Politics

The NRA is Adding Guns to Your Favorite Childhood Fairytales

March 26th 2016

You probably remember your favorite childhood stories like "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Hansel and Gretel." But do you remember the characters packing heat? The National Rifle Association has updated those classic tales with "Little Red Riding Hood (Has a Gun)" and "Hansel and Gretel (Have Guns)."

#NRAfairytalesTwitter/#NRAstories - twitter.com

But these are not just re-imaginings with adult characters like 2005's "The Brothers Grimm" with Matt Damon and Heath Ledger or 2013's "Hansel and Gretel" featuring a gun-toting Jeremy Renner.

The NRA's versions highlight a message that corresponds with their political talking points powered by lobbying and their marketing strategy as ATTN: wrote about in the past. The author of the stories, conservative blogger Amelia Hamilton, told CBS News that the stories are about gun safety. "Well the stories are really also for adults and it's all about safety," she said. "And it's for parents so you an start those conversations."

In "Little Red Riding Hood (Has a Gun)," the character Red receives rifle lessons at a young age.

"One birthday not long ago, Red was given her very own rifle and lessons on how to use it—just in case—to be sure that she would always be safe."

When the Big Big Bad Wolf comes to Grandmother's house to eat her like the original story, it goes a little differently. Grandma pulls out a rifle.

Little Red Riding Hood (Has a Gun)NRA Family - nrafamily.org

"The wolf leaned in, jaws open wide, then stopped suddenly. Those big ears heard the unmistakable sound of a shotgun’s safety being clicked off. Those big eyes looked down and saw that grandma had a scattergun aimed right at him. He realized that Grandmother hadn’t been backing away from him; she had been moving towards her shotgun to protect herself and her home."

In the NRA's version of Hansel and Gretel, the siblings need to go on a hunting trip to find food for their family. The opportunity for them to provide food exists because of their skill with firearms.

Hansel and Gretel (Have Guns)NRA Family - nrafamily.org

Fortunately, they had been taught how safely to use a gun and had been hunting with their parents most of their lives. They knew that, deep in the forest, there were areas that had never been hunted where they may be able to hunt for food. They knew how to keep themselves safe should they find themselves in trouble.

After Hansel and Gretel come across the witch from the original story, they are not held captive but free two boys who are held in cages instead. They go back to their village and round up something reminiscent of a lynch mob to go after the witch.

"Villagers, prepared with rifles and pistols, headed into the forest, Hansel and Gretel leading the way. When they came upon the witch’s cottage, the sheriff locked her into the cage in which the boys had been locked just the night before, to be taken away so she could never harm another child."

Inspired by the NRA's remixed fairy tales, Twitter users came up with their own versions.

But not everyone was on board with the new fairy tale direction.

RELATED: Here's Exactly How the NRA Misleads Its Members

To learn more about how other countries handle gun laws, check out this ATTN: video.

 

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