U.S. weapons manufacturer makes rifles for children: report

NEW DELHI, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- A U.S.-based gun manufacturer has unveiled a semi-automatic rifle for children modelled on the AR-15 style, the New Delhi-based television news channel NDTV has recently reported.

"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," reads the report, adding that the company's website says the rifle "also looks, feels, and operates just like Mom and Dad's gun."

According to the report, the AR-15 style rifle, a lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on the Colt AR-15 design, has been used in a number of deadly mass shootings in the United States.

The unveiling of the rifle for kids has sparked condemnation from gun safety groups.

According to Gun Violence Archive, a U.S. gun violence monitoring group, nearly 45,000 people in the United States were killed in gun violence last year, including more than 1,500 minors.