So JROTC marksmanship badges would be right out?Originally Posted by LDAHL
So JROTC marksmanship badges would be right out?
I didn't see the video that apparently went viral, but did any of this come out in it, or was it just the patch and slavery issue. Seems like there is quite a bit to ponder in the whole story of who said what and how the story ended.
I was browsing my high school annual and I'd forgotten that we actually had a competition girls rifle team. The traditional single shot .22 target rifles with the heavy shooting jackets, but no assault weapons or pistols. I wonder if those sorts of things still exist. It seems like it was sort of a good thing, although the girls in the photos weren't exactly the cheerleader types.
It seems like the jackets always had a bunch of NRA marksman type patches on the back.
If a school is frightened by pictures on a backpack, I doubt they have the vertebrae for a JROTC program. Hell, some universities don’t.
I saw the video and there was no mention of anything other than the Gadsden Flag patch. I also saw the initial written response to the student's mother from the school board, no other patches were mentioned in that either. As LDAHL mentioned, I suspect the weapon patches came up after the kerfluffle was exposed to sunlight.
When I was in the Air Force I was awarded the Marksmanship ribbon with bronze star to commemorate my expert qualification with service rifle (M16) and pistol, and wore it proudly on my uniform for the duration of my enlistment. I wonder if that would be allowed on school grounds these days?
"Things should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." ~ Albert Einstein
When I qualified with the M16 and the 9mm Beretta (which was the USAF gentleman’s sidearm at the time), the instructor said, “Well, if it wasn’t good enough it wouldn’t be the minimum”.
In the early/mid 70's it was the S&W .38 revolver, but of course, I was no gentleman.
"Things should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." ~ Albert Einstein
I was told it was guys like me who made the development of precision guided munitions so necessary, so I’m proud of that sort of. I doubt my Senior Space and Missile Badge would arouse much terror in any elementary school. It’s a bit on the abstract side. Of course, if you’re creative enough to link the Gadsen flag to slavery, anything’s possible.
I suppose a basic question might be whether, in a state with a reputation for mass shootings, a twelve year old should be wearing clothing hinting at the promotion of assault rifles among juvenile peers who may be unstable and easily influenced. What actually happened and the sequence of events is up for debate.
I was quite good with a 12 and 20 gauge in my bird hunting years.
Another basic question might be whether the curtailment of free expression can be justified by some imaginary, tenuous or indirect impact we want to assume on the observe’s behalf. The Gadsen flag requires an exceptional amount of mental gymnastics to believe children will somehow associate it with slavery. But I think the same applies to images of guns.
Agreed on the association of the Gadsen Flag and slavery is a long stretch. Not so sure about ar-15 patches in middle school. We're not in Kansas anymore.
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