TargetTalk

And the NRA rules have the same kind of allowance of handling rifles during the prep period.

Marcus

And wouldn't it be wonderful if "we" (NRA, and all other Air Rifle Programs) all either used the same rule book, or had exactly the same rules / information under the cover... Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. I must remind myself that it's all about the athlete, not the egos and personalities of the old guard. Maybe someday...

Roy McClain
Spalding County Shooting Sports
4H Project S.A.F.E. Coach / Volunteer
(678) 772-8185 cell / (770) 412-6604 home

"If your plan is for one year, plant rice.
If your plan is for ten years, plant trees.
If your plan is for one hundred years,
educate children." -- Confucius

NRA was originally part of the "National Counsel" for the 3P Air Program, however they let theri egos get in the way of what is best for the athletes.

3 rules of safety should be reviewed each and every match, it only takes 2 minutes or less. Muzzle control, finger off the trigger until the sights are on the target, and action open unless actually shooting (or dry firing). The ROTC cadet that shot his fellow cadet violated all 3 rules or the incident would not have happened. Dropping the .22 program is an admission that the program cannot teach the 3 basic rules. Too bad, it is not that hard :~(

Anonymous wrote:Hey everyone,
I just wanted to say that JROTC marksmanship in air rifle only has been started up again. They have discontinued the .22 program. I'm trying to find the official new rules for this program. I took a safety test and there are still some blanks and things that don't follow how a match is run, say for NRA or USA programs. As far as I know there is no such thing as a prep period where you can handle rifles in position.

Another thing, my dad shot at the same high school that i do now under AJROTC command in the '70s. I know this program started before this and that in all these years there has never been a shooting injury.

In Utah very recently a college student was hit in the chest by a hockey puck and died. Tragic to be sure, but will they cancel hockey? Doubtful. The politics of cancelling a program over an incident should not be overlooked.

I was actually in the range when this happened, terrible tragedy, it just goes to show how much rifle saftey was not a concern for the academy

Some where in the higharcy of the people in charge is a person with more authority than good sense. I characterise them as people that know all there is to know about rifle marksmanship only most of what they know is WRONG. They also get good soldiers killed in combat because of the same problem. Good Shooting Bill Horton

One more comment If you allow me. Officers assigned to this program are usually being placed here to keep them in a position where they can do the least harm. The driving force behind most of their decisions is the concept of do no wrong, at least not on my watch. It is viewed as a personal failure by the higharcy when something like this happens and the fear that someone down the chain of responsibilities is going to be held accountable paralizes the decision making process. Thats just how it works in a regid higharciel enviorenment. Hope for a better decision in the future. Good Shooting Bill Horton

Bill,

Sorry to disagree, but JuniorROTC instructors are retired military hired by the schools, not on assignment by the military.

College level ROTC instructors, on the other hand, are active military.

Having served in a combat area after comissioning under a couple of my prior ROTC instructors, I can tell you they were very competent and not being kept where they could do the least damage.

Unfortunately, you just cannot paint with a broad brush.

In my location a vast majority of the JROTC instructors do a great job in instructing the kids in the safety aspects. There is one or two in the state, however, when their kids come into the range, the RO's are right there watching them like hawks and patiently correcting mistakes.

The only ROTC instructor I've had shooters from, were well aware of conforming with the safety issues.

As much as I'd love to say all 4-H'rs in NM are safe, again, some are, some are not. I had to make two major corrections during our rifle check-in this year .... one young lady gave me a look that prompted a "wipe that look off your face in 3 seconds or you are out of the tournament" from me.

I am sure that even in the incidents discussed above, safety had been taught, and probably taught well. All it takes is inattention ... even a little. Folks losing track of what they are doing (or supposed to be doing) up on the line .... chatting with others, on their cells, trying to do too many things at once ... that's where the trouble begins.

My job as an instructor, coach, RO is to make sure those items do not occur on the line. The time for all that is when the gear & guns are safely put away .... THEN you can chat up the gal (or guy) that was next to you...... but do it off the line

In my earlier post I was refering only to the administrative higharcy and not about the grunts that work where the rubber meets the road. As I said once before the problem is not because of what they know , Its what they know that is wrong. And all tied up in The Not On My Watch concerns Along with the burning desire to avoid being associated with a problem. Good Shooting Bill Horton

Peter Dorn wrote:As much as we try to be on top of everything on the range (and we should) if we look left, something inevitably happens on the right. It takes a split second for something to happen.

Amen! I was helping on the rifle range at Boy Scout summer camp 2 weeks ago. The Scouts are encouraged to sit quietly pick up their brass while they wait on the other shooters to finish.

The boy I was working with was somewhat hyper-active and at that clumsy self-focused 12-13 yo stage. As he picked up the shell casings from the table top, one rolled off the shooting bench, crossed the bright red firing line, and fell off the 2 foot high shooting deck, onto the ground below.

The boy stood up and was preparing to leap down and retrieve the brass. He was totally focused on the jump and completely oblivious to the 2 shooters blasting away at the stations on either side of him. Only a quick, loud "STOP!" got his attention. All this happened in less than 2 seconds.


I'm thinking about spending next summer's vacation helping tie knots !