Guns At School

[SmeeAgain]

Obviously I'm older than dirt but when I was a kid, going to school, guns were everyday items.
It was common for kids to get on the bus in the morning with their rifle / shotgun to either be used at "the school gun club" or to get off the bus at a friend's house after school to go hunting / target shooting.
Of course this was long before guns were considered evil, with minds of their own... randomly sneaking out & causing trouble all by themselves.
Most of us kids grew up on ranches. As such most boys had a knife of some sort on their belt. They were necessary tools... not weapons!
Oh we had typical kid fights, but NEVER did I hear of anyone even remotely threaten another with a gun or knife. EVER!
A huge factor in that... every adult had the same authority as our parents... often worse! If we screwed up, we got our backsides beat on the spot! Then long before we made it home, our parents knew all about it and we got beat again! It was always worse at home!
Nobody screwed up much!
This was both elementary and high school. If I could find my old yearbooks, there are several "gun pics" besides the "gun club photos".
Then something changed, when I wasn't paying attention. Guns suddenly became horrifying!
Arbitrarily biting a PopTart into a crude shape of a pistol became a criminal offense!
What happened to toy guns? Seriously... when was the last time any of us saw a cap gun in a toy store? Anybody?

 

[Big_Al]

It was the same when I was in school, mid 60's to late 70's. We brought guns to school for show & tell, also for various school demonstration assignments. We brought them to school and left them in vehicles so we could go hunting after school. We also had fist fights after school , no knives or guns involved. Shook hands and went on our way afterwards. Teachers didn't get too excited about it.

 

[.455_Hunter]

I brought my GEW88, Lebel bayonet and Grandfather's AEF sword to my AP US History class junior year in high school during 1993 for the WW I unit. Just left them in the Assistant Principal's office until class time, and bought them back afterwards- No drama. I just barely squeaked by before the public school "zero tolerance" stupidity started in the mid-90's.

 

[film495]

I believe it was 1990 when I first faces a huge cultural change. When I was a freshman I was initiated by the seniors in the high school. We all were as they were just 4 years earlier. It was not bad, but a bit embarrasing at times, but a right of passage graduating from junior high to high school. My senior year, 1990 there was no initiation and the whole thing was changed to welcome week. I don't know if this was good or bad, but it was a bit odd. I got initiated, I had no say in it. I also had no say if they were going to do away with it when I was a senior. I don't recall any debate or discussion about it at all, it was just done.

This is a bit later in the chronology, but - I believe they got rid of the initiation for something that was considered more sensitive and less likely to hurt anyone emotionally. Years later - I had a short discussion on initiation with someone I went to school with and they said that it crippled them, and had a lifelong impact. I asked them what was so bad, and they said they had to crawl of the floor while older kids laughed at them. I really had nothing to say other than, I think if that is something you really think had a lifelong affect on you, you have much bigger issues than once having been teased for a few minutes by outgoing seniors. but, I guess maybe anyone ever feeling bad for 2 seconds, or facing their fears, or having an excuse to interact with all the seniors as a freshman, which no longer exists, well - all the valuable lessons there nobody cared a whit about. Someone felt bad once, make it go away. damn everyone else who thinks it was a great thing to participate in and good for everyone.

 

[AlexanderA]

I'm fairly old (77). I honestly can't recall guns ever being brought to school. This was in the 1950's and 60's, in Kansas City, Missouri, Lawrence, Kansas, and Austin and Ft. Worth, Texas. It might have been different in more rural areas.

 

[jmr40]

I graduated in 1976. I can remember quite a few long guns in pick-up gun racks in the parking lot. I never knew of any inside the building. We didn't have anything like a shooting or gun club at our school. We had 4 county schools, one city school and one private school in our county. All with 500-700 students.

One of the other county schools did offer a "Sportsmans" class at school through the PE department where they studied fishing/hunting/camping etc. I know that you could get your Hunters ED certification as part of that class. But I don't know exactly how far they went as far as allowing guns inside the building.

But guns in general were viewed much differently than today. We had our share of fights, and no one ever pulled a knife, nor got a gun and finished it later.

 

[.455_Hunter]

I believe it was 1990 when I first faces a huge cultural change. When I was a freshman I was initiated by the seniors in the high school. We all were as they were just 4 years earlier. It was not bad, but a bit embarrasing at times, but a right of passage graduating from junior high to high school. My senior year, 1990 there was no initiation and the whole thing was changed to welcome week. I don't know if this was good or bad, but it was a bit odd. I got initiated, I had no say in it. I also had no say if they were going to do away with it when I was a senior. I don't recall any debate or discussion about it at all, it was just done.

This is a bit later in the chronology, but - I believe they got rid of the initiation for something that was considered more sensitive and less likely to hurt anyone emotionally. Years later - I had a short discussion on initiation with someone I went to school with and they said that it crippled them, and had a lifelong impact. I asked them what was so bad, and they said they had to crawl of the floor while older kids laughed at them. I really had nothing to say other than, I think if that is something you really think had a lifelong affect on you, you have much bigger issues than once having been teased for a few minutes by outgoing seniors. but, I guess maybe anyone ever feeling bad for 2 seconds, or facing their fears, or having an excuse to interact with all the seniors as a freshman, which no longer exists, well - all the valuable lessons there nobody cared a whit about. Someone felt bad once, make it go away. damn everyone else who thinks it was a great thing to participate in and good for everyone.

The horrors...

 

[SmeeAgain]

It was the same when I was in school, mid 60's to late 70's. We brought guns to school for show & tell, also for various school demonstration assignments. We brought them to school and left them in vehicles so we could go hunting after school. We also had fist fights after school , no knives or guns involved. Shook hands and went on our way afterwards. Teachers didn't get too excited about it.

I forgot about the rifles in nearly every truck in the high school parking lot.
There was one in particular with a giant blast hole in the rear corner of the cab. A kid named "Jerry" had his 12ga propped up behind the seat... chambered and of course it fell over.
His dad was so mad at him for being stupid that not only did he confiscate ALL of his guns, he forbid him from fixing his truck! Made him drive around with a 2" jagged hole for the world to see.

 

[SmeeAgain]

I can see where it might be uncommon in city schools for kids having guns & wearing huge knives. Not only was there no place to shoot, wasn't much need for a knife to do your chores before & after school.
I'm still willing to bet city kids had millions of toy guns!

 

[Coyote3855]

When I was in Junior High School in 1957 in a small town in eastern Colorado, the science teacher had a cabinet in the classroom with 5-6 .22 rifles of different configurations. With a note from your parents, you could check one out and take it home for the weekend. Just couldn't take it on the school bus. The teacher would sell you a box of standard velocity .22s for $.50.

 

[Steve S.]

I am 67; I could take a firearm to school if I wished but I do not remember ever doing it. I am convinced that most children can take a firearm to school today, what has changed is the number of times a child can do that.

 

[Steve_OH]

I graduated in 77. Gunrack in every truck window in Highschool. Opening day was an excused absence. Later on they made us show a Hunting License because kids were abusing it. The Gun Club was 5 miles from the school. There was an open bar and all the adults were consuming while shooting trap.I can only recall one time some old guy had one too many and was told to put his shotgun in his car. A few years after Highschool when the wife and I got married our reception was held at the gun club. Her family was all city folk. To this day I can swear I heard them whispering ***, with all the mounts and all hanging on the walls. Today, we live half a mile from "The Club".

 

[SmeeAgain]

We all grew up with "that one kid".
Well... he got a new .22 rifle for Christmas. So he invited me over to see it.
While I was there a neighbor called. An old lady who lived a short walk through the forest.
She asked him to come over quick... her cat was VERY sick and she needed him to pit it out of it's misery.
So he tells me what's going on and announced it's a good chance to try out his new rifle.
We head to her house, he spots the cat near her porch, aims, fires... perfect shot! The cat dropped without ever knowing it had been hit.
I'm in shock, I would have put money on it that he'd screw that up too.
So he knocks on the door. The old lady answers and he proudly says... "We got the job done, your cat never felt a thing."
She said... "What? My cat is right here..."
Dumbass killed her other cat!

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

In JR high we had to take our guns to the office. And grab them after the day. We had good small game hunting behind the school. In SR high we could keep them in our locker. A lot of us would have a pocket knife always. Some would wear their knife in a sheath on their belt.

 

[SmeeAgain]

In JR high we had to take our guns to the office. And grab them after the day. We had good small game hunting behind the school. In SR high we could keep them in our locker. A lot of us would have a pocket knife always. Some would wear their knife in a sheath on their belt.

It's difficult to imagine anything bad happening. Most kids who have been taught gun safety are far more responsible / safety conscious than most give them credit for. I'm still curious what brought on such a drastic change in such a short time.

 

[The Glockodile]

I’m old.

We like to wax lyrical on all this old stuff.

Like how tough we were walking miles to school and all that nonsense.

But the garbage present then remains here now, just in different form.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

My son got hell for taking a spark plug to school for show and tell. He wanted to tell the class about me being a mechanic. Things have gone crazy with these youngsters these days. The old saying spare the rod spoil the child comes into play. .

 

[Mn Fats]

What happened to toy guns? Seriously... when was the last time any of us saw a cap gun in a toy store? Anybody?

They're out there. Just hard to discern whether it's a gun or not, being neon green with an orange handle and all.

 

[Steve_OH]

My son got hell for taking a spark plug to school for show and tell. He wanted to tell the class about me being a mechanic. Things have gone crazy with these youngsters these days. The old saying spare the rod spoil the child comes into play. .

A Spark Plug????? WTH?

 

[Mn Fats]

A Spark Plug????? WTH?

It's less pointy or dangerous than a pencil. I guess shop class is out of the question these days. God forbid a kid handles a screwdriver.

 

[HowieG]

I'm fairly old (77). I honestly can't recall guns ever being brought to school. This was in the 1950's and 60's, in Kansas City, Missouri, Lawrence, Kansas, and Austin and Ft. Worth, Texas. It might have been different in more rural areas.

Memory, what can you do? I took some handguns to history class in junior high in El Paso. Took a rifle to class in college in Denver. Of course, I am only 68.....

 

[arsterling180]

I’m old.

We like to wax lyrical on all this old stuff.

Like how tough we were walking miles to school and all that nonsense.

But the garbage present then remains here now, just in different form.

I'm well before the zero tolerance stuff and I would liked to know where everyone shook hands after a fight. I grew up in an area with money and more often than not the fighting just escalated and got a lot worse. If it wasn't a dweeb getting bullied his friends got involved and you'd see a cycle of people getting jumped and jumped back. There wasn't gun or knife play, but I saw it go to baseball bats, 2x4's, chains, and pipes.

 

[wgp]

Graduated high school in 1970. We had a school rifle club, and a rifle range in a basement under the school. We had several nice target .22s, faulty supervision and police officers came to do a safety session. At one point I was allowed to bring my own .22 to shoot on the range. Nobody ever got shot (we had a couple of issues with some of the guys who carried straight razors). How times change.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

I was in HS in the late 90's and guys had rifles/shotguns in racks in the back windows of their trucks.

So it wasn't all pre-70's that this was going on.

 

[Riomouse911]

I graduated from Berkeley HS in the mid 1980’s.

Not a lot of guns or gun racks seen in that socialist paradise.

Went to college up at Humboldt on the North Coast 1986-1990. I had my Win 1894 .30-30, the Browning A-bolt .338 Win Mag and Ruger 10/22 in the dormitory office locker as they wouldn’t let you have them in the dorm rooms. (I moved them to my from room after the first semester anyway. as I didn’t like others being able to paw over my stuff.)

No way in heck you could do that now.

Stay safe.