I went to a "current events" function at Miss Miguel's school today. Each student was to select a topic of interest, research it and make a pitch for it. It was like a science fair for social issues, if you will. The parents' job was to make the rounds, have each kid present their cause and ask questions about the issue to see how the kids would handle it. As a backgrounder, these are eighth graders.
There were plenty of generic ones about the endangered water supply of the world, loss of rain forests, dog fighting, etc. While making the rounds, one in particular caught my attention however: gun control! "LET'S GO!" I said to Mrs. Miguel.
Once there, I asked the young man what his issue was. "Gun control." he said. He then went into detail about how at gun shows, anyone who is over 18 can buy a gun with no background check. He then informed me how President Reagan and Mr. Brady were shot in 1981 and how the person who shot them had mental health issues. At that point, the Brady family started their efforts to force background checks, yadda, yadda, yadda. He ended his pitch by showing me a chart of gun violence on a per nation basis, with the good ole' USA in first place...or last if you look at it from his perspective.
Now, I know this kid is an eighth grader and one of my daughter's classmates, so I don't want to be a total ass, but decided to see how he'd react to some questions about his position, with the intent of also forcing him to think about some of his assumptions:
Miguel: "This is all very interesting. Can I ask a question?"
Student X: "Sure!"
Miguel: "So, on your chart, I don't see Switzerland. I know Swiss males are all required to keep military-class weapons in their homes until they are a certain age. But I don't see or hear about much gun violence in Switzerland. Do you know anything about that?"
Student X: "No, I don't. It may be that they have a background check before they are given a weapon. It may also be that since everyone has a weapon, they are less likely to shoot someone, since they may be worried about getting shot at. It's not like Columbine where a couple of kids killed/injured a larger number because nobody could stop them."
Miguel: "Huh. Maybe we should all have guns then instead of restricting them?" (I said, smiling...)
At that moment, and who knows if it will stick or was just a passing moment, he looked like he "got" it. He gave us a nervous smile like, "****. Crazy dude may be right..." so I just shook his hand, told him thanks for his presentation, took his flyer and went on to the next booth.
After the program, I told Miss Miguel about it. "OMG, he had no idea what was coming, did he?" she laughed. I told her my only regret was not pointing to Miguel Jr. and asking, "He shoots a rifle, what do you think of that?" but again, it was about encouraging a young man to think about the issue he chose, not bringing the house down on him.
Hopefully he will think about the issue with my feedback in mind going forward.
There were plenty of generic ones about the endangered water supply of the world, loss of rain forests, dog fighting, etc. While making the rounds, one in particular caught my attention however: gun control! "LET'S GO!" I said to Mrs. Miguel.
Once there, I asked the young man what his issue was. "Gun control." he said. He then went into detail about how at gun shows, anyone who is over 18 can buy a gun with no background check. He then informed me how President Reagan and Mr. Brady were shot in 1981 and how the person who shot them had mental health issues. At that point, the Brady family started their efforts to force background checks, yadda, yadda, yadda. He ended his pitch by showing me a chart of gun violence on a per nation basis, with the good ole' USA in first place...or last if you look at it from his perspective.
Now, I know this kid is an eighth grader and one of my daughter's classmates, so I don't want to be a total ass, but decided to see how he'd react to some questions about his position, with the intent of also forcing him to think about some of his assumptions:
Miguel: "This is all very interesting. Can I ask a question?"
Student X: "Sure!"
Miguel: "So, on your chart, I don't see Switzerland. I know Swiss males are all required to keep military-class weapons in their homes until they are a certain age. But I don't see or hear about much gun violence in Switzerland. Do you know anything about that?"
Student X: "No, I don't. It may be that they have a background check before they are given a weapon. It may also be that since everyone has a weapon, they are less likely to shoot someone, since they may be worried about getting shot at. It's not like Columbine where a couple of kids killed/injured a larger number because nobody could stop them."
Miguel: "Huh. Maybe we should all have guns then instead of restricting them?" (I said, smiling...)
At that moment, and who knows if it will stick or was just a passing moment, he looked like he "got" it. He gave us a nervous smile like, "****. Crazy dude may be right..." so I just shook his hand, told him thanks for his presentation, took his flyer and went on to the next booth.
After the program, I told Miss Miguel about it. "OMG, he had no idea what was coming, did he?" she laughed. I told her my only regret was not pointing to Miguel Jr. and asking, "He shoots a rifle, what do you think of that?" but again, it was about encouraging a young man to think about the issue he chose, not bringing the house down on him.
Hopefully he will think about the issue with my feedback in mind going forward.
