The Thriving Business of Arms for Children in the United States
Young children carrying firearms, inconceivable in Europe, is a reality in the United States. This social phenomenon was brought to the attention of the whole world after the tragedy which unfolded on Tuesday in Kentucky: A five-year-old American boy, who was playing with a rifle he'd received as a birthday present a year earlier, shot and killed his younger sister, aged just two. The county coroner in charge of the case explained that "it's a Crickett, a rifle for a little kid. The little boy was used to shooting with it."
Aside from the horror sparked by this tragedy, the accident has drawn attention to the thriving business of Crickett, a brand specializing in the sale of arms for children aged four to 10. The subsidiary of the family-owned company Keystone Sporting Arms prides itself on producing "quality firearms for America's youth," a concept which has caused outrage in the U.S., where the Constitution's Second Amendment, which authorizes the right to carry arms, is sacred. According to the group's website, the founders, Bill McNeal and his son Steve McNeal, began making arms specifically for children in 1996. They began with four employees and made 4,000 guns a year. Today, Crickett has almost 70 employees and designs 60,000 rifles for children each year, according to figures from 2008. To give you an idea of just how sales for this children's rifle are booming: It's currently on sale at Walmart, America's largest supermarket chain and largest employer.
A Well-Oiled Machine
It must be said that the mechanism put in place by Crickett is well developed. Their slogan is eloquent: "Crickett, my first gun"; the name of the range of products for children is "My First Rifle." Parents can buy pink models for their daughters, blue for their sons, or even camouflage to resemble as closely as possible the guns held by their parents. These childish objects are affordable too: The rifle model used in the tragedy costs less than $150, a little cheaper than Barbie's Dream House. The company also supplies spare parts and accessories; a pink butt will set you back $40.
Crickett doesn't stop there. The group offers the complete collection for the perfect shooter, including books with evocative titles like "My First Rifle Book," hunting vests, baseball caps and even belt buckles. True to the American "myth" of wide open spaces, the novels even show little Jack hunting bears in the forest or trekking in Alaska.
The group is also particularly active on the Internet. It has a YouTube channel with videos defending their interest in firearms. However, their Facebook group and the "My First Rifle" page were deleted on Tuesday after the tragedy. The group's website is also down today. It remains to be seen if this tragedy will challenge the insane increase in specialist firearms for children. The Newtown massacre in Connecticut, which took the lives of 20 children and six adults last December, has already rekindled the national debate on the right to carry arms. But the National Rifle Association, the firearms lobby group in the U.S., is meeting this weekend to make sure that its voice — and its interests — are heard.
Aside from the horror sparked by this tragedy, the accident has drawn attention to the thriving business of Crickett, a brand specializing in the sale of arms for children aged four to 10. The subsidiary of the family-owned company Keystone Sporting Arms prides itself on producing "quality firearms for America's youth," a concept which has caused outrage in the U.S., where the Constitution's Second Amendment, which authorizes the right to carry arms, is sacred. According to the group's website, the founders, Bill McNeal and his son Steve McNeal, began making arms specifically for children in 1996. They began with four employees and made 4,000 guns a year. Today, Crickett has almost 70 employees and designs 60,000 rifles for children each year, according to figures from 2008. To give you an idea of just how sales for this children's rifle are booming: It's currently on sale at Walmart, America's largest supermarket chain and largest employer.
A Well-Oiled Machine
It must be said that the mechanism put in place by Crickett is well developed. Their slogan is eloquent: "Crickett, my first gun"; the name of the range of products for children is "My First Rifle." Parents can buy pink models for their daughters, blue for their sons, or even camouflage to resemble as closely as possible the guns held by their parents. These childish objects are affordable too: The rifle model used in the tragedy costs less than $150, a little cheaper than Barbie's Dream House. The company also supplies spare parts and accessories; a pink butt will set you back $40.
Crickett doesn't stop there. The group offers the complete collection for the perfect shooter, including books with evocative titles like "My First Rifle Book," hunting vests, baseball caps and even belt buckles. True to the American "myth" of wide open spaces, the novels even show little Jack hunting bears in the forest or trekking in Alaska.
The group is also particularly active on the Internet. It has a YouTube channel with videos defending their interest in firearms. However, their Facebook group and the "My First Rifle" page were deleted on Tuesday after the tragedy. The group's website is also down today. It remains to be seen if this tragedy will challenge the insane increase in specialist firearms for children. The Newtown massacre in Connecticut, which took the lives of 20 children and six adults last December, has already rekindled the national debate on the right to carry arms. But the National Rifle Association, the firearms lobby group in the U.S., is meeting this weekend to make sure that its voice — and its interests — are heard.
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