State law, school policy clash over guns

ZEBULON -- For Robert Lumley, the decision to bar his East Wake High School club marksmanship team from a statewide shooting tournament was as arresting as a shotgun blast.

Less than a day before the March 15 district round of the decades-old N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission competition, one of East Wake's principals, with the support of the area superintendent who oversees that school, stopped the team from participating.

The reason: Ammo and students don't mix, the school officials said.

Like districts across the nation, Wake County bans deadly weapons from campuses and prohibits students from carrying them on school trips. But the decision to bar the East Wake team from the tournament extends that prohibition to students participating in an off-campus event sponsored by a state agency and supervised by adults certified in firearms safety.

That call pits school policy against state law that allows firearms education at schools. The decision also runs counter to the efforts of wildlife agencies, hunting organizations and gun groups to recruit youths to replenish the dwindling number of hunters. It also underscores the tension between the fear of school massacres and the traditions of rural Wake, where hunting is still common.

"I can appreciate the fact they may have a policy, but all the government agencies need to remember, they're there to serve the public," said Wes Seegars, chairman of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. "There is something lost in a policy that does not serve the needs of the community."

The East Wake decision nullified months of practice by Lumley, a 17-year-old senior, and the rest of the 16-member marksmanship and orienteering team -- an offshoot of the school-approved FFA club, formerly known as the Future Farmers of America.

Lumley was riding with a team member the day before the tournament when he got the call that the principal "had put the red light on it," he said.

"If we had more time, we could have done something about it," Lumley said.

Schools diverge

Not all Wake schools treat marksmanship teams the same.

Cary High School allows students to use air rifles in school-sanctioned events. Cary's Navy JROTC program fires .117-caliber air rifles as part of off-campus competitions, principal Douglas Thilman said.

"We have had no issues with it," Thilman said.

The difference between East Wake and Cary is that JROTC programs are part of the school curriculum and FFA clubs are not, according to Wake Superintendent Del Burns.

The participation of Lumley's team in the shooting tournament came to the attention of school officials when another Wake school sought permission to participate.

That request drew the attention of Danny Barnes, area superintendent, and Sebastian Shipp, one of four principals at East Wake, and prompted them to review the status of Lumley's marksmanship team. This led to East Wake not being allowed to compete because of district policy.

"It's not a criticism of what the kids are trying to do," Barnes said.

Burns said these kinds of decisions are up to each principal.

At least one gun-control advocate agrees with the decision.

"The school and school board should have that right," said Roxane Kolar, executive director of North Carolinians Against Gun Violence. "You have to assume a school knows what's best for their school."

The Wildlife Commission tournament, now in its 30th year, is an incentive for middle school and high school students to participate in the hunter education course and is part of a larger effort to attract youths to hunting.