Josh Sugarmann,

Recently, air rifles have gained popularity as a cheaper – and safer – alternative to .22s but they are still costly. A top of the line air rifle can cost up to $3,500. And then there are the target systems and pellets, shooting jackets and pants, boots, gloves, ear plugs, rifle stands, and more. Though some schools were fully kitted out on Saturday, it was clear that others were less well-funded. Several parents said they held fundraisers to cover what school budgets couldn’t. “The football team gets jerseys,” said parent volunteer Marsden. “Why not us, too?” It’s why some schools seek assistance from outside groups, including the NRA Foundation. Since 1990, the organization claims to have donated $335m to support target shooting around the country. As the Associated Press reported, in 2016 alone the NRA Foundation donated over $2.2m to schools, including that $10,827 donation to the JROTC program at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

a group formed after the Spanish-American War when Teddy Roosevelt felt the country’s marksmanship was flagging – high school teams competing with .22 caliber rifles were common.

There are over 2,000 high-school rifle programs across the US. Some, like the ones I watched compete at West Point, operate as varsity-level teams. Others function as school-sanctioned clubs or as part of a JROTC unit. For students who can’t compete through their schools, there are various tournaments and competitions to give budding marksmen and women a chance to shoot competitively, many organized by the NRA.

“There are a lot of misconceptions,” Leif Johnson, the coach of the Lancaster High School team, told me. “It’s understandable. Guns are scary, but the kids know that.”

Everyone that I spoke with on Saturday was quick to promote the sport’s safety

But unlike a basketball game or a tennis match, high school students were handling, loading and firing guns. “Discipline is more important than the shooting,” parent volunteer Joan Marsden told me, explaining the sport’s rigorous safety regulations. “You have to respect the rifle for what it will do.”

The reality of what a gun can do was made all too clear in Parkland, Florida, a few weeks ago when Nikolas Cruz murdered 17 teachers and students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. In the shooting’s aftermath, the national debate over gun control and the role of the NRA in American politics has been reignited

Beyond calls for expanded background checks and an assault weapons ban, the Parkland shooting also generated discussion about school-supported marksmanship programs. Cruz had been a member of his school’s JROTC unit and competed on the varsity air-rifle team that received a $10,827 grant from the NRA Foundation. Known for his marksmanship, Cruz’s team-mates nicknamed him “Wolf.”

Parents opened coolers filled with sandwiches and soft drinks, coaches met to discuss safety and strategy, and students conquered their jitters with cell phone games. If not for the quiet, repetitive pop of the rifles, it could have been any other youth sporting event.

the high-school freshman needed to not just find the needle in the haystack; she needed to shoot through the needle’s eye

air rifle has one of the lowest injury rates of all youth sports

The Civilian Marksmanship Program claims that air rifle has one of the lowest injury rates of all youth sports

'It's safer than chess': the high school shooting clubs standing their ground after Parkland

Fri 9 Mar 2018 05.00 EST Last modified on Fri 9 Mar 2018 09.45 EST Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Shares 3,515 3515