Shooting as an activity on a school residential trip for Year 7s

[BoboChic]

Acceptable? Yes or no?

The DC went to the same place (more or less - different chalet, same organisation) four years ago to go caving, among other activities.

I don't know what you meant but I meant, yes, the DC have done caving too, at the same (basic) place (which is probably much like your Welsh jaunt).

What's the problem, they're hardly going to choose someone for target practice

My DCs both did air rifle/pistol target shooting; dd ended up shooting at county level, dstook up clay pigeon shooting and was pretty good at regional level. Both first did it on comprehensive school trips.
It teaches them very valuable lessons in discipline, safety and precision.

All of mine have done shooting activities with scouting or guiding. Our local scout camp starts with beavers shooting with cork guns at tin cans and progresses to rifle shooting and archery with the older kids.
We do however always have to sign a consent form, so any parent could opt out by refusing to do so. Last time I also had to sign a declaration that DS had never been convicted of a firearm offence, which I did find strange given he was only 9!

I will keep an eye on the news to see if French children go on a killing spree in a Ski Resort whilst doing a biathlon! flippancy aside, if parents don't like the trip, then maybe they should opt out of the whole thing. It is an Olympic sport so I do not see any objection. Someone might even be good at it.

My DDS have done this at scout camp, so long as it is properly run and supervised I don't have a problem with it.

I would be very much against it. I think shooting is not a suitable activity for children at all. I was very shocked when I saw all sorts of guns on display on the open day at our nearest private school, I really can't see why anyone would like to teach children to handle weapons. Weapons are meant to kill, after all. It reminds me of what DH told me about his school in the Soviet Union, where the kids were taught to shoot and march around, so they'd all be ready to kill the bloody capitalists, if necessary! Yes yes, I know it's not the same...

Sounds like DS's dream trip! Skiing and shooting, he'd be in heaven.

No issues with it at all. Teaching responsible use and handling of firearms is a good thing, I think, and hopefully will give them a healthy and realistic idea of what they can do.

Kind of going against the grain here but I'd have a problem with this. I don't believe shooting is ever an acceptable activity, guns are mean for one purpose only, to kill.
They shouldn't be used by anyone.
Skiing yes guns no.

Interesting, and thank you to everyone for contributing their thoughts.

I don't have any kind of ideological opposition to teaching DC to shoot if the DC want to learn (DSS2 has very fond memories of a marksmanship summer course). I do have some sympathy with parents who don't think DC should be forced into it, however.

I'm clearly in the minority but I'd feel really uncomfortable about this.

For info, in scouting, we require a separate 'permission to shoot' form... So parents can agree to a residential but opt out of shooting.

Shooting is an Olympic Sport!!! Shooting in controlled conditions is NOT killing. It is no more harmful than "killing" in video games which millions of people turn a blind eye to but is much more harmful and addictive. Plenty of young still want to go into the Army and handle a gun professionally. If a young person shows an interest in this, and it is properly controlled, supervised and regulated, then that sport or profession is for them. It is not wrong to learn to shoot, it is just wrong when guns are readily available to the wrong people.

What guns should NEVER be used by anyone, ever? Really? So no-one can eat meat because it's killed, and no-one can eat crops either because farmers can't shoot prey.

I'm a vegan, grow most of my own food and don't believe it should be a Olympic sport. So no I don't believe they should be used ever. My children don't have computer games.
I accept I'm fairly extreme but I've lived in places where guns are common, I've seen people shot.
I think anything that normalises the bearing of guns is a bad thing. Even for sport.
Just my personal opinion.