“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…
Violence Policy Center Statement on Shooting in San Bernardino, California
For Release: Wednesday, December 2, 2015 Washington, DC — Following today’s shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, where according to authorities at least 14 have been killed and 14 injured, Violence Policy Center Executive Director Josh…
“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” – Guns in a Rainbow of Colors
According to Shooting Sports Retailer, “More companies are offering pistols, rifles and shotguns built for smaller-framed shooters these days, with a dizzying array of models, colors and calibers to choose from. Making sure your customers get the best fit could…
“Start Them Young” – “Tactical” Rifles for Kids
From gun magazines, to websites, to social media, two things become clear. For some gun owners there is almost a race to the bottom to see how young a child can be to handle, and eventually possess, a gun. At…
“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…