Boy Scouts of America bans water gun fights; ‘pointing a firearm’ is not kind
By Douglas Ernst – The Washington Times
The Boy Scouts of America, an organization with semi-military origins, has put out approved activities for its members, and water gun fights are strictly prohibited.
A blog for the organization’s leaders said May 6 that pointing simulated firearms at people is not allowed.
“Why the rule? A Scouter once told me this explanation I liked quite a bit: A Scout is kind. What part of pointing a firearm [simulated or otherwise] at someone is kind?” said Bryan Wendell on the scouting website.
The manual includes a lengthy list of other prohibited items — boomerangs, crossbows, potato guns, spear guns and throwing stars. Scouts also may not use “marshmallow shooters that require placing a straw or similar device in the mouth.”
It is a sad day for the Boy Scouts and their legacy in America.
I remember growing up, every boy at some point wanted to be a boy scout. There was a sense of pride and manliness in being able to survive. Being able to use a knife, a bow, and a firearm.
Boy Scouts had to learn to survive outside the comforts of home. They toughed it out on hikes, in the woods, and over rough waters.
Yet today it seems as though the Boy Scouts have become infected with the political correctness that is destroying so many other once proud institutions in America.
For the Boy Scouts not to be able to distinguish the difference between a real firearm and a toy squirt gun does nothing but legitimize the hyper-fear that anti-gunners try to perpetuate about firearms.
Squirt guns are not going to hurt anyone, and a squirt in the eye isn’t going to blind anyone.
Pointing a squirt gun at another person is not “pointing a firearm” at someone, regardless of whether it is kind or otherwise.
The Boy Scouts need to return to its ruggedness roots, and mold young boys in to strong American men.
Teaching kids that marshmallow guns and potato guns are “bad” because they are like a “firearm” creates the bridge that firearms are bad by default.
What kind of men are the Boy Scouts trying to make through their programs. I think parents considering putting their kinds in the Boy Scouts needs to ask themselves this question and determine if they want their child to grow up that way.
