The weeks before Halloween are weeks where we, as Americans, need to be aware of the violence going on in our country. Halloween has, in the past, been a day that brought about hate crimes. For example, in 2007, nine teenagers (eight female and one male), ages sixteen to eighteen, were convicted of beating three women on Halloween of 2006. The three women were of a different race than the nine teenagers. They were in Long Beach, California and an area densely decorated with Halloween d'cor when, prosecutors say, one of the attacking teens yelled a derogatory racial statement. The teens continued by hurling small pumpkins and lemons at the three women, and bashed two of them with skateboards. This horrific random attack was stopped when a motorist pulled the attackers off of the victims.



Also in 2007 on Halloween night, teens assaulted other teens (also a crime of attacking a different race) in a fast food restaurant in Howard Beach. One attacked teen was hit in the head with a broom handle ? so hard that the broom actually broke ? and had to have seven staples put into his head. Earlier that evening, several teenagers threw eggs at the each other and spat off racial slurs. At around ten o'clock, the teenagers engaged in a riot, some empty handed and some carrying bats.

The weeks leading to Halloween also pose a threat. Two weeks ago, three men donned Halloween masks in Pullman, Washington, where they knocked a member of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) student group down and kicked him repeatedly while he was down. On the same college campus, another attack on another member of the LGBT happened during the week. When this student visited the campus student health building, he was told he was the fifth person to come in that week after an assault.

From these incidences, it is evident that it would be beneficial for teens and children to understand about peer pressure, hate crimes and how to protect themselves. Front Sight Firearms Training Institute near Las Vegas, Nevada offers courses that teach those things. Understanding the importance of child and youth years, Dr. Ignatius Piazza, founder and director of Front Sight, specifically created a child safety training program and a youth safety training program. In each of these programs, children and youth will learn ? in age appropriate environments ? how to recognize dangerous situations and how to handle and avoid those situations. Youth will get self defense training for violent circumstances, while children will learn how to yell for help and how, when and where to run for safety. It is crucial for children and teens to be prepared to defend themselves, especially around a time that hate crimes are so prevalent. Adults can also take self defense training classes, such as handgun training, rifle training, automatic weapons training (Uzi Submachine Gun), shotgun training, martial arts and empty hand defense training, edged weapons training and defensive driving training. The courses are taught by highly trained law enforcement, military, and private citizen instructors, so each class gives students the opportunity to become an expert in the field.

Front Sight does not want Halloween to pose a threat to citizens anywhere. Everyone deserves a chance to be able to defend themselves, regardless of age, race, sexual orientation or gender.