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Comment by arethuza | Hacker News Reader

Out of interest, do high schools in the US teach this kind of stuff? The reason I ask is that my son was taught to shoot, gun maintenance etc. at his high school in the UK and we're usually regarded as "anti-gun" as a country!

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Anecdotal but related: My grandfather shot competitively and as a hobby for most of his life (mostly skeet, occasional trap and pistols). Until the 90's he also taught gun safety and competitive marksmanship at a (comparatively very wealthy) area high school. He was dropped from that role as a knee-jerk reaction to the Columbine shooting, as it was deemed "too dangerous" to allow guns, even well controlled and in professional hands and for the purpose of teaching safety and responsibility, on the school property.

I don't know how this played out in the rest of the US, but I have a feeling that there aren't many (if any schools) that allow guns on their campuses, even if for the sake of education.

I grew up in a small town in central California. High School in the early 80's - lots of kids from ag/ranching backgrounds would park their trucks in the school parking lot with a rifle or shotgun hanging in a rack in the back window. I don't recall anyone being particularly bothered by that practice or any problems relating to it.

Same town, different era: My 12 year old nephew received a poor grade and "this is terrible!" written on his essay by his teacher because "What I did last weekend" recapped target shooting with his dad and grandpa at the range.

I live in an area where nordic skiing is super popular and the local high school has a shooting range for biathlon. (in Washington State)

http://methowvalleynordic.com/biathlon-home/

edit: added link

> do high schools in the US teach this kind of stuff

It was pretty common in the 50s, and up to the civil rights era in the 60s, but after that, the answer is very much no. Currently, possession of a firearm on school grounds is a felony for almost everyone.

> Currently, possession of a firearm on school grounds is a felony for almost everyone.

Depends on the state of course, but it isn't a federal GFZA violation if you are state-legal and have a state-issued permit to carry.

That would be a very firm "no". Guns are verboten in the education system, at least where I grew up and went to school. Even talking about guns was a huge "no". Of course, this was only 20 minutes from Sandy Hook, so perhaps not an unreasonable reaction. But still, the fear culture around guns is making it harder and harder to have reasonable discourse about them.

In most areas of the US, no. There is a resurgence of shotgun sports (sporting clays, trap, etc.) as school sports in rural areas, but not really anything specific to safety.

I suppose that if you are in JROTC (junior reserve officers training corps), maybe so.

Yes, it was in the context of the Combined Cadet Force. I just remember a double take when my son talked about the school having an armory!

They have ex-military personnel teaching this as an optional component (you were expected to do CCF or Duke of Edinburgh Awards) - but it is kind of odd to have school kids dressing up in military camo outfits to go into school one day a week.

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