THE NRA GAVE $7 MILLION TO HUNDREDS OF SCHOOLS, 2010-2016: CA, FL, CO, NM, AK More
"THE NRA GAVE $7 MILLION TO HUNDREDS OF SCHOOLS," MSN/AP, March 9, 2018
The National Rifle Association has dramatically increased its funding to schools in recent years amid a national debate over guns and school violence, an Associated Press analysis of tax records has found. But few say they plan to give up the money in the aftermath of the latest mass shooting. The AP analysis of the NRA Foundation's public tax records finds that about 500 schools received more than $7.3 million from 2010 through 2016, mostly through competitive grants meant to promote shooting sports. The grants have gone to an array of school programs, including the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, rifle teams, hunting safety courses and agriculture clubs.
In some ways, the grant distribution reflects the nation's deep political divide over guns. Nearly three-quarters of the schools that received grants are in counties that voted for President Donald Trump in the 2016 election, while a quarter are in counties that voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton, according to the AP analysis. Most are in medium-sized counties or rural areas, with few near major cities. California received the most in school grants, more than $1 million, while Florida was a close second.
Florida's Broward County school district is believed to be the first to stop accepting NRA money after a gunman killed 17 people at one of its schools Feb. 14. The teen charged in the shooting had been on a school rifle team that received NRA funding. School officials announced the change Tuesday but declined to comment further.
Denver Public Schools followed on Thursday, saying it won't pursue NRA grants in the future and will turn down several that were to be awarded this year. But officials in many other districts say they have no plans to back away.
"Whatever I think of the NRA, they're providing legitimate educational services," said Billy Townsend, a school board member in Florida's Polk County district, whose JROTC programs received $33,000, primarily to buy air rifles. "If the NRA wanted to provide air rifles for our ROTC folks in the future, I wouldn't have a problem with that."
The grants awarded to schools are just a small share of the $61 million the NRA Foundation has given to a variety of local groups since 2010. But it has grown rapidly, increasing nearly fourfold from 2010 to 2014 in what some opponents say is a thinly veiled attempt to recruit the next generation of NRA members.
The NRA Foundation did not return calls seeking comment...Con't.
READ MORE: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-nra-gave-dollar7-million-to-hundreds-of-schools/ar-BBK3ilD?getstaticpage=true&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15
In this March 2, 2018 photo, a group of JROTC shooters compete in the prone position during the 2018 Junior Olympic Qualifier for support and precision air rifles at Cibola High School in Albuquerque, NM for the chance to compete at the National Junior Olympic Championships in Ohio in June.
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Active shooter drills are happing in public schools across the nation. Just what does that entail? Police use a number of different tactics, but usually it involves the sound of gunfire and children learning how to hide and when and where to run, police in tactical gear rushing in with high-powered weapons to “neutralize” the shooter. It. Is. Terrifying.
Just the sound of gunfire echoing through the hallways is terrifying. How would you feel crotched behind a desk? Even if you knew in advance this was a drill! Watch some of these *VIDEOS and imagine what we are doing to our children, teaching them that this is the new normal instead of actually doing something to curb gun violence.
In some cases, they even use mock blood and have police and emergency personnel evacuate “injured” students.
Check out these images from a drill in California:
ALAMEDA, CA - MAY 22: An Alameda Police officer tends to a volunteer student wearing makeup to simulate injuries as they participate in a school shooting and mass evacuation drill at Lincoln Middle School May 22, 2007...
ALAMEDA, CA - MAY 22: Alameda Police officers carry a volunteer student with simulated injuries during a school shooting and mass evacuation drill at Lincoln Middle School May 22, 2007 in Alameda, California. The Alameda Police department in collaboration with the Alameda Fire department and the Alameda Unified School District conducted a drill simulating a school shooting situation with multiple gunmen and hostages. The mock disaster drill was planned a year ago, before the Virginia Tech shootings occurred.
ALAMEDA, CA - MAY 22: Volunteer students wearing makeup to simulate injuries participate in a school shooting and mass evacuation drill at Lincoln Middle School May 22, 2007 in Alameda, California...
YouTube has one video after another of school districts conducting these drills..Of course we want to keep our children safe, but are these really the best way?..Are we really okay with teaching our kids this is the new normal instead of implementing a new ban on assault-style weapons, raising the minimum age to buy a gun, implementing more stringent background checks, mental health flags, etc?...
MORE & COMMENTS: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/3/9/1747815/-Are-we-really-putting-our-kids-through-this-instead-of-gun-reform-Watch-an-active-shooter-drill