Democracy Dies in Darkness

A child-size rifle with cartoon skulls, inspired by the AR-15, raises concerns

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January 29, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. EST
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) hold up a placard as Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), from left, Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) speak during a news conference in Washington on Thursday urging the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the marketing of a JR-15 rifle to children. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
6 min

A Chicago-based gun manufacturer that unveiled a child-size rifle, promoting it with cartoon skulls showing a boy in a mohawk and a girl in ponytails, is grabbing attention again.

Schmid Tool and WEE1 Tactical, the gun manufacturers that specialize in the popular AR-15 style rifle, launched the JR-15 last January, a “youth training rifle” that “looks, feels, and operates just like Mom and Dad’s gun.”