Maine, Texas GOP Consider Requiring High Schools To Teach Gun Classes

[magical thyme]

17. 2 cultures

inland versus coast
wealthy versus poor
sophisticated versus never left county, mind state or country

Tied together in very tight-knit, small communities and are literally living in a different time.

The 2 ex-cops that proposed this come from very rural, poor counties where people still rely on hunting to eat and the wood they cut to heat.

They remember (and described during their testimony) when they went to high school and there was a rifle team as part of their regular phys ed curriculum.

They see "Sandy Hook" as a problem of gun safety education. They're nostalgic for a time that has long since passed. They haven't seen, and cannot conceive of, the extreme isolation and loss of community that much of the country lives in.

The ranger who stood up in qualified favor was not really in favor of their bill, but of small child education to "don't touch, get an adult" type of safety education.

The private citizen with qualified support was living in the past.

The governor's rep was against the mandate and in favor of encouraging interested parents to use existing community resources for gun training, of which there are many.

The people who stood up to oppose the bill were excellent, and included the head of superintendents, the head of principals, and several private citizens.

The legislature asked excellent questions of most, and didn't question a couple of private citizens.