Sharon Kennedy: A kid’s version of the AR-15

Two weeks ago, I was watching the Rachel Maddow show on MSNBC. Listening to her is like getting a mini-history lesson. Before she proceeds with her commentary, she gives a brief but detailed explanation of the topic she’s going to share with her audience. She enlightens us on how the past influences the future, and she also informs us of bizarre stuff we might otherwise never have heard. In the immediate case, I learned about the JR-15, a fully functional tactical mini-rifle for toddlers. To say I was surprised is a gross understatement.

One of my favorite authors, Faulkner, created a family he called Snopes. The clan was none too bright, but even they were smart enough to know real firearms do not belong in the hands of kiddies. According to snopes.com, a fact-checking website, the WEE1 Tactical Firearm Company designed the JR-15 specifically for the very young. Flem Snopes, the oldest child of his parents and a shrewd politician in his own right, would have had more sense than to give a 3-year old an assault weapon.

When I checked the WEE1 website, their logic for marketing this product was, “The JR-15, a .22LR magazine-fed sporting rifle, is a small piece of American freedom designed to teach the safe use of firearms to the next generation of recreational shooting and hunting enthusiasts.” They go on to praise the “tamper-resistant safety” feature of the rifle that, in theory, gives adults control over when it’s fired. They also tout the “blow-back semi-automatic action.”

Although I only recently became aware of this questionable piece of artillery, it’s not new. It was unveiled last year at a trade show in Las Vegas. Eric Schmid, creator of the mini-marvel, called it a scaled-down AR-15, noting it weighs only 2.2 pounds and is 20 percent smaller than its big brother. When first shown, it was marketed with a baby skull and crossbones logo. A green pacifier was placed in the mouth of the boy and a pink one in the girl’s mouth so there would be equal opportunity for both genders to enjoy this new rifle. That’s the bad news for parents who would rather have their sons and daughters concentrate on less violent means of entertainment. The good news is the pacifier and skull and bones were eventually removed from the ad campaign.

The company says it’s focusing on the safety of the weapon with adult supervision. I was relieved to hear that because as we all know, little kids do not need a firearm that might be borrowed by older siblings who want to kill squirrels, bats or family members.

The NRA declared that, “Operationally and ballistically, the JR-15 is not much different from the Ruger 10/22 that has introduced generations of young people to the safe and responsible use of firearms through programs like Boy Scouts, 4-H and scholastic rifle teams.” The NRA failed to mention the JR-15 is meant for children who have not yet reached the age of reason.

I have a hard time justifying the junior version of a rifle that “operates just like Mom and Dad’s gun” when a Roy Rogers cap gun is considered dangerous and companies must follow strict federal and state restrictions before offering it to the masses. Flem Snopes was a fictitious character, but had he been real I doubt he would have shelled out $419 so his kid could brandish his own JR-15 before moving on to bigger and more deadly weapons.

— To contact Sharon Kennedy, send her an email at sharonkennedy1947@gmail.com. Kennedy’s new book, “View from the SideRoad: A Collection of Upper Peninsula Stories,” is available from her or Amazon.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Sharon Kennedy: A kid’s version of the AR-15