paramedic70002
Member
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2011/09_sep/agenda_items/item_b.pdf
Feel free to use the email address and any of my letter to make your own point to Dr. Wright. The letter I just sent to the Superintendent of the Dept. of Education:
Feel free to use the email address and any of my letter to make your own point to Dr. Wright. The letter I just sent to the Superintendent of the Dept. of Education:
Dr. Patricia Wright
[email protected]
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Virginia Department of Education
/THIS ADDRESSEE REDACTED/LOCAL SCHOOL CONTACT/
September 24, 2011
Dr. Wright and Ms. XXXXX,
I have reviewed the “Elementary School Gun Safety Guidelines and Curriculum.” I must inform you that this document is fatally flawed and should not be used until it has been significantly altered from it's present form. There are several glaring errors and omissions that I will detail below.
Open Carry. This is not mentioned anywhere in the suggested curriculum. There is no law against the practice of open carrying of sidearms by private citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Many Virginians, as well as citizens of several other states, legally openly carry firearms every day. You may want to review the website OpenCarry.org - A Right Unexercised is a Right Lost! ... for more information.
Self defense. The right to self defense is not mentioned as a reason to own or carry a firearm. This is the MOST important reason to own a firearm, and the right to do so has recently been affirmed by the Supreme Court of the United States in DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA v. HELLER, as a function of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. This right is also enshrined in the Constitution of Virginia, Article 13. Further, our Founding Fathers considered self defense a “Natural Right,” in other words, a human right.
Positive uses of firearms. While I recognize that the purpose of the curriculum is to teach firearms safety, there is a great disservice being to the students, parents, “helpers” and all citizens when firearms use is discussed exclusively as bad. Categorizing firearm use as “gun violence,” when violence becomes a “Code word” for “bad,” insults everyone who owns or uses a firearm for a legitimate purpose, and infuses doubt into the student's mind as to whether or not a legitimate firearm owner or user is good or bad. Using a firearm to protect yourself, enforce the law, or fight in a war is a violent action yet not illegal or “bad.” In my opinion this is social engineering of the worst kind. Surely throughout the history of Virginia and the United States it shouldn't be too difficult to find one or three specific positive uses of a firearm by an adult. If so, I will be happy to provide you with as many as you might need. See: Home | The Armed Citizen.
The item, “If you suspect someone has a gun at school or another public area and he or she does not look like a community helper, tell a trusted adult,” is particularly offensive. First, citizens with a Concealed Handgun Permit ARE allowed on school property with their firearm as long as certain rules are met. Second, there is a provision in the Code of Virginia for a Principal to allow certain citizens to bring firearms onto school grounds. Third, and most offensive, it is perfectly legal for a citizen to openly or concealed carry a sidearm in the vast majority of public places in Virginia. The only exceptions are courthouses, jails and prisons, the secured areas of police stations, K-12 schools, and certain Universities that prohibit firearms through inclusion of their policy in the Virginia Administrative Code, such as James Mason University and Virginia Commonwealth University.
By Fifth Grade, many students will have had the opportunity to use firearms for sport shooting, and hunting for small and large game. While we can all hope that their mentors will have instructed them in the proper safety procedures, some will not. The gun safety pledge in Appendix C just barely touches on firearm safety known as the Four Rules, developed by Colonel Jeff Cooper many years ago, but there is nothing in the Curriculum to correspond to it. See: NRA Gun Safety Rules.
I note that in the list of Committees and Resources, there are no firearms law scholars or instructors. I strongly suggest that a new Committee be convened using a wider selection of resources, and the entire Curriculum be reviewed and rewritten as necessary.
At this time, as the Curriculum has been approved, I unfortunately have no choice but to contact my children's school system and make them aware of the obvious reasons they should NOT be adopting this Curriculum, despite that such a Curriculum is desirable and needed in today's society.
On a personal note, I and my wife either open carry or conceal carry a self defense sidearm every day, and we will be introducing our children to shooting and hunting when they are mature enough to do so. We make it a point to let our children know that we have the right to armed self defense as humans, and it is legal and protected because we are Virginians and Americans.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please let me know if I may be of any further assistance.
Yours in service,
/REDACTED PERSONAL INFORMATION/
