Posted 3/21/01
Gun safety classes teach responsible weapon handling and use to area youth
By Danielle Strenke
With all of the incidents of weapon violence in schools recently, particularly where guns are involved, the issue of teaching children proper gun safety is even more important than ever.
That may be one reason behind the large increases in participation that area firearm safety classes have realized in the last several years. Both Rush City Community Education and North Branch Community Education offer Firearms Safety Training each year.
In Rush City, the series of seven classes have been offered for more than 30 years to ages 12 and above. Participants have averaged around 40 students; last year, the number was 64.
Gene Bengston, along with six other volunteer instructors, runs the program, which began with an orientation and registration class last week.
The series runs through April 24, and includes seven indoor classes and one field trip.
Participants must pass a written test at the end of the training and complete the field trip to be able to obtain a firearm permit through the state.
Glenn Stream, a volunteer instructor for 31 years, said the class teaches students the importance of firearm safety, but also about their obligation to hunting responsibly - with attention to conservation and respect to property owners and other hunters. ìWe teach them how to handle guns safely, and teach them about conservation,î he said.
The class does recognize the importance of stressing the use of guns for sport and recreation only. Stream said the instructors talk with the students about the consequences of ever bringing a weapon to school. ìWe talk about guns and knives in school - what the statute says, and that they canít bring any weapon or ammunition into school,î Stream said.
Rush City schools follow the guidelines of a state policy on weapons in school, which states that students may not possess or store a gun or other weapon in school, on school property, or within a vehicle parked on school property. This includes pocket knives and chains as well.
On orientation night, the students are reminded that safety around guns and other weapons means to respect the seriousness of handling a weapon.
Teaching them about the consequences of misusing or mishandling a gun, whether it be disciplinary action at school, or a resulting injury from their misuse, comes along with the instruction at the firearms classes.
Bengston asked the participants how many had guns in their homes, and whether they knew how to gain access to the guns and ammunition. Roughly one-third of the 35 or so participants knew how to get at the weapons and ammunition even though both were stored in separate places.
Many knew they could find the key to locked gun cabinets or storage areas.
This doesnít mean that your child will misuse a gun simply because they have access, Bengston said, but it is important for parents to talk with their children about gun safety.
Each participant receives a folder of materials for the class. This includes a firearm education manual, information on TIP (Turn In Poachers), DNR information, and a registration form.
The registration is then mailed to the state DNR once the student has successfully completed the course, and they are then registered with the state. The registration ensures that they have completed the firearm safety training before they can be issued a permit for a firearm.
At the orientation meeting, the class is able to view and touch a variety of guns, including rifles and handguns. Although many of the students know where the guns are in their own homes, most have not seen one up close, or touched a gun.
ìI would say only about five percent have the experience of seeing a gun,î Stream said. At the class, they can pick up the guns, and ask questions about them. Each gun is unloaded, of course, but is also equipped with a safety lock. The students can also view and handle the various ammunition for the guns.
New to the Rush City course this year is the opportunity for the students to use a modified b.b. gun that contains a laser-beam instead of ammunition, which is pointed at a television screen.
The instructors play a video of different game animals, and the students are then tested on whether or not they think they have a good shot at the game. It also teaches them how to identify different species of game.
Along with classroom lectures, the participants are given a presentation by conservation officer Brad Schultz, and certified bow hunter educator Brian Kendall.
During the seven weeks of class, the students participate in a Saturday field trip, where they have their first opportunity to shoot a weapon at a target.
Most of the participants in the class are 12 or 13 years old. They must be 12 or older by October 1, 2001 to participate.
Bengston tells their parents that they also have a responsibility to teach firearms safety.
ìA big part of gun safety is safety in the home,î he said. ìThis course meets the minimum requirements for safety instruction. It doesnít mean they can go out and use a gun when they are done; you have to be the judge of their ability.î
North Branch offers firearms safety training in the spring and in the fall; however, the spring session is already full. Residents can look for registration forms for the fall session in an upcoming North Branch Community Education newsletter.