A children's gun inspired by massacres that make a fuss in America

Associations to combat personal gun violence in the United States are outraged by the recent launch of the JR-15 rifle designed for children, as it was inspired by an assault weapon used in more than one fatal shooting.

The company WEE1 Tactical explained that this rifle is "the first of a range of weapons that will enable adults to introduce children to the sport of shooting safely," and described it on its website as a "mother and father's rifle."

The letter JR in the name of the gun means "Junior". It is only 80 centimeters long and weighs less than one kilogram. It is equipped with ammunition stores that can accommodate five rounds or ten long 22 calibers.

It was put on the market in mid-January at a price of 389 dollars.

The AR-15 for adults is a civilian version of a military-style weapon that has been used in a series of high-traumatic school killings.

Shootings abound in the United States, whose constitution guarantees the right to own firearms, but attempts to regulate their possession and demands for stricter control over their sales are being hampered in Congress by pressure from the gun lobby.

And killed 26 people, including 20 children, on December 14, 2012 at the American School of "Sandy Hook" in Newtown, Connecticut (northeast of the United States) by the fire of a mentally ill young man, and this tragedy left a deep impact on public opinion.

The AR-15 was also used in the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, which had the highest death toll in recent US history, with 58 dead, as well as at Parkland High School in Florida (17 dead) in 2018.

Josh Sugarman, executive director of the Violence Policy Center, which combats gun violence, said Friday, "At first glance, it looks like a silly joke, but upon closer inspection, it turns out to be just plain rude."

As for the "Newtown Action Alliance", which calls for a reduction in the possession of weapons, it criticized the arms lobby and its manufacturers, saying that they "are doing everything to continue making profits."

About 45,000 people were killed by firearms in the United States in 2021, including 24,000 suicides and more than 1,500 minors, according to the "Gun Violence Archive".

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