Video of girl crying tears of joy opening shotgun present causes online furore
Footage of the “touching” moment a 10-year-old American girl is moved to tears unwrapping her first shotgun has been met with horrified reactions on social media.
The clip was shared to Facebook a year ago, but has resurfaced recently following the deadly February 14 Florida school massacre, sparking criticism over the USA’s relaxed gun laws.
In the video, the young girl named Presley tears open a package given to her by her parents.
She is beside herself when she recognises the blue casing as that of the Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon shotgun.
“Oh my goodness, this is crazy. Oh my, I can’t breathe,” she says.
"Thank you," she cries, as a man can be heard telling her he picked out a gun that suits her size.
The child squeals and begins to cry tears of happiness as she fumbles with the case to reveal the hunting weapon inside.
The video was originally shared in January last year by the gun maker Beretta on its Facebook page, describing the girl’s reaction as “touching”.
“She opens the Beretta box. Her reaction will make you cry,” the post reads.
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“A touching video sent by Presley’s parents, shows the emotional moment when she realises she finally has her very own 686 Silver Pigeon. It’s what we call #BerettaJoy.”
In the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where an ex-student killed 17 people inside, the footage of Presley with her first gun was met with a flood of shocked reactions.
Some labelled the video “disturbing” and “disgusting”, while others said a musical instrument would have been a better choice of gift, rather than teaching kids to kill.
“Honestly one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen! Those people should be ashamed of themselves,” one person commented on Facebook.
“Clearly what every little girl needs. Something to kill with. Charming,” another added.
But among the naysayers, many gun enthusiasts claimed there was “nothing wrong” with giving a child a gun.
“I don’t see any problem with her learning how to be responsible with a gun at a young age. That’s what I was brought up from, and so will my kids if they want to,” one person chimed in.
Another wrote: “All of you saying that this video is disturbing are complete idiots and you just don’t have a clue! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with raising kids to respect and enjoy firearms.”
