The RKBA group probably knows I am no fan of possession of hand guns by the general public although I'm not opposed to rifles and shotguns. But Mansfield Frazier's blog in the current Cool Cleveland has a decidedly unique look at the gun culture of the inner city youth and a possible solution to some of the problems. Frazier is also a contributor to "The Daily Beast" so you may have read some of his work.
After giving his background on how and when he was introduced to guns he goes on with this:
But for poor and powerless kids, firearms hold a distinct attraction… which is compounded by a factor of one thousand by our gun culture. From cowboys and Indians, to cops and robbers, to warriors and whichever bad guys Americans just love to hate at the moment… we worship firepower. So why is it any surprise that young kids from dysfunctional backgrounds can’t seem to wait to get their hands on a pistol, to at last hold power in their hands?
Given the fact the National Rifle Association (NRA) is all-powerful in this country, lessening the number of weapons in the U.S. (or more tightly controlling them) simply is not going to happen. For the foreseeable future there will be appreciably more guns on our nation’s streets, not less.
OK, here’s where I go off into dangerous waters: If we can’t control the number of guns inner-city kids have access to, why not teach them the proper way to use them? Then, even if they still decided to bust a cap in someone’s ass, since they were trained maybe they wouldn't hit so many innocent bystanders. Hey, when you live in the inner-city this shit ain’t funny.
Children of NRA members are raised around guns. Except in the tragic Columbine High situations they are usually more familiar with weapons and the danger they pose… and therefore are less fascinated, which makes them safer. So why not do what 4-H Clubs in rural areas do: Teach firearm use and safety to teenagers. We could perhaps utilize Boys & Girls Clubs, or other youth service organizations to implement the training. I guarantee you the NRA would come up with tons of money for such a program (and might even be supportive of other initiatives once they see the need in inner-cities).
I guess it all depends on how it's implemented but I don't share his view that the mainly conservative, mainly white NRA is going to rush to adopt teaching poor kids of color anything about guns except from the barrel end.