4-Year-Old Playing With Guns at NRA Convention Sparks Outrage

Self-proclaimed outdoor enthusiast Kendall Jones started a social media firestorm when she asked a 4-year-old at the Dallas NRA convention to show her his skills with a gun.

A lot was going on at the NRA convention this past weekend in Dallas. Over 85,000 people attended, including Donald Trump and Mike Pence spoke, which marks the first time a sitting President and Vice President have both attended the convention. But, the moment that seems to be drawing the most attention is the brief interaction between Kendall Jones and a 4-year-old boy named Maverick.

In a clip posted to her Twitter and Instagram, Jones approaches the little boy and starts with the standard questions. She asks his name and how old he is, to which he responds by counting on his fingers. Then she hits him with this doozy: “Show me what you do with your gun.” Maverick responds like a pro. Even though the rifle is mounted to a display case and doesn’t have any ammunition, he is still able to lock and load the mechanism, and he places his finger on the trigger.

He continues to impress Kendall by showing her where the magazine is, earning a big high five and wearing an adorable smile the whole time. In her post, Jones declares that this is “parenting done right.” At a time when our country is deeply divided over gun culture and gun violence in general, it’s not surprising that the online reaction to the post is contentious. Some people see the interaction as harmless and echo Jones’ praise that the little boy clearly knows what he is doing, and others point out that this may be symptomatic of larger issues.

This isn’t the first time Kendall Jones has been at the center of a public discussion about guns. In 2014, photos of Jones hunting big game in Africa went viral. She says this led to her becoming “one of the most bullied teenagers in the world.” Since then she has embraced the title of ‘huntress’ and has made it her mission to educate the world on “conservation, the 2nd amendment, and bullying.”

What do you guys think? Was Kendall Jones right to say that this is “parenting done right”? Let us know in the comments.

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