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AIBU?

AIBU to think school should not be encouraging children to wield guns?

24 replies

selly24 · 02/10/2015 19:02

Looking at some country boarding schools and have been suprised to see that target and clay shooting are offered as activities. I grew up fairly rurally, but am still a bit "hmmm?" About this.. Are my concerns valid or do I need to accept that these things are the norm at 'country' schools?

OP posts:

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DonkeyOaty · 02/10/2015 19:08

What do you think will happen?

Spartans · 02/10/2015 19:40

Yabu. Clay pigeon shooting is a popular hobby.

I am a knife thrower, dd comes with me and does it too. She has never been tempted to throw a knife outside the club. In fact she is safer with knives than most kids as you are taught saftey along with it.

gBean · 02/10/2015 19:42

Is it not better to teach kids that if they use a gun, they do so responsibly? Being taken clay pigeon shooting is unlikely to turn them into gun wielding maniacs as an adult.

BolshierAryaStark · 02/10/2015 19:43

Don't be ridiculous, of course YABU.
As a side note-wtf is with the double OP? That's twice this week I've noticed it...

SimLondon · 02/10/2015 19:46

Knife-throwing as a hobby? what like circus act style or ninja style?

MissFitt68 · 02/10/2015 19:48

What's wrong with MN lately? Seriously

Spartans · 02/10/2015 19:49

Sim knife throwing is very different for everyone. Some us compete, some do it for fun. We do do charity events where we dress up wtc. last was Vikings and we incorporated throwing axes.

Me and dd are also kick boxers.....you have given me an idea to combine the two

Lelania · 02/10/2015 19:52

My mum barred my sister from playing with toy guns. We used to pretend bananas were guns and when we went to friend's houses we made a beeline for toy guns because we weren't allowed them.

SquinkiesRule · 02/10/2015 19:52

The school my older boys went to had their own guns, older son wasn't interested but younger one did the class where they did all the gun safety and shooting, loading, cleaning and did target practice.
I'm pretty anti gun bit was OK with my son learning to do all this safely and in a controlled environment.
He is also a very gentle person not a gun wielding maniac.

Lelania · 02/10/2015 19:52

That should be my sister and I

Pipbin · 02/10/2015 20:01

YABVU. I grew up rurally and loved target and clay shooting. I am also a pacifist vegetarian.
I am anti gun if it is ever used to kill a living thing but I have no problem with learning to handle and respect guns.

Lurkedforever1 · 02/10/2015 20:06

Yabu. Dds done some at school over the last few weeks. I can assure you she hasn't come home and loaded her nerf gun with hollow points and gone off to play real life grand theft auto.

totalrecall1 · 02/10/2015 20:10

Thats ridiculous YABVU

Witchend · 02/10/2015 20:28

We did CCF at school which included learning to handle a gun properly. None of my friends have shown any inclination to use a gun since. School had a variety of different guns, and we did have a proper range.

However I do perform NSPs on ds' nerf guns when he hands them to me.

selly24 · 02/10/2015 21:26

Thanks for the feedback. Sorry for double post. Total error!

OP posts:

UterusUterusGhali · 02/10/2015 22:37

YABU

In the country lots of children use guns; they learn how to handle them safely.

There is very little gun crime in the sticks.

My DS & I use swords. Doesn't mean we will attack people with them!
I shot growing up. I'm a pacifist hippy sort.

I do want to get some throwing knives though!

fearandloathinginambridge · 02/10/2015 23:01

My son is in the archery club at school - a bow and arrow = weapon. Do you feel uncomfortable with that too?

What are you're actual concerns? People have been shooting clay pigeons for decades with no problem?

Bettercallsaul1 · 02/10/2015 23:06

Clay pigeon shooting and archery are all about skill - developing hand and eye co-ordination and judging distances - not destruction.

DontHaveAUsername · 03/10/2015 16:29

Nothing wrong with children being taught how to use weapons safely. How they use them or whether they abuse them for nefarious activity is how they should be judged.

SilentlyScreamingAgain · 03/10/2015 16:34

I don't think you're being unreasonable. Not wanting your child around guns is a totally valid choice, maybe these aren't the right schools for you?

CatMilkMan · 03/10/2015 17:23

I think Yabu, sorry but I don't understand some of the anti gun sentiment on mumsnet.

Mistigri · 03/10/2015 19:35

Is target shooting really any different to archery, and would you object to that? My kids have both done archery at their (bog standard, comprehensive) school.

I think shooting as a sport is fine as long as it's well-supervised (which it will be - I imagine the licensing requirements are pretty strict).

I think anti-gun sentiment probably comes from aversion to hunting animals with guns, which is fair enough. I certainly wouldn't support teaching children to shoot animals.

CatMilkMan · 03/10/2015 22:28

Thats interesting misti I thought the anti whatever was because of the toll on human life. Didn't even think about hunting animals as a turn off.

CatMilkMan · 03/10/2015 22:30

Also
"Is target shooting really any different to archery, and would you object to that? My kids have both done archery at their (bog standard, comprehensive) school.

I think shooting as a sport is fine as long as it's well-supervised (which it will be - I imagine the licensing requirements are pretty strict)."

In my experience this is completely true.

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