CS: Pol-Guns for Children
From: "Pete Ansbro", [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hoo-bloody-ray for common sense! I ask you though"Having given these boys permission to pursue their initial interests, the world of the imagination has become their oyster and they are diving for pearls." I wanted to be derisory about the jargon here, but I'm too tickled by the boldness of the experiment and honesty of those involved. One assumes and hopes that she will continue to foster and encourage their learning through play. She might even turn them into responsible young adults. Pete (now, where's me ray-gun!) ---[Cybershooters contacts] Editor: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website & subscription info: www.cybershooters.org
CS: Pol-Guns for Children
From: Heinrich Harke, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yes, I saw the article and just faxed the following letter to the Editor of the Daily Telegraph, using information previously distributed via CyberShooters: 22 May 2000 Sir, The new research results which show that toy guns in nurseries reduce aggression (22 May) should not have surprised the experts. They appear to confirm, albeit for a younger age group, the results of a monitoring programme of 4000 children between the ages of six and fifteen carried out by the US Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention from 1993 to 1995. The key findings are that children who are given (real) guns by their parents do not commit gun crimes (in contrast to children who obtain guns illegally); they are less likely to commit any kind of street crime than children who have no gun in the house or acquire an illegal gun; and they have much lower rates of delinquency and drupg use than children who obtain illegal guns or do not use guns at all. These findings reportedly surprised the researchers at the time. Do all social scientists wirking in this field start out their research with the same set of prejudices? Yours faithfully Dr Heinrich Harke ---[Cybershooters contacts] Editor: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website & subscription info: www.cybershooters.org
CS: Pol-Guns for Children
From: "Alex Hamilton", [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hi, Steve, Did you see this? Alex. -- Daily Telegraph ISSUE 1823 Monday 22 May 2000 Guns return to the nursery school toy chest By Liz Lightfoot, Education Correspondent A BAN on toy guns in nurseries is being relaxed as new research suggests that they reduce aggression. Far from encouraging violence, they lead to more imaginative and calmer play, says Penny Holland, of the University of North London, a lecturer in childhood studies. Over the past two decades guns have been removed from nurseries and playgroups for fear of turning small boys into potential killers. After the shootings at Hungerford and Dunblane, shops such as Hamleys and The Early Learning Centre introduced weapons bans and parents were advised not to allow their children to use them at home. But Miss Holland said that they had been reintroduced at a number of nurseries and others were thinking of following suit. She said she was surprised by the behaviour of children in nurseries that now allowed them. When the ban was lifted at Konstam nursery in Camden, north London, for example, the level of aggression dropped. Allowing the use of toy guns in a controlled environment provided "an imaginative doorway through which boys' play was enriched", she said. After an initial enthusiasm, the children's interest in weapons, war and super-hero play declined, leading to a more relaxed environment. Miss Holland said: "Having given these boys permission to pursue their initial interests, the world of the imagination has become their oyster and they are diving for pearls." ---[Cybershooters contacts] Editor: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website & subscription info: www.cybershooters.org
