Guns in San Diego schools (JROTC)

[Ranb]

It seems that some people do not like the idea of air rifles being used in Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp courses given at high schools. http://projectyano.org/educationnotarms/ . They claim that there are high powered pellet gun ranges on school grounds. I’m not exactly sure what they mean by this claim, but they may be preferring to the rifle used or the capability of the range they are used on.

I was looking for a link that identifies the rifles used, and the only info I could find was here, http://www.mcjrotc.org/students/Activities.aspx that said the Daisy 853CM, shooting a .177 caliber pellet at 500 fps is the air rifle used. This is not a high powered pelt gun by any stretch of the imagination. When I was in high school, I took an archery class. The 35 pound bow I used beats most small air rifles in the power department by a long shot.

Anyone here ever participate in a JROTC course or take a firearms course in high school? I graduated from HS in 1981.

Ranb

[Bob Blaylock]

When I took JROTC in high school (1978 to 1981) part of the curriculum included marksmanship. At a different high school campus than the one that I otherwise attended, we had a rifle range. And no, we didn't use any pellet guns there; we used actual firearms — .22 caliber rimfire rifles.

[LTC8K6]

http://www.pyramydair.com/images/zoomed/Daisy-853CM_zm.jpg

Well, it looks mean...

It's clearly an assault rifle, and should be banned.

[casebro]

Sure. When I went to high school in San Diego, (class of '71) there was still two interconnected rooms, A-1 and A-2. The A stood for Armory. One wall was a backstop of oak blocks, backed by a steel plate. JROTC students shot actual 22 caliber firearms. Imagine real guns, and real ammo, being shot as part of a school curriculum today.

But the JROTC classes also included firearms safety training, and a Hunter's Safety Certificate. I'm talking about gun education for the masses, something lacking today. It thrills me to hear that the schools are getting back to gun training.

[Beerina]

The 35 pound bow I used beats most small air rifles in the power department by a long shot


That's the bow hunting equivalent of the 10 lb. bowling ball, so you get the full nuance of what he's saying. It refers to the string drawback weight.

[Beerina]

That's the bow hunting equivalent of the 10 lb. bowling ball, so you get the full nuance of what he's saying.

That's the English equivalent of the 4.5 kg bowling ball, which is probably evolutionarily related to lawn bowling, which is probably related to cricket.

[Alt+F4]

JROTC is given in many high schools where I am, New York City. Any type of gun, fake or otherwise is prohibited but the program does have a drill team with wooden rifles which are also prohibited on school grounds.

I think the larger issue from the link provided in the OP is the belief that JROTC is used as a military recruiting tool. Of course it is!

[dudalb]

JROTC is given in many high schools where I am, New York City. Any type of gun, fake or otherwise is prohibited but the program does have a drill team with wooden rifles which are also prohibited on school grounds.

I think the larger issue from the link provided in the OP is the belief that JROTC is used as a military recruiting tool. Of course it is!

Yeah, the gun issue is only a excuse.

Objecting to Air Rifles..commonly known as BB guns..reminds me of the Mom in "A Christmas Story"..."You'll Shoot Your Eye Out, Ralphie".



And getting a .22 rifle when you reach the age of 14 is still common in many parts of Rural America.

[COLONEL]

And getting a .22 rifle when you reach the age of 14 is still common in many parts of Rural America.
!4? I got mine at 8yrs old and mydaughter got her first pellet gun at 5 you can ask the Grayman, he was there when I shot out the window in my gun room with it .She got her first 22 at 8 and I gave one to my nephew when he was 9 .My grand daughter will be 7 in March and she will be getting her first 22.

[Bob Blaylock]

Yeah, the gun issue is only a excuse.

Objecting to Air Rifles..commonly known as BB guns…


Not the same thing. A BB gun is smoothbore, and shoots hard steel balls, called BBs.

An air rifle has a rifled barrel (or else it wouldn't be a rifle) and shoots soft lead pellets (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pellet_(air_gun)).

[Alt+F4]

My grand daughter will be 7 in March and she will be getting her first 22.

I bet the other second graders will be jealous!

But on a more serious note, gun training for kids just doesn't fly in NYC or San Diego (I would think). What irked me about the link in the OP was the parents. If they don't want their kid in JROTC then go up to the school and DEMAND that their kid be removed from the program.

[Bob Blaylock]

And getting a .22 rifle when you reach the age of 14 is still common in many parts of Rural America.


14? I got mine at 8yrs old and mydaughter got her first pellet gun at 5 you can ask the Grayman, he was there when I shot out the window in my gun room with it .She got her first 22 at 8 and I gave one to my nephew when he was 9 .My grand daughter will be 7 in March and she will be getting her first 22.


My wife has a 20-gauge shotgun that she received as a Christmas present from her parents when she was eight years old.

[COLONEL]

Where I went to school JROTC was optional .It was good if you planned on going in to the military .

[Alt+F4]

Where I went to school JROTC was optional .It was good if you planned on going in to the military .

It's optional everywhere so I don't get where kids are saying they were forced into it. There's nothing that changes a student's program faster than a call from an angry parent.

When JROTC started at the inner city public high school where I teach I was suprised how popular it was, and remains. Of the hundreds of kids that I know that went through the program, maybe five joined the military.

[COLONEL]

It might be that the school had a policy like one school I attended where the first week of your freshman year you had to try all the prgrams like home ec.wood and metal shop, etc ,etc. then at the end of the week you pickedthe ones you wanted to take and the ones you did not . Along with shop I opted for home ec. because I got to cook things and then eat it .

[gumboot]

When my dad was at school, they did a similar thing to JROTC; it was called "cadets". Except they used a Browning .303 rifle. And it was compulsory. And that's in liberal gun-controlling New Zealand!

[Carnivore]

In Britain the Ministry of Defence runs a Combined Cadet Force in partnership with individual schools. Schools often employ a CCF Staff Instructor. The Cadets train with 5.56 mm L98 rifles. I have never heard of this being considered controversial even in hysterically anti gun Britain.

[casebro]

There are probably two issues here- anti-militancy, and anti-gun-ness.

I can't speak to the socio/politcal anti-militants.

But in light of the recent SCOTUS decision that us people have the right to guns, shouldn't we expect to see more pro gun education in basic education? Where are the liberals who want to protect 'the children' from other ignorant choices like sex, yet don't seem to be concerned with safe gun handling of other guns?

[luchog]

But on a more serious note, gun training for kids just doesn't fly in NYC or San Diego (I would think). What irked me about the link in the OP was the parents. If they don't want their kid in JROTC then go up to the school and DEMAND that their kid be removed from the program.
I am not aware of any school where JROTC attendence is mandatory. When I was in school it was most definitely optional in all the schools in my district, and the surrounding districts.