The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) facilitated a youth Civil Air Patrol (CAP) outing at the Cardinal Shooting Center, located just north of Columbus in Marengo, Ohio. The instructors for the event were Dan Arnold and Dean Bates from CMP.
The training session at the Cardinal Shooting Center began at 9 am, with a short briefing that included general firearms safety, targeting procedures and marksmanship fundamentals. A group of 48 cadets with varying firearms experience attended, as well as about 15 senior CAP members and one CAP medical officer.
During the day, cadets fired shots with .22 caliber rifles from the supported prone position at a distance of 50 yards on the range. After firing five shots, each cadet’s shooting groups were evaluated. Instructors on the line helped cadets make sight adjustments before an additional five sighting shots were fired.
Once the second groups were tested and adjustments made, the participants fired a record 40 shots. Arnold and Bates carefully monitored the record shot and assisted the cadets with additional sight adjustments, if necessary. Most of the four targets used for registration at each firing point showed improvement in shot groups as the day progressed.
Cadets who shot at the event competed for the accompanying NRA Professional Shooter Badge by achieving a qualification score of 200 out of a possible 400 points (50 percent). Of those in attendance, 42 cadets achieved the minimum score and received badges, with overall scores ranging from 180 to the mid-300s.
“Overall, this year’s CAP/CMP training event went very well,” Arnold said. “What we have accomplished to date fits with CMP’s Mission and Vision: Marksmanship, Firearms Training, Safety and Youth Programs. I look forward to expanding these training opportunities to other cadets across the country.”
More about the CAP:
Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a civilian auxiliary to the US Air Force that was established in 1948, just before World War II. CAP’s primary missions are emergency response services such as search and rescue/disaster relief, aerospace education, and youth cadet programs. CAP also conducts 90 percent of search and rescue in the interior of the US, equipped with the largest fleet of single-engine aircraft in the world with more than 550. The program is authorized by Congress and operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Currently, there are more than 23,000 youth members in cadet programs across the country.
Covering all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, CAP is made up of eight geographic regions consisting of 52 wings. Its cadet program attracts young people from 12 to 20 years old. CAP members also have the opportunity to earn college scholarships in several different disciplines and may even enter the Air Force at a higher salary. Learn even more by visiting the official CAP website at https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearms safety and marksmanship training and the promotion of marksmanship competition for United States citizens. To learn more about the CMP and its programs, log on to www.TheCMP.org.