Youth shooting program asks for school access

Organizers of a local youth shooting program are petitioning the Libby Public School Board for permission to bring unloaded firearms into a school building for practice exercises.

With the price of ammunition skyrocketing, Mike Cirian, head coach of the local Scholastic Clay Target Program, told board members he was looking for a way to train his team without breaking the bank. During a Dec. 13 board meeting, Cirian suggested letting participants connect their unloaded firearms to a shooting simulator he hoped to install in Libby Central School.

For the system to work, Cirian said his team would have to use the firearms they planned to compete with. No participant would be permitted to bring their firearms into the building without a coach present, he said. All firearms brought onto school grounds would be cased.

Cirian expected his team would use the simulator once a week.

School board members raised concerns about potential safety hazards associated with bringing firearms onto school grounds during a meeting the week prior. Along with ensuring the public was aware of the talks, board members said they would like organizers to detail their plans for keeping indoor practices safe.

Board members alluded to recent shootings when emphasizing the need for safety checks.

“Especially after what has just happened in the media, both school-wise and on a movie set,” said board member Bgee Zimmerman.

Zimmerman's comments came shortly after a shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan which left four students dead and several others critically injured. In October, an accidental discharge on the movie set of "Rust" killed the film's cinematographer and injured the director.

During the Dec. 13 meeting, Cirian presented statistics provided by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which listed trap and skeet shooting as one of the sports least prone to injuries.

Before one of his students ever pulls a trigger, Cirian said he and his assistant coaches ensure they understand how to safely handle a firearm. All coaches associated with the local program have cleared background checks and are trained on firearm safety.

“You can have as much fun as you want, but we stop at the horse play,” Cirian said. “They all realize they are dealing with firearms and the first thing we teach is safety.”

Coach and teacher Dean Thompson, offered his support for the program at the Dec. 13 meeting. From watching his son participate, Thompson told board members the students involved in the program were dedicated to the sport.

“These kids give up every Saturday. It’s not just two months. They're starting now and they’ll go up until July,” he said.

Along with long hours at the range, team members have to show dedication in the classroom. Cirian said he held his shooters to a higher scholastic standard than other athletic programs sanctioned by the district.

Cirian asked board members to consider the niche his shooting program filled for Libby students.

“This sport goes to kids that don’t always work out well in the traditional sports,” he said.

Last year, the program brought a co-ed crew of 13 shooters to the Scholastic Clay Target Program state championship. The team saw 12 members place at the championship, two of which won first place, according to Cirian.

The local scholastic shooting program is funded entirely through donations. Last year fundraising efforts brought in $20,000 for the team, according to Cirian. The dollars went towards covering the costs of entry fees and shells.

In addition to bringing his team onto school grounds for training, Cirian said he would like to see the district sanction his program. While he knew of no other schools in the state that offered shooting as a varsity sport, Cirian suggested Libby could lead the pack.

“We want to be first in everything in Libby, right?” he said.

Other states including Tennessee and Wisconsin offer varsity letters to shooters, according to Cirian.

Athletic Director Jim Germany said he would like to see the district gain another club sport. But he said Libby wouldn’t be able to offer varsity letters to the clay target team since skeet shooting isn’t a sport sanctioned by the Montana High School Association.