From: "David A. Horton " To: firearms-alert@shell.portal.com Date: Wed, 18 May 1994 19:34:03 CST6CDT Subject: RESEARCH: NEA publishes some stats on guns & kids Just flipping through a copy of May '94 NEA Today magazine and came across the following: * NEA Today reports that Pediatrics Magazine conducted a new survey of 5,200 famlies and the results show that of the 37% who own guns, many don't take proper care of the guns or ammunition. 27% of handgun owners keep their guns loaded. 51% store their handguns in unlocked areas. 32% store their ammunition in unlocked areas. * NEA Today also reports that in a recently published issue of The New England Journal of Medecine a study of drive-by shootings was conducted. Their findings: In Los Angeles in 1991, drive-by shootings were so numerous, they averaged 49 per month. 71% of the youngsters shot were gang members. Overall, in 583 reported shootings involving kids, 429 youngsters were wounded; 36 died. All the homicide victims were black or Hispanic; 97% were male. Conclusions? According to the NEA Today, The NEJM says: "In Los Angeles, drive-by shootings are not random events" Finally, NEA Today reports that a new program called "Weapon Watch" has been started in the Memphis City School system. Weapon Watch is a hot line to police to report weapons at school. The call is anonymous, and if the tipleads to confiscation, students could recieve a reward up to $50. Since the programs inception in november of '93, more than 500 calls have been logged, leading to some 70 verified weapon reports and the arrest of nearly 70 kids. Weapon Watch is believed to be the only program of its kind in the nation at the moment, but more are likely to follow. ... David A. Horton The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama "The great object is, that every man be armed..." Patrick Henry (1788) "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States...." -- from the Fourteenth Amendment __ From: "David A. Horton " To: firearms-alert@shell.portal.com Date: Fri, 20 May 1994 13:13:51 CST6CDT Subject: RESEARCH: The National Education Association Jeff suggested I post a follow-up to my previuos post about he NEA. Well, to kill some time yesterday while I was in the library, I did some research of my own on the NEA. Found some interesting stuff that I wanted to share. My comments are in brackets [...]. [I accept responsibility for typos, and unless otherwise indicated, all source material is from the NEA and their magazine NEA Today.] [We all know violence exists in our schools, but just how bad is it?] * According to the NEA, every 2 days 25 children -an entire classroom- are killed by guns in this country. * Nearly 50,000 children were killed by firearms between 1979 and 1991. * In 1991, 5,261 children and teenagers died as a result of firearms. (Source: Children's Defense Fund, and the NEA) * Every 2 hours, a child dies from a gunshot wound. (Source: National Association of Children's Hospitals, and the NEA) * Guns are the number two cause of death among all children aged 10 to 14, and the number one killer among black males aged 10 to 14. (Source: Children's Defense Fund, and the NEA) * Every day, 30 children are injured by gun violence. * The average hospitilization cost for one gun-shot child is $14,434. That's enough to pay for one year of college. (Source: National Association of Children's Hospitals) * Every day, 1.2 million latchkey kids come home to houses in which guns are kept. (Source: the NEA) [And I thought it stopped there ... The NEA is currently lobbying for a nation-wide 'safe schools' program. Their strategy is simple: work hard in Congress and at the state and local levels: ] The NEA totally supported the Brady Bill. The NEA is backing the Omnibus Crime Bill H.R. 3355/S.1607 [ including the assault weapons ban ... ] The NEA recently joined forces with the National Coalition Against Violence (Source: NEA Today, March 1994) The NEA is pushing the major networks to publicize the spread of violence in America's school systems (Source: NEA Today, March 1994) The NEA is working together with the Nat. Coalition Against Violence to produce material, including printed material, videos, and lecture/seminars for use in school districts nationwide to publicize the trend of firearm violence in this country. (Source: NEA Today) Earlier this year the NEA hosted the Children's Express hearings on violence, and included such keynote speakers as Attorney General Janet Reno. The objective was to publicize the rise in gun violence among children across the country. (Source: NEA Today) [It doesn't end there folks ... the NEA is pumping in a lot of cash at the state and local level to combat violence in schools -- *particularly* gun related violence] Major efforts are underway in Ohio, Louisana, and Kentucky to combat this violence (NEA Today) Ohio: The Columbus (Ohio) Education Association (CEA, a division of the NEA) is pushing in court to have guns banned on a local level, and the school administration provide more support and safety for employes who may encounter guns on, or in the classroom. Louisana: In East Baton Rouge, a community-wide effort is underway in conjunction with the district and the LEA to get guns out of schools. A 20 member panel has been established to study the problem of guns and violence in schools. Panle members include administrators, teachers, and concerned citizens of the community. [Wonder how many are gun owners and sportsmen?] At stake are efforts to install metal detectors in schools, remove bookbags, and authorize random locker searches. All such efforts would require raising taxes on the local populace. [One positive note ... I did learn that the district is establishing a special alternative program for repeat violent students. They are required to go to class and must recieve counseling] Kentucky: In Lexington, KEA members and local officals are rallying behind a simple message: tougher gun laws! Judy Johnson, president of the Fayette County Education Association says that "we want truly gun-free schools." Johnson and other members of the FCEA want to get to the root of the problem -- they want to make it tougher for any kid to get a gun. They are going after gun owners: "we believe there must be tighter restrictions and stiffer penalties, and every adult owner of a gun must be held accountable..." With the silent blessing of the NEA and the KEA and FCEA, many parents, teachers, administrators, and others are making their opinions know as they stage anti-violence forums and create anti-gun coalitions. (Source: NEA Today magazine, March 1994) [There it is folks, the blatant position of the NEA. I think we can all look at this stuff and draw our own conclusions about the flaws in their studies without me pointing them out] [With Jeff's permission I'll post this stuff in the archives] ... David A. Horton The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama "The great object is, that every man be armed..." Patrick Henry (1788) "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States...." -- from the Fourteenth Amendment __ Date: Sat, 9 Sep 1995 22:47:03 -0500 From: "Rick Voden" To: firearms-alert@shell.portal.com Subject: INFO: NEA control of guns resolution As you may know, the National Education Association (NEA) favors gun control. Should you find reason to illustrate their position here is how it is written in their resolutions: ====================== National Education Association, 1995-1996 Resolutions. Resolution I-29. CONTROL OF GUNS AND OTHER DEADLY WEAPONS. The National Education Association believes that stricter legislation is needed to control guns and other deadly weapons. The Association supports legislation that provides for prescriptive controls on the manufacture, distribution, and sale of handguns, with particular efforts to eliminate easily obtained, low-cost handguns -- commonly described as Saturday Night Specials. The Association further believes that the sale and possession by the private sector of automatic and semiautomatic paramilitary weapons, such as UZI submachine guns and AK-47 assault rifles, should be illegal. The Association believes that severe penalties should be enacted and strenuously enforced for criminal actions involving guns and other deadly weapons, especially in school settings, and for those who profit from the illegal sale and distribution of these weapons. ======================= Rick rvoden@omnifest.uwm.edu