I grew up in the same time period. There was a Catholic High School that had ROTC. Once a month, all the students took their rifles home. I suspect they were probably ‘drill’ rifles and could not be fired, but who knew.
A guy that lived down the street from me used to ride home on a public bus, then march down our street, in uniform, rifle over his shoulder, with books in his other hand. I can’t imagine any of that happening today. He’d for sure have the police called on him, plus any number of idiots offering verbal abuse or rocks.
Of course, in my childhood, every house also had the person called ‘Dad’ there. Somebody harassing a kid in a ROTC uniform would have been ‘spoken to’ by mine and the other Dads in the neighborhood. I suspect the harassment would have ended rather quickly.
In the early 1980s, I was in the ROTC Precision Drill Team. We drilled, and did tricks, with de-milled M-1 Garands (lead poured down the barrel) and bayonets.
The first time I brought my “show” rifle back to my dorm (we polished and waxed them the night before performances. . .) somebody complained about “a gun in the dorm”. . .
School cop knock on my door. “ROTC ? Drill Team ?” Yep. OK, no problem. . . .
Complainer still threw a fit. . .