Submitted by Dennis (not verified) on April 9, 2008 - 8:33am.
Shooting & The Olympic Program
At the 2008 Olympic Games there are 15 shooting events: six for women and nine for men. The athletes are divided into shotgun, rifle and pistol disciplines.
Robert Lumley and his teammates from East Wake High School were recently banned from a statewide shooting tournament by their principal Sebastian Shipp and area superintendent Danny Barnes. This decision was even worse than banning garbage disposals. The following statement was said about the disposal ban: "It was a boneheaded mistake," Councilman Rodger Koopman said of the ban and his initial support for it.
On the bonehead meter, the decision to stop these young people from competing in a shooting competition goes much higher than the disposal fiasco. Competition in shooting events is a part of the Olympics and has been for almost 100 years; yet, our youth in Wake County are banned from such competition.
Unfortunately for these individuals, the disposal ban and the shooting ban have something in common: knee-jerk reactions without all the facts on the table. Just like many other sports, shooting competition is beneficial to our young people. It teaches teamwork. The students compete individually, but all the scores are totaled for a final score. It also teaches that if one is to be successful they must work hard. It’s a competition and if an individual is to win, they must put in a lot of effort. Another beneficial part of the competition is the knowledge of firearms. These young people are taught gun safety from day one. Through daily practice and competition, they understand the potential for harm and earn a respect for guns.
The one thing that bothers me most about the competition ban is the “guilt by association” mentality displayed by the school leadership. Just because these young people were shooting guns, they have been put in the same category as the murderers of Eve Carson. My nephew was a member of his shooting team in Forsyth County, and almost without exception, these young people were the exact opposite of the youth that abuses guns. To associate these outstanding young people with those that are a blight on society is completely ridiculous. Instead of banning shooting competition, Wake County schools should be encouraging more schools to have a team. It is not the gun that pulls the trigger, but an individual. The more of our youth that can be taught the proper respect and use of guns will lead to a safer, not more dangerous, society.
Olympic Sport Banned in Wake County
Shooting & The Olympic Program
At the 2008 Olympic Games there are 15 shooting events: six for women and nine for men. The athletes are divided into shotgun, rifle and pistol disciplines.
Robert Lumley and his teammates from East Wake High School were recently banned from a statewide shooting tournament by their principal Sebastian Shipp and area superintendent Danny Barnes. This decision was even worse than banning garbage disposals. The following statement was said about the disposal ban: "It was a boneheaded mistake," Councilman Rodger Koopman said of the ban and his initial support for it.
On the bonehead meter, the decision to stop these young people from competing in a shooting competition goes much higher than the disposal fiasco. Competition in shooting events is a part of the Olympics and has been for almost 100 years; yet, our youth in Wake County are banned from such competition.
Unfortunately for these individuals, the disposal ban and the shooting ban have something in common: knee-jerk reactions without all the facts on the table. Just like many other sports, shooting competition is beneficial to our young people. It teaches teamwork. The students compete individually, but all the scores are totaled for a final score. It also teaches that if one is to be successful they must work hard. It’s a competition and if an individual is to win, they must put in a lot of effort. Another beneficial part of the competition is the knowledge of firearms. These young people are taught gun safety from day one. Through daily practice and competition, they understand the potential for harm and earn a respect for guns.
The one thing that bothers me most about the competition ban is the “guilt by association” mentality displayed by the school leadership. Just because these young people were shooting guns, they have been put in the same category as the murderers of Eve Carson. My nephew was a member of his shooting team in Forsyth County, and almost without exception, these young people were the exact opposite of the youth that abuses guns. To associate these outstanding young people with those that are a blight on society is completely ridiculous. Instead of banning shooting competition, Wake County schools should be encouraging more schools to have a team. It is not the gun that pulls the trigger, but an individual. The more of our youth that can be taught the proper respect and use of guns will lead to a safer, not more dangerous, society.