The decision was made less than a day before the East Wake High School (North Carolina) marksmanship team was set to face off in a statewide shooting competition. At the behest of one of the principals of East Wake, along with the superintendent, the school team was barred from competing in the competition.
Wake County, like many school districts, bans the presence of firearms from campuses and school sponsored trips. In this case, however, the decision to prohibit the team from competing extends the ban to state sponsored events, at an off campus location, and under the supervision of adults with firearms training. State law allows for firearm education at schools, while the decision goes directly against it. The decision also goes against efforts from wild life agencies, hunting organizations and other groups engaged in recruiting and replenishing the number hunters. It also goes against the cultural tradition of hunting in rural Wake. All of this for fear of a school massacre occurring.
The 16 member marksman and orienteering team is an offshoot of the school’s future farmers of America. The decision tossed away months of practice and hard work. Had the decision been made sooner, it could have been challenged.
Many Wake schools have marksmanship teams, allowing the use of air rifles at school sanctioned events, such as Cary High School’s Navy JROTC program. But according to the superintendent, JROTC programs are part of the curriculum while FAA programs are not. Ultimately, it came down to the decision made by the superintendent, who made his decision once another school sought permission to participate.
For the past thirty years, the Wildlife Commission tournament has been providing an incentive to middle and high school students to participate in a hunter education course, part of a broader goal of attracting new faces to hunting.
In response to the decision, the International Hunter Education Association expressed concern over the repercussions of such a decision. Their argument is towards the fact that prohibiting participation was a counter productive measure when it comes to the prevention of gun violence.
The event involves a combination of skeet shooting, archery, navigation and rifle marksmanship. The goal is to attract new hunters but more importantly provides means to learn about gun safety and what happens in the case of unsafe gun handling. Without the program, there is no incentive or opportunity to get the gun safety training. This can only lead to unsafe circumstances in many situations. The risk of any sort of school shooting, given the presence of adult supervision, is nil. Studies have in fact shown that it is due to wild life programs that gun safety has largely improved.
All in all, we have a school that is making its decisions out of fear and not looking towards prevention through education, not prohibition. There is clear evidence of the positive effect that education about firearms provides when given to the youth, and these wildlife programs are what enable the state to provide that education. They also help to bring fresh faces to the hunting industry.
Photo Credits: 1
Originally posted 2009-01-26 05:48:18. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Guidelines for Safe Hunting Hunting, by nature, is a dangerous and risky sport because it involves firearms, and shooting those firearms. Hunting accidents occur all year long in different parts of the world, which only proves the importance of safe hunting guidelines and why you should uphold them. Deer hunting safety is a truly...... -
Guide to Hunting Guns Black powder guns and guns with muzzle loaders are quite different in comparison to the hunting guns that we are making use out of today. Today's guns make use of bullets as well as cartridges instead. The old school black powder guns are loaded up with a type of black...... -
Practicing Safety With a Gun While Hunting Gun safety is absolutely critical when it comes to handling firearms and hunting. It is important that you learn how you can practice safety with your gun in order to prevent any injuries not only to you, but also to those that are around you as well. It is vitally...... -
Bison Hunting Alaskan bison hunting is just one of the big game hunting sports in the state. Bison are huge animals that stand about 6 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh over a ton each. Bison are easily recognizable because of their larger and heavier front quarters and their smaller hindquarters....... -
Guide to Hunting Guns pt 2 ... This article is a continuation from part 1. Now what you are going to want to do is to go to the dealer that you have chosen and let them know that you are interested in transferring the purchase of a firearm from a website online. The dealer is......
- Winchester Cabinets, Racks & Safes Gun Safety & Storage Hunting
- Life Jackets & Preservers Swimwear & Safety Sale
- High Intensity Strength Training Gym, Workout & Yoga Exercise & Fitness
- College - NCAA Programs Publications Vintage Sports Memorabilia Sports Collectibles
- Car Gun Locks Gun Safety & Storage Hunting