Dear Editor:
I take exception to the to the editorial by Susan Lynn Thursday (“Gun safety should be taught in schools, but not by the NRA.”)
She said “The purpose of the NRA is to spread gun ownership.”
After the Civil War, Col. William C. Church and Gen. George Wingate were distressed by the lack of marksmanship by the military. On Nov. 17, 1871, they established the NRA to promote shooting in a scientific manner. They built a gun range on Long Island in 1872 and later moved it to New Jersey.
At the request of the State of New York they started a hunter safety training course in 1949. In 1960 they started a youth training program, of which I was a member. Today they have several programs including police training, home safety, and online hunter safety programs, and several other. I just watched the Eddie Eagle video, and it shows what children should do if they found a gun and it was presented in a proper format for the age group for which is intended.
The NRA is not about gun ownership at all. It is about gun owners and protecting our rights as Americans. It is about shooting in a scientific manner. And above all, it’s about safety.
If we could teach more people about guns the world and even classrooms would be a lot safer. I can’t think of a better organization than the NRA to look to for training.
Ken Luken
Gas, Kan.
