America's gun lobby, however, dismisses the growing toll of death and injury that has accompanied increased access to guns by youth. If there are some rotten kids who are carrying a gun, that can't happen very often. But it gets a lot of play with the press. Well, yes and no. It's true that most students from kindergarten through high school can't purchase firearms on their own.
Pop picks up the tab.
Some youngsters are ready to start at 10, others at 14. The only real measures are those of maturity and individual responsibility. Gun manufacturer Browning's 1997 catalog features a toddler wearing a Browning shirt as well as ear and eye protection. Another photograph shows another toddler wearing a Browning cap while placing expended shotgun shells on his fingers. Copies of Young Guns are available from the Violence Policy Center.