They shot first, thought later
Wednesday's "First Person" editorial essay.
Fire. Aim. Ready.
A 16-member Wake County high school marksmanship team recently was prevented from competing in a state-sanctioned competition. School officials said no to the East Wake High School students because the gun-shooting competition involved (gasp) guns.
Talk about a misfire. The competition in question was a 30-year-old state Wildlife Resources Commission-sponsored and -supervised activity held off-campus. And, for the record, students here have participated in similar activities. I know that because I did (a long, long time ago).
I was a member of the Dudley High School Air Force Junior ROTC rifle team and took park in shooting practice on the indoor ROTC range at N.C. A&T. We fired at targets while lying on our stomachs. (I didn’t know until then the definition of “recoil.”)
I wasn’t that much a fan of guns then and I'm not now. To paraphrase the late Charlton Heston, take this gun from my warm, live hands. Please.
I also was a lousy shot.
But the Wake County ban is heavy-handed and just plain wrong. While guns don't belong on campus, none, in this case, would have been brought to campus. The statewide tournament involves nearly 2,000 middle and high school students competing in skeet shooting, archery, rifle marksmanship and orienteering. It's a safe way to introduce young people to hunting and other outdoor activities.
Although I don't like guns -- especially using them to hunt for sport -- I won't stand in the way of others who do.
As for the competition banned at East Wake High, the same thinking holds: I wouldn't prevent someone else from enjoying a legal activity safely and responsibly. And neither should school officials.
-- Allen Johnson, from his blog “Thinking Out Loud” at news-record.com