A bill introduced in the South Carolina House would require that all public elementary, middle, and high schools provide instruction on the Second Amendment for at least three consecutive weeks each school year.
The proposed bill would also require that the state “adopt a curriculum developed or recommended by the National Rifle Association or its successor organization.”
That’s not all.
The “Second Amendment Education Act of 2015" would further designate December 15 of each year as “Second Amendment Awareness Day,” during which schools would “conduct poster or essay contests themed ‘The Right To Bear Arms; One American Right Protecting All Others’ for each grade level.” Parents who do not want their students to participate must provide a written request to the school principal.
Keep in mind that December 14—just one day prior—is the anniversary of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., during which 20 elementary students and six educators were shot and killed by an intruder.
Alan Clemmons, a Republican state representative from Myrtle Beach and a co-sponsor of the bill, told Greenville Online, that “zero-tolerance policies have squelched any discussion of the Second Amendment in schools.” The paper reports that Clemmons said he’s not wedded to the December date for the awareness day. But “he is stuck on the idea, though, because he says schools are increasingly reluctant to talk about guns and gun rights.”
Clemmons and another of the Republican co-sponsors—Garry Smith of Simpsonville—reportedly have ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, a conservative advocacy group with members from both state legislatures and the private sector that crafts model legislation (and has been the subject of much public scrutiny). (Hat tip to Daily Kos on this.)
It’s important to note that the bill has only been introduced and, to be fair, is a long way from passing.