To: Editor and article writers at deseretnews.com
From: Jeff Chan 
Subject: A good lesson in responsibility
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2000

Editor,
It's great that some Centerville students are being 
introduced to the kind of responsibility it takes
to stop crime.  It's only reasonable that the lesson
plan include the most effective defensive tool for 
stopping crime, namely a firearm.  National crime
victimization surveys reveal that firearm defensive use
against crime is the safest course of action for the 
potential victim.  [1]

If students are instead taught to be passive or are 
simply left ignorant to the possibility of defending life, 
then their chances for injury in the face of an actual 
crime may be greatly increased.  That would be a grave 
irresponsibility.  I applaud the effort to make students 
aware of effective strategies against crime, and I applaud 
that they are being carefully introduced to some of the 
serious issues responsible adults face.  If taught in a 
sober, non-judgemental way they may learn a valuable lesson
in preserving life and deterring crime.

Please forward this to the School Principal and Police Chief 
if you will.

Sincerely,

Jeff Chan
[address]
[phone]

1. Don B. Kates Jr., The Value of Civilian Handgun Possession
as a Deterrent to Crime or a Defense Against Crime,
http://www.2ndlawlib.org/journals/katesval.html

__

At 01:40 AM 8/16/00 -0700, dragon13 wrote:
>Full Story: http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,185008520,00.html
>[Partially quoted here for introduction under fair use]
>
>Wednesday, August 09, 2000
>
>7th-graders firing guns in class 
>
>Some Davis officials alarmed at police-supervised activity
>     By Elyse Hayes and Jennifer Toomer-Cook
>     Deseret News staff writers 
>
>CENTERVILLE — Davis County school officials say they will look into a
>seventh-grade course that has students handling guns under a police
>officer's supervision.
>
>Many administrators said they were unaware of the gun activity called
>"Shoot, Don't
>Shoot," where students point and shoot real guns loaded with blank
>cartridges at a
>television screen showing gunplay situations involving criminals and
>police.
>It teaches children what police are faced with, said Centerville police
>officer Dwight Christensen, who teaches the course at Centerville Junior
>High, and the activity is done in a controlled environment where police
>provide the weapons. It is meant to teach children that they, too, are
>responsible for their actions, he says.
>
>The interactive videotape of gunplay situations was played for the City
>Council and
>mayor last week at the request of Councilwoman Nancy Smith, who says
>none of the
>school board members or members of the school district she has talked to
>were aware of the content of the lesson.
>
>A number of school officials say they are shocked.
>
>Davis Education Association President Kathleen Leatham says having
>children handle
>guns in school is "wildly inappropriate" and "makes me sick to my
>stomach."  
>
>"And if I were a student in that class, I would refuse to participate."
>
>The content of the lesson came as a surprise to school board members as
>well.
>
>Full Story:
>http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,185008520,00.html