“U.S. Attorney John Fishwick Jr. is encouraging students to make a pledge against gun violence,” Virginia’s wsls.com reports. “Fishwick and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives talked to kids at Patrick Henry High School on Friday about guns and violence in the area. He asked them to sign a pledge committing themselves to ending gun violence in their school, community and across the country.”Strangely, the pledge.org‘s webpage doesn’t reveal its financial backers. Anyway, here it is:
I will never bring a gun to school;
I will never use a gun to settle a personal problem or dispute;
I will use my influence with my friends to keep them from using guns to settle disputes.
My individual choices and actions, when multiplied by those of young people throughout the country, will make a difference. Together, by honoring this pledge we can reverse the violence and grow up in safety.
“I certainly believe it makes a difference,” Fishwick asserted. “If I spend time with this and we can convince one student not to make a bad decision with a gun, we can potentially save one life. Then it’s worth all the effort were taking. And that’s how I view it. That’s the best way to try to impact lives.” Amen?
I would ask my kid to pledge never to initiate the use of force. The rest is interference.
Same here. We try to instill the idea that we’ll never initiate the use of force, and to be kind to everyone. However, if THEY initiate the use of force against us, and it rises to the level of deadly force, we WILL fight back with a gun. Nothing wrong with that. I think what they’re doing with this pledge, though, is focusing on the gun, as if that’s the worst kind of force, and other types aren’t as bad or deadly, so those are okay. Initiating the use of deadly force by any means is wrong, and that’s what this pledge should be about. This sounds like a good idea, but it is more anti-gun propaganda and conditioning…
Don’t see anything wrong with that pledge. I’d ask my child what else was discussed at the assembly though in case there’s propaganda that needs to be snuffed out.
I have no problem with 1the first three statements. Thankfully, my son didn’t hang out with thiugs or gang bangers so such admonitions weren’t necessary. However, the fourth statement is the type of collectivist nonsense that adult gun control advocates sell to their followers…
I’ve got no problem with this, at least in theory. I’m quite happy with children not bringing guns to school. I’m quite happy with children not settling disputes by shooting each other. I think that is generally something that responsible gun owners agree with, because not shooting each other to settle “disputes’ is pretty much the definition of being responsible. That’s the way I raised my kids. and that’s the way my grandchildren are being raised,
I can see that these basic principles could be used as a starting point for less acceptable future “pledges”, but it’s pretty hard to be in favor of kids shooting each other.
More government intrusion into our personal lives. When will these people realize that we hired them to work for us we are citizens not subjects. We are not ruled by the king and queen we are ruled by our own beings. Freedom and liberty were the most important things to this country when it was first started. Now you’ve got all these politically correct assholes that think that they can teach us and tell us how to raise our own children this is ridiculous. I would have personally withdraw my student my son or my daughter from class that day as a protest to Federal bureaucracy infringing upon my son and daughters Wright. Can you say overstep. And no posting of who paid for this project Through the Ever So trusting BATFE give me a break these guys break more laws than the criminals they’re trying to in prison.
Here’s an idea how about letting parents the parents and raise their children the way they want to raise their children. It’s absolutely ridiculous that you have federal agencies coming into schools preaching an anti-constitutional crap story. I’m very interested in who funded this campaign of constitution eradication. Hillary Clinton maybe? I bet.
Encouraging children not to shoot each other is government interference and unconstitutional crap? A kid who does shoot someone is going to be subjected to a lot more governmental interference, and rightly so,
Hello it’s not the government’s job to tell me how to raise my children it’s not the government’s job to teach my children gun safety it is my job. That’s the problem with this country everyone wanted everyone else to do their job. I don’t want my kids being brought up by someone else that’s my job it’s my job to keep the lights on it’s my job to keep the food in the refrigerator it’s my job to take my kids to church it’s my job to raise my children end of story. Safety included I don’t see federal agencies coming out to the schools teaching kids how to correctly cross the street and look both ways before doing so this is b*******.
And not let’s not forget who’s teaching this class the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco firearms and explosives give me a break do you remember Fast and Furious or all the pawn shops they opened in the southeast where they were actually asking people to bring in stolen guns and paying such a high price for them that they actually affected the crime rate in these areas. The crime rate in these areas that they set up these pawn shops in 2 supposably catch Gun Runners actually ended up starting more people to become criminals because of the amount of money they were paying these people for stolen firearms people started going out and robbing firearms above the statistics of that County. They created the problem they were there to solve and they hired on young men and women who were mentally disabled so that they would follow their every lead and they could take advantage of the disabled people running the pawn shops for them. This can all be researched on Google where the ATF is still in a major lawsuit with the people who represent disabled people of America over the fact that they purposely hired people with very low IQs so that they would be able to manipulate them in any which way they wish. Batfe is a criminal organization and deserves to be disbanded. The ABC handles all alcohol problems so they’re not even needed for that Firearms are regulated through the state and federal government and are policed by our local and State Police so they’re not needed for firearms problems either. There and political propaganda machine established by the federal government to preach anti-gun propaganda. I work at a gun shop here locally and I will tell you one thing every ATF agent that I’ve ever met has never answered any questions that I may have about Firearms laws they simply tell me I’m not an attorney and you need to get one. This is absolutely ridiculous you ask a police officer state or local if it’s against the law to park somewhere and they will tell you yes or no you can’t get a straight answer out of an ATF agent there is flimsy as a plastic ruler. Because they don’t know what the law is they only know what has been forced down their throats by their higher-ranking officers it’s a shame. So are they a shame. And my children aren’t going to be taught anything by such a corrupt law enforcement agency you might as well have Pablo Escobar teaching kids about drugs and why they’re bad for you it’s a joke.
I am so sick and tired of this “Gun Violence” made up political so called disease, and the virus is the actual firearm. How about parents to teach children not to murder. A parent instituted anti-murder pledge. The ATF shouldn’t waste money on this crap. Look parents should teach children not use violence to solve problems.
@ Dave: “it’s not the government’s job to teach my children gun safety.”
If you think that encouraging children to understand that they shouldn’t bring guns to school and should not shoot each other is a”guns safety” issue, then you have bought into the other side’s narrative. Gun safety consists of recognizing that every gun is loaded, keeping your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot, identifying your target properly, and knowing what is behind your target.
The “gun issue” is only slightly related to “gun safety” in that some number of young people bring firearms to school when they shouldn’t and shoot people they are angry at with no justification. In order to to do that they often violate the basic rules of gun safety, but the bigger issue is that they violate the legal and societal norms against murder, manslaughter, and armed assault. You have a choice a to whether to educate your children about real gun safety; you also have a choice as to whether to explain to your children the fact that murder is illegal and if caught and convicted they would face severe punishment. Neither you nor they have a choice to commit murder without consequences (or, in most places, to bring a firearm into a school), so I really don’t see the harm in the government discouraging in advance conduct that will be punished by that very same (or another) government if it occurs.
Taking a pledge and/or signing a piece of paper is just more Progressive feel-good security theater. It’s exactly as effective as every “Gun Free Zone” sign or laws against aggravated robbery or murder. People who would have been good anyway will be good. People with other agendas will pursue those agendas, with firearms, no matter how many lame pledges they agree to in school.
An attempted robbery, rape or murder is a “dispute”.
Where legal, I would encourage ANYBODY to settle such a “dispute” with a firearm.
I don’t think that the point of this “pledge” was to denigrate the right of self-defense.
When State or Federal governments gut the Pledge of Allegiance or only cite it once a week, what value is a pledge supported by the ATF.
Next the department of education will force students to pledge allegiance to Hillary.
No problem with a reduction in the recitation of the pledge. I’ve made it before and I’d make it again – my only pledge is to the Constitution and it’s ideals. Allegiance to the flag is is the political equivalent of idol worship – useful for children and those who cannot understand concepts and need a tangible focal point.
Even worse is living in Texas with the second pledge here. I’ve made it clear to the kids that while the Pledge is ok, no second entity should ever ask or expect your allegiance.
I disagree with you entirely. This is exactly what this is. It’s another attempt to keep people under control. It used to be in the seventies when I was in elementary school and I went to private Catholic Elementary and high school. Was to stand up for yourself and those around you who may be picked on made fun of or beat on. My father told me never to start a fight with anyone but if the fight comes to you be able to defend yourself. Nowadays in elementary school and in high school any violent action by a student is frowned upon to the point of suspension or expulsion no matter what the circumstances. It used to be when I was growing up in this country if somebody hit you in the mouth while you were in the lunchroom line you had full authority to defend yourself and not that person back out. Nowadays it got this political correctness crap that they preach look the other way turn the other cheek that’s kind of hard to do when two older boys are beating the hell out of you. We have a real problem in this country with our leaders trying to make it very hard for parents in this country to raise their children the way they want their children raised. It’s not up to the ATM or any other federal or state agency to tell me how to raise my children as long as all their Necessities are being that end of story.
RipvanPork – You’ve been asleep for decades. The exact intent of the progtards is to denigrate selfdefense and firearms ownership.
Has yourself how the BS “pledge” appeared nationwide in a one week. More Soros dem astroturf.
I don’t think you’ve had very many dealing with the sort of people who formulate these “pledges”.
I have. They’re almost invariably fanatically anti-gun.
They also promote the laughable fairy tale of police “protection” of individuals, something for which there’s less proof than the existence of UFOs, bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster.
This is about being a passive victim who will die quietly without causing “trouble” for the violent atavists for whom the proponents reserve their REAL sympathies.
No doubt they oppose prison time for these violent criminals (nevermind the death penalty).
Pretty much. I think schools like to quell the idea that we should have the right to self defense. That can’t be farther from the truth. I’m inclined to say no, because why should there be a pledge for good values that these kids should have anyways? It seems like a “gun buyback” style propaganda tool.
Not only that but at some point I’d hope my child could have a firearm at school as part of a few avenues of normal, healthy firearm use (rifle team, ROTC, history classes etc.)
Someone tried to rob me once. I didn’t know the guy but it was very personal.
“Grow up in safety”
Glad I didn’t have that as a goal when I was a kid. I’d be a much poorer person in every way. Safety is boring and exhausting.
I believe this attempt to be well-intentioned, but naive. The gangs will just laugh at this stuff, they have WAY more power and influence. Drugs, sex, expensive possessions, and power…that’s what the gangs have.
The gangs and our Democratic leader Hillary Clinton herself.
What’s your failing to realize here ladies and gentlemen is the simple fact that the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco firearms and explosives and really really big fires is an agency that has been riddled to the Core with Liars lawbreakers and anti-gun anti-constitutional Behavior for the last 10 years at least. They should have never been made into a federal agency to begin with. They should have been a state-run agency under Direct Control of our governor. Buy them becoming federally located and sponsored and funded they have picked up along the way more b******* then a giant wheelbarrow will hold. It sounds good at first when you think okay this seems like a beneficial idea until your kids in the classroom and the political correctness starts flowing from the mouths of these ATF agents about how guns are bad and how people who own guns are bad. This is no more beneficial campaign to prevent children from being shot then Hillary Clinton herself. This is just another attempt 2 impression our children against the Constitution and the Bill of Rights which has kept us free from tyranny for some two hundred and forty plus years. Any attempt made by the federal government or any of their stories to come into a high school or Elementary School and put these pledges that gives them the entire ability to preach anti-gun propaganda. That’s all this crap story is is a propaganda b******* peace.
You’re
As in “You’re” a Grammar Nazi. 😉
They needed to add, “I will only use a firearm for the defense of myself or others to prevent death or greivous injury.” And begin the talk with, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
In middle school we used to take toy guns to school. I had a rifle that folded into a fake radio. Took it to school too. Nobody batted an eye.
No problem with this “pledge” but I would like to see where it comes from. No problem from my 4 grown sons-ain’t my business.
Head on over to the schools in south Chicago and ask those students to take the pledge.
The only pledge that I would want or even permit my child to take in school is the Pledge of Allegiance.
Period.
No, I taught my kids to have morals. That solves the issue.
This is like DARE. Kids will mouth the words and do what they want. A pledge in class doesn’t mean a hill of beans compared to how they’re raised and how they live their lives. But hey, it feels good.
It’s useless. Kind of like a background check: Those who can pass it don’t need it and those who can’t won’t do it.
The pledge is the same. The kind of kid who would think the pledge reasonable is not the kind of kid who would bring a gun into a school to settle a dispute in the first place.
I think this tends to be an attitude that naturally emerges in functional families. I knew it when I was growing up. My three boys knew it without having to be told explicitly. Now the govt has to be parents because so many aren’t.
The picture is creepy, and liberals will find it racist because the hands are white.
More feel good PC nonsense.
No. I wouldn’t get involved in this bullshit.
A friend of mine was telling me about this the other day: in a modern school here in Colorado “self defense” is actually defined as curling up the the fetal position and taking a beating until a teacher or administrator can stop your attacker. Anything else, anything else where you hit back or even touch your attacker is considered the same as what the attacker is doing and can result in legal charges, expulsion, suspension etc.
Yes, punching back these days, in some areas, is felony assault. That’s the level of intelligence of people who bring you stupid shit like this “pledge”.
“Together, by honoring this pledge we can reverse the violence and grow up in safety.”
Given that violence involving guns is in steady decline, wouldn’t “reversing” it increase it? Well done.
So just GUN violence then huh? Ok if they beat someone dead with a baseball bat or choke someone out, stab them to death, kick stomp them or beat them with their bare hands then? Stupid. All this does is give the bad ones the idea that murder IS and option, when it should never be. Teach your kids respect for life, and dignity, integrity, problem solving skills, a sense of community – and self defense skills and when you can and can not use them – and they dont need to sign some stupid pledge that should already be a part of their morals and beliefs.
Nope. Settling disputes is precisely the reason for bearing arms. If someone uses aggressive force to dispute one’s right to life, liberty, or property, that dispute may be resolved with proper responsive force (KE = mv^2). A pledge like this sends the message that “guns are bad, and using one is never justified.” Those words don’t have to be there explicitly for children to get that message.
On a related note, I would also never send my child to an institution where members of a state-sponsored gang were present, much less invited to give them lectures. I’m trying hard to keep my child from falling victim to belief in The Most Dangerous Superstition.
Basically a waste of time.
Another example of a too big and bloated government. It is past time to start trimming at about neck level (for most officials).
If you raise your kids right, such a pledge is unnecessary. If you raise them wrong, a pledge will not keep them from making poor decisions. Either way, this accomplishes nothing.
Does anyone really think that Chicago’s gangbangers or shitheads like the ones who shot up Columbine high school will change their minds about killing because someone asked them to say some pretty words?
Violence is the wrong word. Violence in defense of yourself and others is not only ethical, in some cases, its ethically REQUIRED.
I prefer to use the word AGGRESSION. My children are spoken to daily about how they should never physically aggress someone and that insulting words never justify aggression.
However, they are also taught that if they are the victim of aggression, they have the right to defend themselves. They should either run away or fight, depending on which ever choice is safest.
I have also told them that they will never EVER be punished for defending themselves.
I can think of two examples of disqustion solved by gun: one is road rage, another is turf or influence (gang related). First is extremly rare, almost mythical, second simply dont give a f*** about pledges, laws… So why pull such statement on all young people? Especially when its only about gun VIOLENCE, not any other. I think its simply a dumb paperwork to show “were doin somfin” or its a try program young people subcontious that gun is BAD becouse IT can do gun violence.
What is the point of a pledge against initiating violence using only one particular tool? Apparently, in schools, beating the crap out of people with your bare hands to settle a personal problem is OK. To be tolerated, if not outright encouraged.
I will never bring a
gunstupid, unnecessary tool to school;I will never use
a gunviolence to settle a personal problem or dispute;I will use my influence with my friends to keep them from using
gunsviolence to settle disputes.My individual choices and actions, when multiplied by those of young people throughout the country, will make a difference. Together,
by honoring this pledge we can reverse the violence and grow</strike? by acting like civilized people, we can grow up & live in safety.The point, of course, is to single-out and stigmatize guns, and anyone who might not be bat-guano insane (by which I mean deplorable, irredeemable, bitter, and cling-y) about that particular tool. And to distract at the same time from the actual problems: knuckleheads who think that violence is a convenient answer to just about anything, and enablers who refuse to protect peaceful people from these knuckleheads in the freaking schools, but don’t want people to be able to look out for themselves either, in the schools or anywhere else.
/Persuasion
Now that I’ve ranted it off a bit, the persuasion move is to agree with them.
“Great idea, except the kids should make a pledge about violence. Learning to control yourself when you don’t get what you want is part of becoming a grown-up. It starts with “No hitting.” when you’re two, and we’d be better off if more people got that.”
This is precisely as smart and useful as abstinence pledges, virginity pledges, purity balls, DARE programs and all other forms of attempted forced cowing of teenagers and children.
I was thinking the same thing, these pledges are farce and a emotional way of avoiding the real issues. If anything they are an infected bandage, a disease covering a disease if you will.
No, I wouldn’t have my kids take a empty pledge, rather I have encouraged them to be critical thinkers, and question the merit and validity of such things as these “pledges”, and dig deeper to see what the real root causes are, rather than be lazy and feel good.
Y’know, this wouldn’t be a bad pledge for cops.
Scarier than Bloomberg. Stay the hell away from kids
Do they get a promise ring too?
The nanny state marches on. Anyone else remember when schools were to provide education, not act as social service agencies? The bad kids got sent to the bad kid school instead of being inflicted on the other students, or simply got shown the door. This notion that the purpose of government is to babysit and manage every aspect of citizens lives for them is pernicious and ultimately detrimental to individual liberty.
The pledge itself is pointless. A feel good measure that’s supposed to make up for the governments lack of desire to arrest and imprison the scumbags.
I wouldn’t ask my child to sign a pledge not to rob people, or not to rape, or not to burn down somebody’s home, and I wouldn’t ask them to sign a pledge against gun violence. There are boundaries of acceptable behavior, and they should understand that respect for those boundaries is not optional. Ultimately, of course, each of us decides whether we’re going to be productive adults and assets to our communities, but my children should understand that to my eyes, there’s only one acceptable choice.