Kennedy 0 #1 March 27, 2005 http://www.dailyrecord.com/news/articles/news3-Gunbook.htm QuoteGun collecting book fires up Boonton mom Won't let son return it to school, saying it may influence kids By Rob Seman, Daily Record BOONTON -- The mother of a fifth-grader at John Hill School said she will not return a book about firearms that her son checked out of the school library because she feels it is inappropriate and possibly dangerous. Robin Barroso said that two weeks ago her son, Kyle, brought home "Guns of the World: The Complete Collectors and Traders Guide," a book she said includes information on how much various firearms cost, what kind of ammunition is used, their range of firing, and also information on machetes. The book, which she said was published by Petersen Publishing, was copyrighted in 1977. "It is definitely not meant for children," Barroso said. "With everything going on in the world this is the last thing my 10-year-old needs to look up." Barroso said she first called the school district office, which referred her to the school, and, she said, she was eventually referred to the school librarian. Because of schedule conflicts with her job, Barroso and librarian Laurie Maggio-Huber were unable to speak with each other. "I told the school to charge me for it, it's not going back to the library," Barroso said. Michael Derczo, the school's principal, said Thursday that the school wants Barroso to return the book and hear her concerns. "We don't understand what concerns there are, but if the parent wants to express them we're all ears," Derczo said. "The expectation of the school is, any public property lent out would be returned," Derczo said. Barroso said she is afraid the book could inspire a child to seek firearms, and noted the recent shooting at a school on an Indian reservation in Minnesota, where a student killed several students and teachers and also took his own life. "I know my son's not going to do it, but I don't know that somebody else's son is not," Barroso said. Derczo said that parents can relay concerns about books to the librarian, or fill out a form about books that would be sent to the school, and would be received by him and the superintendent. The school would then evaluate what action to take on the book. Derczo said the school walks a "delicate line" between censorship and being able to provide information that students could either use for their studies or simply show an interest in. "In general, we want to make sure what the kids are exposed to is safe, but it's part of history, too," Derczo said. When asked if other parents should be responsible for allowing their children to read the book, Barroso responded, "not if they (other children) get the gun and my kid is in the class and gets shot." "It's everybody's responsibility in a community," Barroso said. Barroso said she restricts the television shows her son can watch to family programming such as Nickelodeon, and does not allow him to play violent video games. Her son often checks out books about cars and nature from the library but selected the firearms book because it seemed "different." Superintendent Mario Cardinale said he had not heard about Barroso's refusal to return the book. Cardinale said because he had not read the book, he would not comment negatively or positively about it, but noted that a book about weapons could have some academic value. For example, he said, teaching the history of the Cold War would be remiss without information about nuclear weapons. "Because it's about firearms would not automatically disqualify it," Cardinale said. "It could have sincere historical value." "Obviously if the book isn't given back there's the issue of public property and that's an issue I would be happy to discuss with any parent," Cardinale said. More "it takes a village" drivel. More "I know what's best for you whether you like it or not." More willingness to break the law to impose their ridiculous ideas on others. More and more disgusting. witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1* Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
unformed 0 #2 March 27, 2005 fucking brilliant. let's -hide- information from our children, so when they do come in contact with a firearm, they have absolutely no knowledge of anything about it, and will most likely look at it as a toy.This ad space for sale. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
justinb138 0 #3 March 27, 2005 Next thing she is going to be crying about is teaching about wars in history class.... What's sad is that some people will actually listen to her. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rushmc 18 #4 March 27, 2005 Maybe she should be arrested as a thief? Just think what would happen to a person that would do the same thing with a book that supports say...........being gay or that speaks of abortion? The person that might not return a book like that would be arrested then tarred and feathered"America will never be destroyed from the outside, if we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." Abraham Lincoln Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
unformed 0 #5 March 28, 2005 yeah, no shit, if they read about homosexuals, maybe they'll become gay as well.This ad space for sale. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #6 March 28, 2005 I just sent the school a new copy of the book via Amazon.com I hate censorship. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sfzombie13 314 #7 March 28, 2005 you rock!! that was exactly what should have happened, hats off to ya. information is for everyone, all of it._________________________________________ Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #8 March 28, 2005 Yep. While I do think kids should get age appropriate information about subjects, I don't think any subject should be completely off limits. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeiber 0 #9 March 28, 2005 You rock! Great idea! Ironic how she isn't the slightest bit concerned about the message she's sending by not returning something that doesn't belong to her... JeffShhh... you hear that sound? That's the sound of nobody caring! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kennedy 0 #10 March 28, 2005 ...not to mention the idea that hiding information is better than education or the entire concept of her unilateraly deciding for every user of the library present and future what books they'll be allowed to read. Boy I just love that open-minded liberalism, don't you? Truly sad.witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1* Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyDekker 1,155 #11 March 28, 2005 QuoteBoy I just love that open-minded liberalism, don't you? Is that the same open-mindedness you just used to pin the actions of one parent on a whole group? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gravitymaster 0 #12 March 28, 2005 QuoteQuoteBoy I just love that open-minded liberalism, don't you? Is that the same open-mindedness you just used to pin the actions of one parent on a whole group? Since he spelled it with a lower case "l" I'd say he was refering to an ideology rather than a group. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
markd_nscr986 0 #13 March 28, 2005 Nightingale, Thanks for setting things rightYou are the best!Marc SCR 6046 SCS 3004 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #14 March 28, 2005 funny... last I checked, I fell into a pretty liberal part of the political spectrum. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miked10270 0 #15 March 28, 2005 You've just gotta love the "LIBERAL IDIOT". My own favourite quote: Barroso said she is afraid the book could inspire a child to seek firearms, and noted the recent shooting at a school on an Indian reservation in Minnesota, where a student killed several students and teachers and also took his own life. "I know my son's not going to do it, but I don't know that somebody else's son is not," Barroso said. I wonder how many parents have actually thought or said: "I think that my child is going to shoot up his school when he's older". In the meantime, IF we're going to burn ALL the books & pamphlets about guns, then doesn't that include all the books & pamphlets about gun control? How else can we completely suppress this gun fixation? IM(nv)HO, this parent should be shackled to a seat with her eyes taped open while "Fahrenheit 451" is played continuously to her! Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #16 March 28, 2005 I think they should actually make her read the book Fahrenehit 451. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,177 #17 March 28, 2005 QuoteI think they should actually make her read the book Fahrenehit 451. I'm thinking she should read it to the class, or at the very least help prepare a bulletin board on it. Wendy W.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peregrinerose 0 #18 March 28, 2005 Good thinking!!! Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #19 March 28, 2005 Gotta love Amazon. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites freethefly 6 #20 March 28, 2005 QuoteI just sent the school a new copy of the book via Amazon.com I hate censorship. You are a hero and a defender of free speech. Keep on rocking the boat!!!"...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Nightingale 0 #21 March 28, 2005 seeing something that's wrong and doing what you can to make it right isn't heroic, it's human. It just took five minutes, a few mouse clicks, and a credit card. The police officers, the firefighters, the military, the people who put their lives on the line to help others are heros. I just mailed a book. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Nightingale 0 #22 March 29, 2005 Over the last day or so, I've gotten a few PMs and emails asking for the school's address so they can send a book. Dr. Michael T. Derczo, Principal 435 Lathrop Avenue Boonton, NJ 07005-2240 So far, the following books have been sent: Guns of the World The R.L. Wilson Official Price Guide to Gun Collecting Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury I know why the caged bird sings - Maya Angelou The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain Harry Potter Boxed Set (all 5 books) - JK Rowling I think it's really cool that people are doing this. All the books other than the gun guides and Fahrenheit 451 have come from the American Library Association's list of most frequently banned and challenged books. If anyone else wants to send a book, the lists are linked below. If you like, post here or drop me a PM so I can add your book to the "sent" list so they don't end up with multiple copies of the same book. http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm The American Library Association's list of the top 100 banned or challenged books http://title.forbiddenlibrary.com/ A more extensive list of banned books Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites TypicalFish 0 #23 March 29, 2005 Would the feeling about all of this be different if the book were about alcohol? Isn't there an age where some things might not YET be appropriate?"I gargle no man's balls..." ussfpa on SOCNET Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Nightingale 0 #24 March 29, 2005 A book about how alcohol affects the body would be perfectly appropriate. A book on college binge drinking and frat parties, maybe not. The subject matter of the gun book (history of firearms, pricing, collecting, and determining value) is fine. Now, if the book were titled "how to shoot up your school", that would probably not be appropriate. There is an age appropriate way to address virtually every subject from guns to drugs to sex. To use a different subject, when kids are really little and ask where babies come from, they're told that babies come from inside mommies, and the kids are usually ok with that info. When they get a little older, they ask how the baby gets inside the mommy, and they get the "when a mommy and daddy love each other very much..." explanation. When they're a little older, they start to learn about puberty and sex. When they're a teenager, they probably learn about safer sex and preventing pregnancy. There's an appropriate explanation for virtually anything at any age. If the child is old enough to ask the question, they're old enough for an answer. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites lurch 0 #25 March 29, 2005 Thank you very very much for doing that. There is something terribly wrong in america and getting wronger. This Barroso lady is the alarm and the symptom and she is everywhere, she is spreading and there is very little any individual can do to stop it or fight it or even slow it down. What can be done, you just did. The dark side of the force is going to be really pissed off at you for that and the world just got noticeably brighter. I take my hat off pump my fist in the air and yell "YEAH!" If only there was a way to get fifty million americans to do shit like that all at once... The nation needs a million of you. Well done.Live and learn... or die, and teach by example. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
freethefly 6 #20 March 28, 2005 QuoteI just sent the school a new copy of the book via Amazon.com I hate censorship. You are a hero and a defender of free speech. Keep on rocking the boat!!!"...And once you're gone, you can't come back When you're out of the blue and into the black." Neil Young Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #21 March 28, 2005 seeing something that's wrong and doing what you can to make it right isn't heroic, it's human. It just took five minutes, a few mouse clicks, and a credit card. The police officers, the firefighters, the military, the people who put their lives on the line to help others are heros. I just mailed a book. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #22 March 29, 2005 Over the last day or so, I've gotten a few PMs and emails asking for the school's address so they can send a book. Dr. Michael T. Derczo, Principal 435 Lathrop Avenue Boonton, NJ 07005-2240 So far, the following books have been sent: Guns of the World The R.L. Wilson Official Price Guide to Gun Collecting Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury I know why the caged bird sings - Maya Angelou The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain Harry Potter Boxed Set (all 5 books) - JK Rowling I think it's really cool that people are doing this. All the books other than the gun guides and Fahrenheit 451 have come from the American Library Association's list of most frequently banned and challenged books. If anyone else wants to send a book, the lists are linked below. If you like, post here or drop me a PM so I can add your book to the "sent" list so they don't end up with multiple copies of the same book. http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm The American Library Association's list of the top 100 banned or challenged books http://title.forbiddenlibrary.com/ A more extensive list of banned books Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TypicalFish 0 #23 March 29, 2005 Would the feeling about all of this be different if the book were about alcohol? Isn't there an age where some things might not YET be appropriate?"I gargle no man's balls..." ussfpa on SOCNET Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #24 March 29, 2005 A book about how alcohol affects the body would be perfectly appropriate. A book on college binge drinking and frat parties, maybe not. The subject matter of the gun book (history of firearms, pricing, collecting, and determining value) is fine. Now, if the book were titled "how to shoot up your school", that would probably not be appropriate. There is an age appropriate way to address virtually every subject from guns to drugs to sex. To use a different subject, when kids are really little and ask where babies come from, they're told that babies come from inside mommies, and the kids are usually ok with that info. When they get a little older, they ask how the baby gets inside the mommy, and they get the "when a mommy and daddy love each other very much..." explanation. When they're a little older, they start to learn about puberty and sex. When they're a teenager, they probably learn about safer sex and preventing pregnancy. There's an appropriate explanation for virtually anything at any age. If the child is old enough to ask the question, they're old enough for an answer. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lurch 0 #25 March 29, 2005 Thank you very very much for doing that. There is something terribly wrong in america and getting wronger. This Barroso lady is the alarm and the symptom and she is everywhere, she is spreading and there is very little any individual can do to stop it or fight it or even slow it down. What can be done, you just did. The dark side of the force is going to be really pissed off at you for that and the world just got noticeably brighter. I take my hat off pump my fist in the air and yell "YEAH!" If only there was a way to get fifty million americans to do shit like that all at once... The nation needs a million of you. Well done.Live and learn... or die, and teach by example. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites