Tragically, a 2 year old girl was shot by her 5 year old brother recently. The child was apparently "playing" with the firearm, and the mother allegedly knew it was being "played" with but did not think it was loaded.
Unfortunately, many people feel that the company that produces the rifle, and markets them to parents who want to introduce their child to shooting, is being viciously attacked and as a result has apparently pulled it's website.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/company-selling-my-first-rifle-deletes-website-after-5-year
I do not feel the company or it's marketing strategy is at fault here. The blame falls directly on the parent's.
1) the rifle should have been locked up when not being used
2) the child and the parents should have bee firmly grounded in gun safety; specifically the three NRA rules.
3) ammo should not have been present or available to the child.
These firearms are not "made" for a child, in the sense that a toy is made for children, and no child can purchase these rifles.
The Crickett and others like it are built so that parents can introduce shooting and responsible gun handling to younger children who could not SAFELY handle an adult sized firearm.
Unfortunately, no one seems to have taught the parents how to safely and responsibly handle firearms. Their negligence, ignorance, and stupidity killed this girl, not the company that produces the gun. 1000's of children shoot these firearms every year, and enjoy the skills they develop in doing so.
I sell the following, the Crickett, The TC hotshot, and the Mossberg bantam .410 shotgun and will continue to do so. If your kid is not ready for a gun, don't buy one. If you are not prepared to safely instruct them in the use of firearms, I teach a firearms home safety course here.
Bottom line MANY parents know squat about safe gun handling. Get training. Be safe. The gun in the hands of your child is YOUR responsibility.
If your kid is a raging sugar-driven demon and uncontrollable, recognize that he/she is not ready. I will not sell you the gun if I see that your kid is out of control.
Always supervise your kids and only handle firearms when you are ready to use them.
Remember the rules:
ALWAYS point the gun in a safe direction.
ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot
ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.
never point it at anything you do not wish to destroy
every gun is loaded
always be sure of your target and what is beyond
Keep firearms and ammunition out of the hands of unauthorized persons. (unsupervised KIDS)
Keep your guns locked up if you have kids. Keep the ammo stored in a separate location, locked up.
BE BLOODY WELL RESPONSIBLE, PEOPLE!
2 comments:
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