http://www.latimes.com/news/comment/20000624/t000059891.html
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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