South Carolina lawmaker wants high schools to spend 3 weeks teaching NRA class on guns

A South Carolina lawmaker has proposed making local school students spend three weeks studying the Second Amendment using materials "developed or recommended" by the NRA, reports CarolinaLive.

State Representative Alan Clemmons, saying he wants  a stronger emphasis to be placed on the Second Amendment, has proposed altering a mandatory high school class devoted to the U.S. Constitution to focus on guns in order to "demystify" them.

"The second amendment applies to every American citizen," said Clemmons. "It is a personal right to bear arms for the sake of defending oneself if the need should arise."

"The discussion should be a scholarly discussion about the history of the second amendment, why was it important to our fathers, why was it so important that it was included in the bill of rights, and how the second amendment folds into modern society."

Clemmons says he filed the proposed legislation in response to school Zero Tolerance policies, saying those policies have an anti-Second Amendment slant.

"That policy in my mind is subjecting the rising generation to the mindset of the instrument, the firearm, is evil regardless of the hand that the firearm is in," explained Clemmons.

Under Clemmons' proposed legislation (H 3023), Dec. 15 would be declared "Second Amendment Awareness Day" and would require public schools to conduct poster and essay contests with state recognition for essay winners. Additionally, three weeks would be set aside in high school U.S. Constitution classes to be devoted solely to the study of the 2nd Amendment, "that has been developed or recommended by the National Rifle Association" as a condition of graduation.

Clemmons also supports proposed legislation that would allow schools to offer a semester-long course on firearm safety that would take kids out of the classroom and onto shooting ranges. That class would also focus on the history of guns and gun rights.

"It's not a mandatory course for students," said Clemmons. "Being an elective course, I am supportive of it.