Basic firearms safety should be taight in every public school, at several different grade levels, to a degree approproate to the age of the students in question.
Doing so will save lives.
The NRA's "Eddie Eagle" gun safety program for young children has been very effective, where it has been implemented, in reducing firearm-related accidents. That would be a good example of a program suitable for elementary-school kids.
"Back in the day" it was nothing for H.S. students to have a .22 rifle, deer rifle or shotgun in their vehicle, if they intended to go hunting or target shooting after school, and no issue was made of it. Guys a little older than me have told me of bringing their rifles INTO school and locking them in the gym equipment locker for the day, so they could go hunting after school. And yet there was no rash of gun accidents, and no Columbines. I think safety and basic marksmanship with .22 rifles at middle school level would be fine, high schoolers in JROTC could learn to shoot M4's.
One of the big mistakes that people make, when they have guns and children in the same home, is trying to keep the kids away from the guns and ignorant of them. This makes them taboo, therefore facinating... and tempting, and
ignorance + facination makes a bad combination. The thing to do is teach them, and start young.
My son's education in firearms started at a very early age. He was scarcely 3 when I demonstrated what a shotgun would do to a 2liter jug of water. I explained to him that a gun had no brain, so whoever was holding it had
better have their brain in gear. To satisfy his curiosity and remove the "taboo-facination" factor, I told him he could look at and handle any of my firearms he wanted, as long as it was under my supervision (after being fully unloaded). We went over the three basics of gun safety: all guns are treated as if loaded at all times; finger off the trigger; never point a gun at anyone you don't want to kill or anything you don't want to destroy.
He started shooting .22 rifles and BBguns, under careful supervision, at age 4. I'd started at age 5, and wanted to give him a leg up on his old man. :mrgreen:
Once upon a time the ten commandments were taught in school regularly, along with ethics such as the Golden Rule. In those days school shootings were virtually non-existent, despite the ready availability of firearms. I raised my son accordingly, with a respect for human life. He went hunting with me and saw firsthand what happens when you shoot a live animal with a gun, and how it isn't like most video games and there is no "saved game". Ethics and morals, starting early.
Now he is 14. He has handled and fired every weapon I have, and last year he earned my trust enough to be given the combination to my gun-safe. He has never had an accidental discharge or done anything stupid with a firearm, nor do I believe he will....because he's been
taught right.
In principle, I think something like James' idea would be a good thing. In practice, we have too many hoplophobes in this country now for it to be a mandatory program, it would have to be an elective.
Teaching those classes would be a good part-time job for retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeants. :mrgreen: