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this post was submitted on 01 Feb 2024
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Asklemmy
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I got reverse onioned a little while ago. There was an article about a kids version of the AR-15 called the JR-15, and it was so ludicrous and I didn't know that website, I thought it was a satirical article for a while... Weeks later I mentioned it as a joke, but my brother said it was real and I checked and saw he was right.
AR is short for Adult Rifle
I just can't figure out why we have a school shooting problem...
- says the only nation where this regularly happens.
They got rid of gun shaped transformers (megatron) and gun shaped Pez dispensers. You can't expect Americans to do more than this.
My favorite childhood toy was a metal-and-plastic, kid-sized Winchester 1873. It came with plastic beads it could shoot - they were all lost within days, but it still made a "pop" when you cocked and shot it. I tried to carry that thing everywhere; I clearly remember the trauma when my parents refused to let me take it to church, or school.
Anyway, I've always assumed my experience and desires were pretty standard for kids: they like guns. Is that uniquely American? Do German and Chinese kids not run around with gun-shaped sticks or toys "shooting" at each other?
Edit: typo
Sure they do. The difference is they don't do it with real weapons because people generally don't own real weapons. When they do own one (for hunting or sport, never for personal protection), it's locked in a secure safe by law and requires successful completion of a fairly tough training with a proficiency test at the end.
Was the JR15 mentioned above a real gun? I have a hard time imagining a functioning rifle chambered in 5.56 that would be small enough for a child to handle. And AR15s aren't that big; a young teen can handle them fairly easily.
I guess my point is that the AR frame is about as small as you can make a functioning 5.56 rifle anyway. You could put a shorter barrel on it, maybe lighten the stock, but now you've just made a carbine. The upper isn't getting any smaller... so what's "JR" about it?
Scaling an AR down so it just looks like one, but is chambered in something shorter like .22 short... I guess you could call it a JR15. Seems like a cheap cop-out, since that upper is the defining feature of the AR15. Although a guess there are derivations chambered in Blackout, Grendel and so on, and they're all considered based on the AR platform.
Hence, my assumption it was a toy.
Apparently it's a .22 "long".
LOL I guessed at the caliber. .22 long isn't much longer than short, in the grand scheme of things.
What a crazy development.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
it's a .22 "long"
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.
There's conversion kits for regular 5.56 AR to .22lr too. It's just a bolt and mag change, cmmg sells the "good" ones. Pretty popular choice for plinkers too!
This Jr-15 is injection molded btw, gotta be light af. And it's made by Schmid of Schmid Tools which is actually pretty cool, they make some good shit. The site for wee1 is down though so while they were at SHOT idk if the product is live or ever will be.
I only occasionally see that here in Asia. It exists, but I feel like it's much less. I immigrated here maybe 12 years ago from the West. The overall level of violence is much lower than I grew up with (even in Canada).
Most young people I know consider handling guns more of a chore. In Vietnam, learning to disassemble, clean, maintain, and reassemble an AK-47 is a mandatory class. My wife got top score :)
Anyway, we stumbled on a great way to make guns uncool, I think. Personal possession is illegal here except for shotguns, it's for some very specific scenario that I don't exactly recall. I knew of some remote workplaces with one, in case of wild animals. We get some, but not many, illegal firearms.
It's a .22lr though, which is common for teaching kids firearms safety. The only difference between that and the usual .22lr squirrel hunting rifles is it has a few cosmetic features like a pistol grip and a detachable mag rather than an 1880s style mag tube under the barrel. It's also largely injection molded so it'll also be lighter than said regular hunting rifle (and of course you could still hunt with this and it takes optics easier thanks to the 1913 rail.)
Probably a lot safer to just not give a gun to a child
And leave that kid totally defenceless against all the armed kids in the playground? What sort of monster are you?
For a country that has more guns that people. I think learning about gun safety at an early age is safer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDmgDlc-KUg
Works out fine more often than not, just don't give a 9yo a full auto uzi.
This kid may not be ready for semi, but she will be before she can comfortably hold a heavy aluminum/steel or wood/steel rifle. Gun safety is important for kids to learn if they're going to be around guns, typically if a kid learns to properly respect the dangers involved it cuts down on the 18 and life type scenarios. Sure, you can keep yours locked and you can vet their friend's parents before you allow them to stay over at the friend's house all you want, but you can never truly know if they adhere to safe storage around children or if they keep one out of the safe "where their kid can't reach (spoiler: he can). If they're aware of gun safety it increases the likelihood they'll snitch at the mention of "wanna see my dad's gun?" (and of course you should instruct them to do so regardless), it decreases the mystique of guns so they're less curious and more "been there done that let's watch that awful teen titans reboot abortion instead," and even if they did find themselves in possession or close to a firearm for some ungodly reason, at least they know how to safely clear the chamber, watch the muzzle, etc, so even if they ignore you telling them to get an adult (grounded for life for sure ofc), if they do handle the gun it decreases the likelihood someone will be injured.
Honestly, it isn't that bad a move, just be smart, you know, like no full auto uzis until you're 14. .22lr bolt actions (or air/pellets first then .22lr), then keep moving them up as time goes on (assuming they're interested and capable, but I mean, don't force em into ballet either lol).
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
https://www.piped.video/watch?v=CDmgDlc-KUg
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.