Collective hysteria.
Insanity this is. Circa 1966 I was in ROTC and this was required as my University was a land grant college. We did two years of ROTC and those that desired to continue would do four years and then be a commissioned officer in the Army.
During drills we would have several companies of students with fully functional M1 Garands drilling. The only thing to make the weapon totally functional would be a clip and the cartridges. These were readily available at many gun stores.
Nothing bad every happened! We all feared the wrath of Sergent Major Fox. This was a man that jumped into Normandy, fought in Korea and Vietnam. His few years at University were a present to him for his many years as a warrior. He was actually a very kind man and had stories of war that would amaze you. However, one did not cross Sergent Major Fox. Even the captains did not screw with him. He was killing Germans when they were wearing diapers.