<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by FRIZ:
The Los Angeles Times
Saturday, June 24, 2000
Has Zero Tolerance Gone Too Far?
By LESLIE PARRILLA
Los Angeles Unified School District board members are scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to eliminate the use of air rifles and dummy air rifles from the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs in its high schools.
The use of rifles in Junior ROTC is in conflict with the district's zero-tolerance gun policy.
Air rifles that shoot pellets are used by Junior ROTC's rifle teams, and nonfunctioning rifles are used by the armed drill teams and color guard teams for school ceremonies and community events.
LESLIE PARRILLA spoke with Los Angeles Junior ROTC cadets about the district's policy.
AMANDA PENA
17, senior, Fairfax High School
Iunderstand the district's point of view. Some people who see us drilling think "they have guns and shouldn't." When I came to ROTC, I thought you shouldn't have guns in school.
But instruction from the teachers prevents kids from misusing guns. And this program was designed by the U.S. Army and uses military concepts like uniforms, sabers and guns. The weapons are part of the program; the guns have been part of the program since the 1960s.
If it changes, people will be shocked; it's tradition. We've always had weapons and nothing has ever happened. I was shocked when I heard they wanted to take the guns away. I thought something must be wrong if they want to take the guns out of ROTC. But we're not causing any harm.
It will really hurt the program because most of the kids come into ROTC because they see us performing with the guns. It attracts people.
* * *
RACHEL MURPHY
15, sophomore, Monroe High School
If they decide to eliminate the rifles, it will end the armed drilled team because you can't have an armed drill team without arms. And they're just dummy rifles. They're not real. You can't even load them. We're just using them for marching. It's part of our demonstration.
Some of my friends who aren't in ROTC look at it like, "Wow, that's interesting how you carry and spin the rifles." We're not showing them how to shoot people and start a Columbine. They don't look at it like that. We don't do things where we're pointing the guns at people. We spin them, toss them and then lock them up.
The instructors don't do anything to encourage you to want to go out and use a real weapon. Kids don't have that feeling of being armed because we don't load the rifles in drill team. There's no aspect of being armed. I don't touch real guns or like to deal with real weapons.
I don't think it's right that they should take away the guns. They just shouldn't be concerned with this.
* * *
FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ
16, sophomore, Hollywood High School
The school district has the wrong idea. The reason for having the guards carry the rifles is to honor those who died for the flag. And it's an air rifle. My friends see me carrying the rifle for color guard and I tell them it's not real, it can't fire and the muzzle is blocked. I explain to them that it's not for playing with. They know that we don't play with guns.
We use them for honoring.
It's not about influence, it's a way of showing us how to deal with everything. This isn't people being in a gang or having friends who carry guns for safety. In ROTC the instructors explain the history of guns, how to carry them and how to be responsible whenever we see a gun at home or at school by putting it away. It gives us and understanding of the weapon.
Copyright 2000 Los Angeles Times[/quote]... Maybe LEOs shouldn't have guns either since that sends out the wrong message? But wait! That might eventually happen. Read on ... <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by FRIZ:
Chicago Sun-Times
City requires trigger locks
June 28, 2000
BY FRANK MAIN CRIME REPORTER
Chicago's 13,500 police officers must place trigger locks on their guns when they're off duty under a new order that takes effect next month.
"You see what's happening across the country with kids being injured, being maimed, being killed--kids that don't even live in the household--so I said, `This is the right thing to do,' " police Supt. Terry Hillard said.
Off-duty officers must use trigger locks when they're not wearing their guns under the order that goes into effect July 17.
The department bought 14,000 of the Master Lock devices at a total cost of about $60,000. They will be distributed to commanders today and to rank-and-file officers on Friday.
The trigger locks look like conventional bike padlocks and are opened with a key. A steel cable attached to the lock is looped through the ejection port on semiautomatic pistols and the open cylinder of a revolver to prevent firing.
Hillard said the new policy is in keeping with a state law passed last year that requires gun owners to lock their firearms in storage cases or equip them with trigger locks in homes where children 14 and under live.
Boston and Philadelphia are among the big city police departments that require their officers to use trigger locks on their guns at home. The federal government does, too.
In the Chicago area, Orland Park is among the departments that have provided trigger locks to their officers.
The Cook County sheriff's office is considering buying either lock boxes or the less expensive trigger locks for its nearly 6,000 employees--police, correctional officers and court deputies--who are authorized to carry guns, said Bill Cunningham, spokesman for the sheriff.
Copyright 2000, Digital Chicago Inc.[/quote]
The Los Angeles Times
Saturday, June 24, 2000
Has Zero Tolerance Gone Too Far?
By LESLIE PARRILLA
Los Angeles Unified School District board members are scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to eliminate the use of air rifles and dummy air rifles from the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs in its high schools.
The use of rifles in Junior ROTC is in conflict with the district's zero-tolerance gun policy.
Air rifles that shoot pellets are used by Junior ROTC's rifle teams, and nonfunctioning rifles are used by the armed drill teams and color guard teams for school ceremonies and community events.
LESLIE PARRILLA spoke with Los Angeles Junior ROTC cadets about the district's policy.
AMANDA PENA
17, senior, Fairfax High School
Iunderstand the district's point of view. Some people who see us drilling think "they have guns and shouldn't." When I came to ROTC, I thought you shouldn't have guns in school.
But instruction from the teachers prevents kids from misusing guns. And this program was designed by the U.S. Army and uses military concepts like uniforms, sabers and guns. The weapons are part of the program; the guns have been part of the program since the 1960s.
If it changes, people will be shocked; it's tradition. We've always had weapons and nothing has ever happened. I was shocked when I heard they wanted to take the guns away. I thought something must be wrong if they want to take the guns out of ROTC. But we're not causing any harm.
It will really hurt the program because most of the kids come into ROTC because they see us performing with the guns. It attracts people.
* * *
RACHEL MURPHY
15, sophomore, Monroe High School
If they decide to eliminate the rifles, it will end the armed drilled team because you can't have an armed drill team without arms. And they're just dummy rifles. They're not real. You can't even load them. We're just using them for marching. It's part of our demonstration.
Some of my friends who aren't in ROTC look at it like, "Wow, that's interesting how you carry and spin the rifles." We're not showing them how to shoot people and start a Columbine. They don't look at it like that. We don't do things where we're pointing the guns at people. We spin them, toss them and then lock them up.
The instructors don't do anything to encourage you to want to go out and use a real weapon. Kids don't have that feeling of being armed because we don't load the rifles in drill team. There's no aspect of being armed. I don't touch real guns or like to deal with real weapons.
I don't think it's right that they should take away the guns. They just shouldn't be concerned with this.
* * *
FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ
16, sophomore, Hollywood High School
The school district has the wrong idea. The reason for having the guards carry the rifles is to honor those who died for the flag. And it's an air rifle. My friends see me carrying the rifle for color guard and I tell them it's not real, it can't fire and the muzzle is blocked. I explain to them that it's not for playing with. They know that we don't play with guns.
We use them for honoring.
It's not about influence, it's a way of showing us how to deal with everything. This isn't people being in a gang or having friends who carry guns for safety. In ROTC the instructors explain the history of guns, how to carry them and how to be responsible whenever we see a gun at home or at school by putting it away. It gives us and understanding of the weapon.
Copyright 2000 Los Angeles Times[/quote]... Maybe LEOs shouldn't have guns either since that sends out the wrong message? But wait! That might eventually happen. Read on ... <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by FRIZ:
Chicago Sun-Times
City requires trigger locks
June 28, 2000
BY FRANK MAIN CRIME REPORTER
Chicago's 13,500 police officers must place trigger locks on their guns when they're off duty under a new order that takes effect next month.
"You see what's happening across the country with kids being injured, being maimed, being killed--kids that don't even live in the household--so I said, `This is the right thing to do,' " police Supt. Terry Hillard said.
Off-duty officers must use trigger locks when they're not wearing their guns under the order that goes into effect July 17.
The department bought 14,000 of the Master Lock devices at a total cost of about $60,000. They will be distributed to commanders today and to rank-and-file officers on Friday.
The trigger locks look like conventional bike padlocks and are opened with a key. A steel cable attached to the lock is looped through the ejection port on semiautomatic pistols and the open cylinder of a revolver to prevent firing.
Hillard said the new policy is in keeping with a state law passed last year that requires gun owners to lock their firearms in storage cases or equip them with trigger locks in homes where children 14 and under live.
Boston and Philadelphia are among the big city police departments that require their officers to use trigger locks on their guns at home. The federal government does, too.
In the Chicago area, Orland Park is among the departments that have provided trigger locks to their officers.
The Cook County sheriff's office is considering buying either lock boxes or the less expensive trigger locks for its nearly 6,000 employees--police, correctional officers and court deputies--who are authorized to carry guns, said Bill Cunningham, spokesman for the sheriff.
Copyright 2000, Digital Chicago Inc.[/quote]
