RALEIGH - It will take another month of talks with lawyers and insurance experts before Wake County school staff can revise the district's ban on firearms and deadly weapons to allow school marksmanship teams to compete in approved shooting tournaments, including a state-sponsored hunter education competition.

As a result of the call for more consultation, the school board's policy committee Tuesday postponed discussion of a revised policy until June.

In mid-March, the marksmanship team from East Wake High School was barred from competing in the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Hunter Education Tournament one day before a regional competition. An area superintendent and an East Wake principal determined the school's 22-year participation in the tournament violated Wake's policy of barring firearms and other deadly weapons from school campuses.

That decision garnered national attention in pro-gun circles, and advocates inundated Wake school employees and board members with messages sharply criticizing the action and asking them to allow supervised school teams to participate in approved shooting events.

Policy committee members had asked staff for the policy revision so that school teams could participate in approved marksmanship contests held away from campus.

"What we're hearing is 'What can we do to address this safely?' " said the board's attorney, Ann Majestic. "There aren't any guidelines for that in place right now."

Board member Lori Millberg was in favor of allowing the tournament and talked about the benefit of the hunter education program her children took at East Wake High.

"They all hunt. They all have guns," Millberg said. "It's been a real benefit that they participate in this class."

She said the school system endorses other risky sports.

"I think the most dangerous thing is cheerleading," she said.

Majestic said strict guidelines should be in place before the system moves forward.

"I think about Dick Cheney is all," Majestic said. "Experienced hunters do dangerous things."