Jennifer Paquin

A mandated firearm curriculum is absolutely inappropriate at public schools. Children attend public schools, typically graduating at 18 years of age. The legal age to purchase firearms is at least 18, sometimes 21. Children should not be exposed to guns before they are allowed to purchase them. This is a laughable attempt at reducing gun violence in schools. The real problem with gun violence initiated by children in schools is that these children even have access to guns in the first place. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens in this country — the answer is real safety policy and prevention, not embedding gun culture into our classrooms. If lawmakers truly care about protecting kids, they should fully fund public education and pass meaningful gun safety measures (ie. by reducing access to and availability of guns) instead of dumping responsibility for this crisis onto already overstretched schools.