Reckless marketing of guns for young children puts everyone at risk

A Kentucky 5-year-old used a .22 rifle marketed as “My First Rifle” to shoot and kill his 2-year-old sister in 2013. The company that sold the Crickett rifle, Keystone Sporting Arms, designs the firearms in bright colors, including pink, and the boy was given one as a birthday present.

Another company, Chicago area-based WEE1 Tactical, last year introduced a scaled-down kids’ version of the AR-15 called the JR-15. And yes, the AR-15 is the style of weapon used in mass shootings from Sandy Hook to Uvalde.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the JR-15 “vile” after it was introduced, noting the weapons at first were adorned with a skull-and-crossbones figure sucking on a pacifier. Who on earth thinks it sends the right message to market powerful guns to toddlers?

In July, Newsom signed a bill that prohibits marketing of firearms to minors in California. A California federal court upheld the ban in January.

In Illinois, the Legislature also ought to ban marketing guns to children. The state now has a ban on the sale of assault weapons, but it is critical to prevent advertising that persuades children or teenagers they need military-style weapons.

Marketing guns to kids invites calamity. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, there already have been at least 58 unintentional shootings by children in 2023, causing 22 deaths and 37 injuries nationally. Last year, there were at least 353 unintentional shootings, almost one every day. Guns have become the No. 1 cause of death for young people in the United States.

President Joe Biden was right, as part of an executive order announced last Tuesday, to encourage the Federal Trade Commission to investigate how gunmakers promote their weapons to minors and how they use military imagery to boost sales to all civilians. Separately, U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass, on Feb. 2 introduced the Protecting Kids from Gun Marketing Act, which would require the FTC to draw up rules that would prohibit the marketing of firearms to children. Illinois Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth are among the co-sponsors.

“They want more Americans to use these weapons, and they’re trying to hook them when they’re young,” Durbin said in a statement. “This kind of marketing is reckless. It’s dangerous. And it needs to stop.”

Beyond teaching hunting, gun safety

Adults buying guns for their children and teaching them to use the firearms safely is a long tradition. But gun makers aren’t satisfied with that. They want to get today’s children addicted to guns, just as tobacco companies used to do. They want today’s children to become tomorrow’s gun purchasers — and voters against laws that could limit gun sales, even for weapons that fall into criminal hands.

“I think what the industry is doing is egregiously, dangerously irresponsible,” Ryan Busse, author and policy director of Gifford Law Center, told us. “The trajectory and change in the way the industry markets guns has been very dramatic in the last 10 to 12 years.”

Many generations of young people, including older teens, were trained in hunting and gun safety, but now training often centers on preparedness and tactical shooting, using weapons specifically designed for offensive military tactical operations in which the focus is on deciding who you want to kill, Busse said.

Past gun training emphasized responsibility, but now, “Responsibility has left the room,” he said.

In a statement, Duckworth said, “Every minute we let companies like this [WEE1 Tactical] try to trick our babies into buying weapons of war, we risk witnessing another classroom turning into a crime scene.”

The nonstop flow of news stories about children and young people who shoot their siblings or others is nothing short of tragic. Gun manufacturers should not be encouraging the placing of deadly weapons into the hands of children who are not yet old enough to drive.

We welcome letters to the editor and op-eds. Check out our guidelines for both.

Send letters to letters@suntimes.com