I try to avoid discussions like I saw early on in this thread…I get people really mad because I support Rights, Liberties, and Freedom too doggone much. Those who desire gun control laws and restrictions like mandatory training don’t like it.
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Based on how my teachers tried, I don’t trust public schools to teach about religion. Or sex.
I assume they would find a way to screw up firearms, as well.
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What is evident here is the shooter was in violation of at least one law.
I wouldn’t want to formulate a policy that punishes the law abiding.
Also, the word mandatory has an un-American ring to it.
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I mean, it’s a neat idea I guess, but…are you sure you want politicians dictating what public schools will teach kids about guns?
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They dictate what they teach our G.I.'s about guns.
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I trust a drill sergeant to teach firearms much more than I trust a public school teacher.
No offense to public school teachers, they have a tough job that few of us would want. But we all know that the 1-2 teachers who are competent in firearms would not be chosen to teach the class. That task would fall to some anti-2A teacher who only got into education so she could teach kids that America is bad.
(For what it’s worth, drill sergeants don’t teach self-defense, either. I learned a lot in the Army. I learned more when I got out.)
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I do believe this is a great way to “muster” self respect and integrity that has been demonized with the political trends we are seeing. Freedom is not free. Great point @Scott52 .
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Because if I was standing on the line of departure about to enter Ukraine, the last person I’d want next to me is some snot-nosed princess who is only there because she had to get her mandatory time in before she could go to Berkeley and study her true passion, political science and women’s studies.
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I’ll politely disagree. Since you mentioned drivers education. DE and a demonstration of skills tests( driving test) are required to get your drivers license. And we still have 10-20 time the amount of accidental automobile accidents than all the deaths involving a firearm. Take out the gun deaths that are intentional, and the suicides, and then the auto death vs firearm deaths goes up exponentially.
I absolutely encourage others to get as much firearm training as they can, but do not believe in mandatory conditions for inalienable rights.
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That’s why I don’t like discussing “mandatory firearm training”.
I’m definitely advocating mandatory training, but people can do whatever they want… and I hate this form of liberty. 
Nothing I can do about this. What I CAN do is to educate new shooters to be responsible of each projectile they shoot from their firearms. This responsibility makes them thinking about proper carrying habits in public and focusing on defensive accuracy (which translates to " don’t miss").
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Yeah, I guess I have a really strong preference for new shooters to get training before they start carrying. One could even make a case for some base level of training before their first firearm purchase, so they can make better purchasing decisions.
But I don’t like the “mandatory” training idea. It runs into the same issue as mandatory wait periods: the person who needs to defend herself right now and can’t wait to attend a class next month.
I also can’t imagine the political fights over what training would be required. Some would set such a low standard that it’d be almost meaningless, except for the trainers who get paid to teach the state minimum firearm safety course. Other folks would set the bar so high that few people could ever own a firearm- mostly anti-2A folks, but I’ve even seen highly trained shooters on this forum who have no tolerance for us commoners that aren’t in the mile target club.
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100% agree on this. If more of us “people of the gun” would have this attitude, there wouldn’t be a need to talk about mandatory training.
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yeah. I was trying to find the word which could be used instead of “mandatory”. Couldn’t find it.
“Voluntary”, “required”, “volitional” ?
There should be something that makes people to attend without forcing them to do this. 
I know… Utopia doesn’t exist.
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Great qualifying answer. Did they dumb down our military as well?
Then it was over before it began!
Is it against the UCMJ to bury said princess/prince in the foxhole during battle? Hey! We all gotta eat, war is hell!
Little Berkeleyites may have to learn that sooner rather than later!
I’ll be fighting from my house, so they have point, gives new meaning to “hold the line”. I know, what line!
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I’m not really sure what you mean. My answer was in response to mandatory military service. I’m opposed. Some people shouldn’t be in the military, and I don’t think any of us would want to rely on Peace Corps rejects in the heat of battle. I don’t know why this makes our military “dumbed down.” On the contrary, I think it’s better off for having its ranks filled with people who want to be there.
OK, ranks filled with people naïve enough to believe a recruiter. But once they re-up, it’s on them.
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Figured you were just opposed to the Berkeleyites and the princesses!
Nah, as long as they stay in Berkeley, they don’t bother me too much.
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How about we take some of the Billions of dollars that Biden is pumping into the ATF and make a rebate program? Anyone who takes a certified firearms safety course gets $100 off their next gun purchase. It will do more to prevent deaths than any of Biden’s ATF proposals. Ideally the ATF would partner with USCCA/NRA etc. and pay for the instructors to teach the classes as well.
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A correction. I just read an update and I was under the impression that she died. So, I retract the murder charges statement. Still, he has no chance justifying it.
A rebate on firearms might be an interesting idea. Perhaps the half of states that don’t have constitutional carry could make their licensing free to those who can show a certain level of training. Or maybe we should make firearm and self-defense training tax-deductible.
Sorry, they’ll never do that, but I can dream.
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