So. Where do you start with the total WTF-ness of the tragic story of how a five year boy shot his sister with his own rifle. Yep, his own rifle — a gun aimed at (pun intended) kids.
You have to feel for the family, but what sort of parent buys their five year old a gun that shoots anything more deadly than a foam Nerf-style pellet or water? What sort of company makes these guns?
That one’s easy — Keystone Sporting Arms — who manufacture a range of Crickett rifles and pistols for adults and rifles for kids. “My First Rifle” is conveniently available in a choice of blue or pink. Lovely. Can’t wait for the Hello Kitty or One Direction models.
I’m sure they are not the only company to offer a kids sorry, “youth” range of firearms, but have been thrust into the media glare with the recent shooting. Their website makes for interesting reading — the “Kids Corner” is worth a look. There are photos of kids holding up targets and the occasional dead animal who I assume was on the receiving end of “My First Rifle”. The photo of a baby in camo gear “holding” a rifle is somewhat disturbing. I hope that was submitted to support a Parent of The Year nomination. The beaming little girl holding up the box containing her new rifle complete with a Disney-esque cartoon cricket also caught my eye. I hope the cricket isn’t the next target.
It seems little has changed, guns have been pointed towards children for over a century — the photo on this page is an ad from 1904. Good to know the Iver Johnson revolvers “shoot straight and kill”, but reassuring that “accidental discharge is impossible”.
The whole gun debate / right to keep and bear arms etc is far too complex to be covered in any detail here, though you have to wonder about the logic of manufacturing and marketing guns for kids as young as five. Sadly, the two year girl who was killed by her brother won’t be able to.
©Steve Williams 2013