Posted on 01/20/2011 8:13:26 PM PST by Freestar
Gardena, CA - A Southern California-based gun safety group has announced its intention to host a week-long seminar in Gardena following a school shooting Tuesday that left two students in critical condition. According to an LA Unified School District spokesperson, the shooting occurred when a gun inside a backpack accidentally discharged.
"We've heard enough rhetoric demonizing guns, and it's time to take responsibility," said Kevin Lohman, organizer for the local group called Gun Safety Awareness. GSA was formed earlier this month, consisting mostly of members from the California Rifle and Pistol Association (CRPA). "We need damage control, before yet another gun-related accident becomes the last nail in the coffin for America's once respected right to self defense."
Amy Behar, a long time member of CRPA, agrees. "Everybody knows that guns are dangerous, as are many other things — cars, knives, even food. For example, people die from peanut-related allergies every day, and no one is trying to pass laws banning them. But when a gun-related accident happens, suddenly all perspective, not to mention due regard for the second amendment, vanishes. It's a shame that so many people will use a tragic event like this to further their own political agenda."
The group plans to offer a variety of safety instruction workshops and speakers for the event, which is tentatively slated for the end of February. The event is free for students attending local high schools and colleges.
"Our sincere hope is to help prevent something like this from happening again," said Lohman. "Regardless of what you think about guns, this accident was unacceptable and preventable. A gun is not a school supply, not a toy, and a school is not a place for shooting practice or any other activity involving firearms."
They are hardly the only ones speaking up. Mayor Villaraigosa commented, "No student should ever fear for his or her life within the halls and classrooms of our schools." Yet, as school board member Richard Vladovic admitted, "We can't control every entrance and exit at every school all the time... [I]t would be physically impossible to do."
“We cannot fix your troubled teenager,” says Lohman, “but taking action to prevent unnecessary accidents is the responsibility of every person in our community. It's important not to confuse accidents like this one with intentional criminal shooting, as seen in Arizona, and in Woodland Hills today.”
Quite sensible. After all, there is nothing we can do to stop kids from handling guns so we should teach them how to handle them responsibly. :-)
gun ‘accidentally’ discharges, perp changes clothes with accomplice and hands gun off to (third) female accomplice - bullet goes thru one kids neck and strikes female victim in head. from a backpack on the floor?
what’s your point? Single bullet conspiracy theory?
One can’t improvise and run after an accident?
well, I guess technically you COULD set a “shooting age” like we do for drinking and driving.
No, I just have a hard time believing it was an accident, that a gun being dropped to the floor could hit someone in the neck - a leg I’d believe. I also have a hard time believing that someone who just shot two of his friends/classmates would think to change clothes, stash the gun with a molly and take off like a bat out of hell while his classmates lay bleeding - just doesn’t seem to fit with an accident scenario to me.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.