flip side of the NRA’s believing all teachers should be armed.
The purpose is to train this young ones to accept gun confiscation in the years to come. Buy back today teaches them that nobody should have guns. So at some day in the future when they ask for a mandatory buy back of all guns, the (now) adults comply jus like they did in elementary school. Good luck with that.
I want them to leave the mythological connection that we have inside of us to all before us alone. Their job is help them learn how to learn, not lean!
We’ve become a nation of idiots.
“a toy gun buy back program”???
You’ve got to be kidding me.
I am glad we are moving forward to control the hazard of toy guns!:). Educational, and I use that term broadly, institutions have lost their collective minds. I am at the edge of losing all hope.
The “Ministry of Truth” says:
Where is the aversion to accuracy coming from?