US weapons manufacturer unveils semi-automatic 'junior' AR-15-style rifles for children

A US weapons manufacturer unveiled a mini-version of an AR-15 style rifle for children. In a bid to market assault-style rifle among teens, Illiis-based gun maker, Wee1 Tactical, promised that firearm is packed with same lethal punch just like "mom and d's gun." Titled JR-15 (Junior Rifle-15), assault-style weapon is 20% smaller compared to its original version and weighs just 2.3 pounds (1 kilogram).

 US firm makes real rifles for children

rifle comes with a magazine of 5 or 10 rounds of 0.22 caliber bullets, priced at just $389. Wee1 Tactical dubs gun as "first in a line of shooting platforms that will safely help ults introduce children to shooting sports." rifled also complete with a complete logo, showing a skull and crossbones, eye targets, and pacifiers in an attempted indication that weapons are for kids. Furr elaborating its specifics, gun makers informed that it is 7/8 inches long me with polymer. It has a "standard Picatinny rail with M-LOK," "mini mil-spec trigger" and 16 inches barrel. gun when purchased is shipped with a "single RD magazine."

state-of--art weapon for teenrs was introduced last month in Las Vegas at SHOT show, largest outdoor sports industry tre show, Daily Mail reported. event was sponsored by National Shooting Sports Foundation, a tre association for firearms industries based in Connecticut. Incidentally, it is same place wherein in December 2012 at least 20 children and 6 ults were shot de in Sandy Hook Elementary School. "Our goal was to develop a shooting platform that was t only size correctly and safe but also looks feels and operates just like mom and d's gun," Wee1 Tactical said in its vertisement for rifle. Take a look:

Kids' rifle introduced amid recurring gun violence cases in US

It is to mention that rifle replicated AR-15 model, a civilian version of military-style weapon. Unfortunately, AR-15 has been used in multiple mass shooting incidents in US, including many schools. An AR-15 was also used in 2017 in Vegas, which killed 58. latest incident was reported from Parkland High School in Florida, which left 17 de in 2018. Between August to December 2021, re were at least 136 shootings on school campuses alone, Every town for Gun Safety, an vocacy group reported.

Gun control activists slam firearm marketed to kids

newly launched "kids rifle" was vehemently criticised by activists seeking to mitigate gun violence by calling for a ban on sale of guns. Violence Policy Center executive director Josh Sugarmann lambasted company, calling product a "grotesque joke." He also slammed imry used by makers to draw teenrs. In dition, gun-control vocates also expressed ir horror at "diminutive AR-15 style rifle," pushed towards children, Fast Company was quoted by Daily Mail. Joining criticism over Kids' gun, California Goverr Gavin Newsom, who shared a picture of rifle on his Twitter, calling it "vile." He also called on politicians to condemn manufacturers for production of "egregiously tactical offensive war weapon."

(Im: @GavinNewsom/Twitter/Unsplash)