Boy Scouts Affiliate Trains Teenagers in Antiterror Enforcement Skills

Thousands of teenage members of the Explorers, an affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America, are being taught techniques used to battle terrorists, illegal immigration, and violence along the United States-Mexico border, according to The New York Times.

The Explorers, a coeducational program, traditionally focuses on preparing young people for careers as police officers and firefighters. In the new training exercises, which simulate confrontations with terrorists and other lawbreakers, participants use compressed-air guns that fire plastic pellets, but they shoot real guns on a closed firing range.

“This is about being a true-blooded American guy and girl,” said A. J. Lowenthal, a sheriff’s deputy in Imperial County, Calif., who helps run Explorers training. “It fits right in with the honor and bravery of the Boy Scouts.”

(Free registration is required to view this article.)