School Gun Safety Training Pays Off

[hso]

Here's a great story I missed locally back in April of '05. http://www.wbir.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=24754

Knoxville boy receives gun safety award

A local third grader received an award Friday morning for showing good judgment when he encountered a gun.

Katy Davis, education officer with the the Knox County Sheriff's Office awarded eight-year old Billy Thorton a special safety certificate.

Earlier this month, Billy was with his father at a Knoxville branch of the TVA Credit Union when he found a gun in the restroom. The gun had been inadvertently left by a credit union security guard.

Billy says he knew not to touch the gun because he had participated in a gun safety program at his school.

"I saw the gun and I didn't want to touch it so I told my dad," he said.

Katy Davis says this is just the outcome her office hopes for when students receive safety training at school.

"It's very rewarding to know that teaching safety lessons can save a kid's life."

The "Eddie Eagle" gun safety program, sponsored by the National Rifle Association, is designed to teach children the risks of touching an unattended gun.

 

[mbs357]

He "encountered" the gun...
Makes it sound like the thing snuck up on him in a dark alley.

 

[El Tejon]

Whoa! Education works? Go figure.

What is it with cops and security guards and bathrooms? Just leave the pistol in your holster. Why do they always want to take it out and set it somewhere?

El Tejon, who left his pistol in a hotel bathroom in Winamac, Indiana.

 

[Henry Bowman]

El T, I thought that public restrooms in IN had "handgun dispensers."

 

[El Tejon]

Henry, well, you still have to pay, but, yes, most still do.

[Quick someone make up a public "handgun dispenser" machine and post it at DU]

 

[K-Romulus]

obviously a fake story

According to VPC/Brady, such training encourages kids to fool around with firearms . . .

 

[scout26]

*Hops in car and heads toward Winamac, IN......Backs up car, gets out, Mapquests "Winamac, IN".....Prints directions.....gets back in car*

Did someone say free gun ????

 

[El Tejon]

Oh, relax, scout, I realized I had left it on the bathroom counter when I went to pay for my coffee. Land speed record getting back!

 

[k_dawg]

what's wrong with this? Oh wait.. it wasn't so long ago, that was the _expected_ behavior.. not meritous!

 

[Standing Wolf]

Hey, since when does kid + gun not equal tragedy?

 

[Flyboy]

what's wrong with this? Oh wait.. it wasn't so long ago, that was the _expected_ behavior.. not meritous!

Third grade...that's about nine years old, right? If a nine-year-old does something right--especially on this scale, where his natural curiosity encourages him to do otherwise--it's worthwhile to reward him publicly, both to encourage his good behaviour, and to encourage it in others.

Now, if he'd emptied and field-stripped it first, I'd be truly impressed.

 

[Firethorn]

Henry, well, you still have to pay, but, yes, most still do.

[Quick someone make up a public "handgun dispenser" machine and post it at DU]

You mean like this one?

 

[Flyboy]

Firethorn:
! You can't be serious! That's damned near criminal.

I mean, seriously. The guns on the top row particularly--everything in the machine, but those on top in particular--are going to be banged around unconscionably. I hope they at least have some sort of padding at the bottom.