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DiamondDarryl said:agreed, I aslo agree that teenagers should learn safe practice if they take an interest in guns and other weaponry. However its still my personal opinion that preteens shouldnt be handling military weapons.
I disagree. A weapon is a tool - so's a truck, a G-Wagon, a LAVIII. Kids love to get behind the wheel and pretend they're driving. They love to touch things - someone more versed in child psychology could probably explain this "tactile learning". A weapon is just another tool - nobody is taking loaded weapons to a school, or other public display - what's wrong with letting them "get behind the wheel"? They get to touch the thing, and the assistance of the soldier in attendance regarding handling it properly enhances and broadens the learning.
When I was a kid (in the '60s - pre-PC), the police used to make visits to the classroom (I assume they still do) - at THAT time, they brought their sidearms, and the first thing we kids wanted to do was touch a "real gun" - which we did, after the police officer had given us a demonstration of how to handle it properly, and impressing us with the seriousness of listening to what he was saying. We also loved to handle his billy-club, handcuffs, and talk on his radio - we were IMPRESSED. It didn't hurt anyone then, and I don't see that it would hurt anyone now.
Just for the sake of comparison, I recall one teacher, I think grade 4 or 5, who invited parents of the kids to come in and explain their jobs. You know which ones I remember? The ones who brought "cool stuff" we could touch and handle. There was one father who was an oil company scout (corporate spy), he brought a core sample from an oil rig, and his binoculars. One guy was a dentist - he brought picks and mirrors, and other pointy stuff like that. One guy was a medical doctor - he brought his black bag, it was full of neat stuff we all played with. My dad was an accountant - he brought a calculator - actually a comptometer (that was a big thing then - before calculators or computers had been invented, it had TONS of keys, and you pulled a handle to make it work). I remember those guys - and that was about 40 years ago - they made an impression. Other parents brought other things - but just about EVERYBODY brought SOMETHING - being parents they instinctively knew that kids like to touch.
The point I'm making (badly, I'm sure) is that kids learn partly through touch - and I don't understand what makes touching the tools a soldier uses any different from touching the tools a dentist uses, or a doctor, or an accountant. What's the big deal?
Roy
Edit: Typo