A report on the feasibility and advisability of some policy to inaugurate a system of rifle practice throughout the public schools of the country

This concise historical report opens a window onto an early‑20th‑century debate over whether American public schools should teach rifle shooting. Framed by a 1906 board meeting of the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice, the document records the work of three senior military officers tasked with assessing the idea’s practicality and merit. Their introduction sets the scene: a nation still wrestling with how best to prepare its youth for potential service, while balancing educational autonomy and public sentiment.

The authors turn to New York’s public‑school experiment, where a modest shooting program has already shown promising results among boys over thirteen. They detail the sheer scale of the city’s system—hundreds of schools and tens of thousands of students—and argue that any broader rollout must rely on voluntary cooperation from local educators. The report’s measured tone and data‑rich analysis make it a fascinating glimpse into the era’s civic and military intersect. Listeners will come away with a deeper understanding of how early policymakers grappled with the balance between civic duty and classroom priorities.