You probably know the story of Little Red Riding Hood, but how about "Little Red Riding Hood (Has a Gun)"? This spin on a classic is one of two re-imagined fairy tales published online by the National Rifle Association. The group is hoping to make the Grimm Brothers' classics "less grim" by adding firearms, The New York Times reports.
The stories, written by conservative blogger Amelia Hamilton, purportedly aim at teaching gun safety. However, critics such as Dan Gross, the president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, have slammed the NRA stories as a "disgusting, morally depraved marketing campaign."
"There are no consequences for the children here holding guns, walking out into the woods with guns, thinking about killing the bad guys. Children who might read these stories do not have the emotional maturity to understand that gun ownership does come with risks," Ladd Everitt, a spokesman for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In "Little Red Riding Hood (Has a Gun)," the Big Bad Wolf does not scare Little Red because she "felt the reassuring weight of the rifle on her shoulder." Likewise, Grandma scares off the wolf when "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."
Likewise, in "Hansel and Gretel (Have Guns)," the children bag a "magnificent 10-point buck" before stumbling on the Witch's gingerbread cottage. The siblings then free two other boys from the Witch's home while Gretel "stood at the ready with her firearm just in case, for she was a better shot than her brother."
Hamilton said her retellings were "kinder" because grandparents and children weren't eaten, and no villains get shot.
"The Three Little Pigs (With Guns)" will be published in May.
-
Political cartoons for November 2Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the 22nd amendment, homeless camps, and more
-
The dazzling coral gardens of Raja AmpatThe Week Recommends Region of Indonesia is home to perhaps the planet’s most photogenic archipelago.
-
‘Never more precarious’: the UN turns 80The Explainer It’s an unhappy birthday for the United Nations, which enters its ninth decade in crisis
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
