U.S. High Schools Embrace Shooting as Hot New Sport

[Waher]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...igh-schools-embrace-shooting-as-hot-new-sport

by Esmé E Deprez

Trap shooting is the fastest-growing sport in Minnesota high schools“This is the best thing to happen to the shooting sports in 50 years,” said Dennis Knudson, a 74-year-old lifelong trap shooter, after watching his grandson compete. “It’s so fun to see the youngsters stepping up. It will preserve the sport, and they’ll do it for the rest of their lives.”

o wary educators, Sable stressed his motto -- “Safety, fun and marksmanship, in that order” -- and strict rules: no firearms allowed on campus. Team members must have state-issued safety certificates, which in Minnesota can be earned at age 11. The league record is clean, with no reported injuries.
John Nelson, the league vice president, said that while some schools don’t permit yearbook photos of team members posing with firearms, there’s been no backlash. Gun-control advocates, in fact, haven’t opposed trap as a school sport. But they disagree with boosters’ contention that its spread will reduce accidents by teaching children how to safely handle the weapons, citing data showing gun-owning households are at higher risk of homicide and suicide by firearm.
A nonprofit supported by fees, donations and sponsorships, the league marketed itself aggressively and developed proprietary score-tracking software. The sport took off.
This year, 9,245 schoolchildren in Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota participated; trap’s so popular in Minnesota that the legislature appropriated $2 million for the expansion of gun ranges, where the kids compete. Next year, schools in Arizona, South Dakota, Illinois and Kansas will host teams. Middle-schoolers can also join high-school squads.

Read the rest at the link for fair use

 

[omega42]

The fair use part was enough. I will not hand Bloomberg money by clicking into that site. It's good to see some areas getting saner. I remember my high school had a rifle team and the members brought their .22 rifles to school (into the building) for meet and practice days. Nobody worried - it was no big deal. This was in a Boston suburb in the late 70's. MA wasn't always a synonym for CF.

 

[Hvymax]

America!!! I hear it's nice.

 

[MachineHead]

If I had FB, I'd throw this up onto the Moms Demand Action page. I'm sure they'd still defend their dear puppet master.

 

[Palladin]

Like