Selling a gun to children in the US: ‘Absolutely disgusting’, US senators condemn

US Democratic senators on Thursday strongly denounced the business practices of an American manufacturer of small arms, light and lethal weapons. WEE1 Tactical sells a semi-automatic rifle designed specifically for children: the JR-15.

Modeled after an assault rifle used in several deadly shootouts, the Junior 15 is “utterly disgusting,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer denounced. “The last thing we should do is downsize these weapons of war and sell them to children,” he said, calling on the US Consumer Protection Agency (FTC) to launch an investigation into its manufacturer.

The rifle, which weighs only 1 kg and is only 80 cm tall, shoots live ammunition well. Supplied with magazines for one, five or ten .22 long rifle cartridges, it first went on sale in January 2022 for $389, approximately €360.

“A Piece of American Freedom”

WEE1 Tactical describes it as “a piece of American freedom” intended “for the small enthusiast”. On its website, the company depicts a blonde looking through the scope of one of these rifles at the snow.

Asked by Agence France Presse (AFP), the company defended the marketing of its weapon, which it says lacks a “safety mechanism” found in no other rifle.

“Faced with an epidemic of youth gun violence and shootings,” such weapons “simply shouldn’t exist,” Chuck Schumer hammered. As an example, he cited the case of a 6-year-old child who injured his teacher earlier this month at a school in Virginia.

Shooting is a constant scourge in the United States, where gun ownership is guaranteed by the Constitution. On Thursday, President Joe Biden again urged lawmakers to urgently ban assault rifles. But attempts to regulate their sale are often blocked in the US Congress, a parliament where gun advocates have strong influence.