From: fester@island.COM (Mike Fester)
Subject: Re: Japanese exchange student killed in Louisiana...
Organization: /usr/local/rn/organization
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 16:09:56 GMT

In article <Bx6oH8.IFM@ncifcrf.gov> masuda@fcs280b.ncifcrf.gov (Michiaki Masuda) writes:
>In article <HARKCOM.92Nov4100950@spinach.pa.yokogawa.co.jp> harkcom@spinach.pa.yokogawa.co.jp (Alton Harkcom) writes:
>.....
>>  A gunowner is as a driver.  A reckless gunowner is as a
>>drunk driver.  Banning guns due to some reckless gunowners would therefore
>>be like banning cars due to a few drunk drivers...
>.....
>>   As with drunk driving, the reckless handling of a gun will hopefully
>>be made illegal (we still have a long way to go).  But as with cars, I
>>hope that guns are not made illegal due to a few reckless individuals...
>
>   It is illegal to drive a car without a license. If someone cannot operate
>an automobile appropriately, he/she will fail in the exam and hence won't
>be able to drive. On the other hand, I believe that there are many gun

This is not quite true. You need a license to operate a vehicle on public 
roads/land. If you are fortunate enough to have access to provate property,
you need no such license. In the parts of the country in which I grew up,
it was not at all uncommon for 11 and 12 year-olds to operate tractors,pickup
trucks, etc, when helping with farm work. No license. 

>   In your previous posting, you mentioned the importance of the education of
>the gun owners. Mike Fester also said in his message that the education is
>more effective than the legal control. I completely agree to the necessity
>of the good training and education system for the gun owners. However,
>aren't there already educational opportunities offered by NRA, local/federal
>government agencies or other private sectors? If that is the case, the 
>problem seems to me to be a lack of incentives for the gun owners to
>attend the class. It's my impression that unless a legal requirement for
>the education is established, it would be very difficult to motivate the
>average gun owners to spend time and money on the systematic lesson.
>No legal control, no education.

A problem is that in areas with the highest ownership rates of firearms,
you have the greatest opportunity to learn the proper way of using them
from older friends, relatives, etc (rural and small town areas). There is
relatively little incentive to take such a class. In the metropolitan areas,
where firearm ownership rates are lowest, you have less opportunity to take
such classes due to time or financial constraints, yet the abuse rate of
firearms is higher.

>   As I recall it, Fester-san mentioned that he had been using a gun
>since he was 6 years old. Therefore, it would be necessary to start
>the gun education before school age. Or would it be necessary to pass
>another law to limit the age of gun owners?

Personally, I would like to see gun safety/operation classes offered as an
option to high school students, similar to driver's education courses
currently being offered.

Mike
-- 
Disclaimer - I'm only doing what the little voices tell me to do. 
Xref: sparky soc.culture.japan:10491 talk.politics.guns:23918