Gun control policies and societal impact

¶ … Gun Safety Be Taught in Schools?

The purpose of this 2009 mixed method study by Cecelia Obeng was to ascertain the need for teaching gun safety to students in pre-K to grade 6. Additionally, the researchers hoped to determine who teachers felt were most qualified to teach children about gun safety and to determine if gun safety were to be, taught the most appropriate grade level. In 2005 there were 3,006 firearms related deaths in among children aged 15 and younger. Of these 822 (27%) were children that committed suicide with a gun, 1,972 (66%) were gun related homicides, and 212 (7%) were a result of accidental death related to firearms. Approximately one-third of U.S. homes with children have firearms. Research indicates that levels of firearm deaths among children are closely related to the availability of guns in the home.

This study was conducted in two counties in a single Midwestern state, was designed for both public and private schools, and involved 102 respondents. Purposeful sampling, a type of non-probability sampling in which the researcher consciously selects specific elements or subjects for inclusion in a study in order to ensure that the elements will have certain characteristics relevant to the study was used. Questionnaires inquiring relating to the purpose of the study were distributed to 150 subjects and were designed to be anonymous. The study took place between April and September of 2008. The quantitative portion of the study involved recording variables and calculating frequencies for age, gender, type of school, grade level taught, years of experience, level of education training in health and safety, and opinions on the three primary subjects of inquiry. The qualitative portion looked for themes and subthemes in the respondent's responses to the three primary questions.

Participants in the study were mostly younger women. Half of the population was between 18 and 34 years of age and in general respondents had less that 7 years teaching experience. The study found a significant difference on the question of whether gun safety should be taught in school, with affirmative responses outnumbering negative responses. The study found no significant difference in responses between groups based on age, 28.4% felt gun safety should be taught in pre-K through 1st grade, and 53.9% believed police or military should do the teaching. Six main themes were identified: gun handling, societal violence, schools as a place of learning, schools as a necessary place for teaching about gun safety, school violence and personal histories. Two subthemes were drawn from respondents who felt gun safety should not be taught in school, schools are not the right place and content of lessons.

The authors concluded that a majority of respondents were in favor of having gun safety taught in schools. A majority also indicated that such instruction must be given by personnel qualified in firearms. The low percentage of respondents saying that gun safety should be taught before grade one indicates that this curriculum should be held off until later in school years. The author noted that respondent's warnings that teaching gun safety will possibility unnecessarily draw children's attention to guns and exacerbate gun related incidents needs further inquiry. Limitations mentioned included that there were no face-to-face interviews and respondent's had no immediate source of clarification with regards to the questionnaire if needed, and the study only involves two counties in one Midwestern state thus limiting the ability to generalize the findings over a greater population. The author concluded that addressing the issue through the implementation of a curriculum that involves a multidisciplinary approach; one that involves teachers, nurses, physicians, police, and parents might be beneficial.