“Children go to kindergarten at the point of a gun”

Last week, GOP state Rep. Bob Kingsbury explained that he believes there is a direct link between the growing inmate population at the Belknap County Jail and the state’s mandatory kindergarten program.

Today, Kingsbury sat down with The Huffington Post and provided details. ”In general,” the 86 year old Laconia lawmaker said, “the towns with a kindergarten have 400 percent more crime than other towns in the same county. In every county the towns and cities with kindergarten had more crime.”

In Kingsbury’s world, kindergarten is not the only factor that contributes to a higher crime rate — but he does not blame day care or preschool programs.

“Children go to kindergarten at the point of a gun,” Kingsbury said. “Children go to day care and it’s not the same; there is no point of a gun.” Kingsbury said he believes that teachers are partially to blame but the rise in crime is not the fault of teachers. Instead he blamed attorneys and the courts for what he called a lack of discipline and rules in schools and for prohibiting teachers from disciplining students as in previous decades.