Officials at Marquette University, a Jesuit school in Wisconsin, got a serious case of the vapors when Republican students wanted to raise money for “Adopt A Sniper:” School Halts Adopt a Sniper Fund-Raiser.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A U.S. university in Wisconsin has blocked an attempt by Republican students to raise money for a group called “Adopt a Sniper” that raises money for U.S. sharp-shooters in Iraq and Afghanistan. The students were selling bracelets bearing the motto “1 Shot 1 Kill No Remorse I Decide.”

“Clearly the rhetoric of that organization raised some questions and we had some strong objections as a Jesuit university,” Marquette University school spokeswoman Brigid O’Brien said on Thursday.

The students, representing a group called College Republicans, originally got permission to set up a table at the student union to raise money for U.S. troops in Iraq. But they chose to promote a group called Adopt a Sniper, which says on its Web site it supports snipers deployed by the United States armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The group says it “helps real snipers get the real gear they need to help keep us safe.”

The brainchild of a Texas police SWAT officer, Adopt a Sniper (www.adoptasniper.org) has raised thousands of dollars in cash and gear to supplement the kit of sharp shooters in U.S. combat platoons. Among products sold on the site is a $15 coin with the imprinted phrase “Assistance From A Distance.”

Maybe the school would be more open to the idea if “Adopt A Sniper” changed their name to “Adopt A Weeping, Guilt Stricken Killer.”

UPDATE at 2/4/05 12:28:02 pm:

The phrase that caused fainting spells at Marquette U is explained in the FAQ page at AmericanSnipers.org.

Q: What does the saying, “1 Shot, 1 Kill, No remorse, I Decide” actually mean and where did it come from?

A: In the Vietnam War, the military’s emphasis on individual marksmanship skills had diminished and it was discovered that 10,000 rounds of ammunition were expended by regular troops for every enemy casualty incurred.

However, the snipers expended roughly 1.3 rounds for every enemy casualty incurred, hence the term one shot, one kill. Precision fire is the sniper’s specialty and one could refer to the sniper as the “laser guided bomb of the infantry”. Likewise, the American law enforcement sniper is expected to produce no collateral injury to innocents and do not spray weapons fire indiscriminately around American neighborhoods.

A sniper has to be in total control of his emotions as his job is one of the most stressful in the military (and police) service. He is often operating alone or with a single partner and often on the front or behind enemy lines. To be overly remorseful about his mission would compromise his safety and that of the men he is sworn to protect. Decisions based upon emotions, rather than rational, correct thought in these situations can cause casualties.

To IMMEDIATELY stop an insurgent or terrorist from shooting his friends or to keep a maniac from drawing a knife across a child’s throat, requires that the sniper destroy the terrorist/suspect’s central nervous system. To do this with a rifle requires a precision shot under tremendous stress on the part of the sniper. And destroying the central nervous system of a person almost always results in the death of that same person. However, it also saves the life of the innocent and this is why the sniper does what he does.

To save innocent lives.

Due to the fact that the sniper must often operate alone, it is he himself who decides when, where, why and how he will fire his rifle. There is no commander telling him it is okay for him to shoot now. The sniper is expected to make these types of decisions on his own. Time frames in combat and hostage situations are much too compressed for this type of supervisory control. This is also why sniper schools in the military and law enforcement are so arduous and only the best and most mature soldiers, sailors, marines and police officers are picked for the assignment.

The sniper himself must decide if it is logical and correct to fire his rifle. Hence the term “I Decide”

The sniper may just as well choose NOT to fire if there are friendly or civilians present and the act of firing would do more harm than good. Snipers in both the military and law enforcement are often mature, family men and have no interest in harming those who are not an immediate danger to themselves or others.

The title sniper is an honorary one and whether he (or she) be a military or police sniper, should not be granted to murderers such as Charles Whitman or the more recent John Mohammad and John Malvo.