As Twitchy reported, one of the hottest takes following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., was that the shooter had been “trained by the NRA.” Remember this front page from the New York Daily News?
The Florida shooting suspect was on an NRA-funded school rifle team https://t.co/6pZqrtZMRD
An early look at Saturday's front… pic.twitter.com/kqi7fd6G9J
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 17, 2018
No, Nikolas Cruz wasn’t “trained by the NRA,” but the NRA had provided funding for the school’s JROTC program. A month later, the Sun-Sentinel even reported that school “staff were so worried about his fascination with guns that they banned him from practicing shooting skills with the JROTC” 18 months before the mass shooting (another red flag that slipped past authorities).
In any case, here we are in April, and KOAT Action News reports that the Santa Fe Public Schools Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to refuse funding from the NRA for the school’s JROTC program.
Santa Fe Public Schools voting to reject NRA grant funding https://t.co/KtPVhyXdwa pic.twitter.com/sYdPUS43e4
— KOAT.com (@koat7news) April 4, 2018
School Board President Steve Carrillo said the grants total $4,000, which goes toward equipment for the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at Santa Fe High School.
Carrillo said his move was not about gun rights but about principle.
“This vote tonight is about one thing. Not about the Second Amendment, not about the firearms, but just about the district not taking NRA funds,” Carrillo said.
And what’s wrong with taking NRA funds for a JROTC program, exactly? NRATV’s Cam Edwards weighs in:
Recommended
Putting politics above students, Santa Fe Public Schools rejects NRA Foundation grant requested by JROTC program. https://t.co/cZk1SCWpQw
— Cam Edwards (@CamEdwards) April 4, 2018
Despite the students at Parkland being saved by the quick thinking of their JROTC students. https://t.co/41soJrCf23
— I'm Wearing A Coat Slug (@VekaFitzfrancis) April 4, 2018
I’m a Friends of NRA volunteer who helps raise money for these grants through fund raising in our area. His community members and national volunteers raise money specifically for education and training. Opponents need to educate themselves.
— Jade (@PoliticlyJaded) April 4, 2018
So will they reject all other Foundation grants to the school? So they put it on the community's shoulder to replace the funds. Nice.
— BoomerSoonerBaby (@TinaK2011) April 4, 2018
https://twitter.com/ToddNoebel/status/981615969947746306
https://twitter.com/Iowan4rights/status/981617946274488320
We’ll guarantee other school boards will follow suit if they haven’t already.
Related:
'Made me cry': Parkland JROTC cadet who gave his life to save students gets 'fitting' honor https://t.co/iFuyxhVz2v
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) February 20, 2018