US gunmaker unveils semi-automatic rifle marketed to kids

WASHINGTON: A US gun manufacturer has unveiled a semi-automatic rifle for kids modeled on the AR-15, which has been used in a number of deadly mass shootings, sparking condemnation from gun safety groups.

The gun dubbed the JR-15 is being marketed by maker WEE1 Tactical as "the first in a line of shooting platforms that will safely help adults introduce children to the shooting sports."

The company’s website says the rifle "also looks, feels, and operates just like Mom and Dad’s gun."

The JR-15 is only 31 inches long, weighs less than 2.5 pounds and comes with magazines of five or 10 rounds of 22 caliber bullets. It was released in mid-January with a price tag of $389.

The adult model, the AR-15, is the civilian version of a military-style weapon and has been used in multiple mass killings in the United States, including in schools.

Mass shootings are a recurrent scourge of the United States, where the right to own weapons is guaranteed by the Constitution.

Attempts to regulate their sale is often blocked in Congress, where the powerful gun lobby -- in particular the National Rifle Association -- wields great influence.

On December 14, 2012, a young man used an AR-15 to kill 26 people, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.