Bob Costas Anti Gun Rant on Sunday Night football last night

Martin, or anyone, what else would you propose as a solution?

I would have LOVED to have taken an archery class while in school, that's a great idea! Weapon education as an elective or requirement? That could be really cool too. Hunting in an urban setting is going to require some creativity.

I agree that video games make us more desensitized, and divorce us from the reality of handling/using a weapon, but the reality is that we have them and we need to move forward with them in our lives not bemoan the fact that life was better before them. Is there a movement that needs to be started to encourage people not to buy violent games, either for themselves or especially for their kids? Manufacturers won't make what people won't buy, but will if they continue to generate profits so it's up to us to exercise self-control and common sense and not buy Call of Duty no matter if it would be fun or not.

Not rewarding participation alone, I'm cool with that. I myself would encourage more parents to enroll their kids in martial arts - it both teaches them how to defend themselves, and increases self-confidence and responsibility. My daughter's Taekwondo instructor was a 15 year old black belt when she started, who also served on one of the ski resort's ski patrols and was an honor student. That's the role model I want for my kids, and where I hope they are by that age.

I don't think today's society has become "non-existent", it's just different than it was before. Maybe better, maybe worse, you could argue both ways, but we do need to increase the personal responsibility and self-initiative, no arguments there from me. It is a broad-brush saying that parents don't enforce discipline, because the friends I have with kids sure do. Sure there are bad parents, but they are far outnumbered by those who do try their hardest to raise good kids.

Required military service? Honestly, I'm torn. I believe there would be good lessons learned for everyone to experience it first-hand, but I don't want my kids serving when we have leaders who send us into doomed-to-fail combat situations, with what seems to be no decent comprehension of the history of the culture we are going to "save" and trying to push our ideals on a group that will never accept our way of doing things because that's not what they've learned from infancy and our efforts are destined to only cost us precious lives and massive costly failure. My kids lives are worth more than that.

:thumbsup: Good ideas, any more out there?