Scouting Today?

I guess Explorer Scouting has changed since I was one back in 1980-1. My group used to backpack in the mountains and the desert, and clean up beaches and parks in San Diego. Today's Explorers, according to an article in the New York Times, are handling weapons and being trained to take down bad guys.
Well, I suppose it's a good thing, if there are going to be so many weapons on the streets, that a few people know how to use them properly. The stated goal here is to begin very early recruiting for the police and border patrol forces. But is the answer an arms race? Do we really need to be introducing kids as young as 13 to this? Here's a chilling quote from the article:

Cathy N, also 16, said she was attracted by the guns. The group uses compressed-air guns — known as airsoft guns, which fire tiny plastic pellets — in the training exercises, and sometimes they shoot real guns on a closed range.
“I like shooting them,” Cathy said. “I like the sound they make. It gets me excited.”

Great. Welcome to our gun society.
Makes me weep.
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