Dutch photographer?An-Sofie Kesteleyn?became fascinated with America’s gun culture when she read about a 5-year-old Kentucky boy who accidentally killed his 2-year-old sister with his rifle.
She told?Wired:
?I really wanted to know what parents and kids thought about having the guns [rifles]. For me it was hard to understand because we don’t have a gun culture at all. The only people with guns [in the Netherlands] are the police.?
When she arrived in the U.S., she began to approach parents at shooting ranges, asking them if she could photograph their children with their rifles. As expected, she didn’t get a warm reception, but she did convince 15 families to participate in her?”My First Rifle” series, which shows children holding their guns in their bedrooms. Kesteleyn felt that the contrast of a typical little kid’s room with these dangerous weapons would be striking. She was right.
Part of the project was asking kids to also write down what they were most afraid of and what they might use the gun to defend themselves against. She used the notes and the photos to create diptychs.
Kestelyn was slightly unsettled, though non-judgmental, by?the American gun culture. From Wired:
Kesteleyn says that the majority of parents give their kids guns to educate them and ensure they know how to properly use a firearm when they get older. At the same time, she never could shake how odd she felt standing next to a child with a gun.
?I don’t want to be like I’m against guns or pro guns, but I do think giving a child a gun is sort of like giving your kids car keys,? she says.
Kesteleyn avoided Texas, calling it “cliche,” but I feel compelled to include a photo of my own kid with a gun he received for Christmas from his grandfather one year. I’ve blurred out the faces of the other children. I share this because as sure as I write an article like this, someone will produce a photo of my own kid with a gun. The men in our family are avid hunters and responsible gun owners. They really are.
They?all say that, don’t they?
h/t Visual News
Tiffany Willis is the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?like her?Facebook page,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has?a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
