“Start Them Young” – Endnotes
“Father of Marysville school shooter convicted of gun charges,” Seattle Times, September 29, 2015 (http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/father-of-marysville-school-shooter-convicted-of-gun-charges/); “’Bang, Bang I’m Dead’: Marysville Shooter Jaylen Fryberg’s Ominous Texts – NBC News,” nbcnews.com, November 20, 2014 (http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/marysville-school-shooting/bang-bang-im-dead-marysville-shooter-jaylen-frybergs-ominous-texts-n252496); “Death Toll Rises to 5 in School…
“Start Them Young” – Conclusion and Recommendations
The efforts of the gun industry and gun lobby to put firearms in the hands of young children and teens are the exact opposite of what health experts advise. The American Academy of Pediatrics is emphatic in urging parents not…
“Start Them Young” – The Reality of Children and Guns
Much like the tobacco industry before it, the firearms industry — gun and accessory manufacturers, trade associations (both self-proclaimed, such as the NSSF, and de facto, such as the National Rifle Association) and related publications — consistently denies the risk associated…
“Start Them Young” – The Industry Finds Its “‘Reality’ Video Game” in 3-Gun Competition
In the competition for the recreation time of youth, video games are seen by the gun industry as both a threat to, and an opportunity for, marketing firearms to youth. Bud Pidgeon, president of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance warns, “By…
“Start Them Young” – National Shooting Sports Foundation: The Gun Industry’s Tobacco Institute
While the National Rifle Association functions as the unofficial trade association for the firearms industry, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is its official trade association. In a grim irony, NSSF’s headquarters is located in Newtown, Connecticut. The role played…
“Start Them Young” – NRA “Junior Members”
Since 1981, and until recently, the National Rifle Association has published in print or online NRA InSights magazine for its Junior Members65 under the age of 15 (although the online content is available to anyone).66 The industry’s focus on youth…
“Start Them Young” – Junior Shooters: “For Kids By Kids”
Perhaps the most honest and unvarnished look into the ongoing effort to create a youth gun culture can be found in Junior Shooters, available online and in print format. Based in Boise, Idaho, the magazine “strives to be the first…
“Start Them Young” – Davey Crickett, Little Jake, and the Marlin Man
Many Americans would be surprised at the age at which some parents introduce their children to firearms. This was made clear in April 2013 when a two-year-old Kentucky girl was unintentionally shot and killed by her five-year-old brother with a…
“Start Them Young” – Following the Tobacco Industry’s Path: The Search for Replacement Shooters
The gun industry has long understood that it faces a slow-motion demographic collapse. With the industry’s customer base growing older, household gun ownership in America has steadily declined. As its primary market of white males ages and dies off, the…
“Start Them Young” – Introduction
“He was just a good kid. He was everybody’s friend.” On October 24, 2014, 14-year-old Jaylen Fryberg entered the cafeteria at Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Marysville, Washington, and shot five classmates, killing four, before turning the gun on himself. Unlike…