The marketing of products, an integral part of American culture, has been the subject of various examinations with respect to responsibility, obligation, trust, honesty, and more. Marketing to children has been the subject of particularscrutiny, specifically in regards to whether marketing should be directed toward children and whether children realize that the intent of marketing is to persuade them in some way. Additionally, the debateabout the Second Amendment, along with measures of firearm safety, has existed since our Founding Fathers, and most recently this topic has gained momentum. This study illustrates the ethics and varying perceptions regarding marketing to children, the general marketing of firearms, and, most importantly, the combination of marketing firearms to children. Research regarding cognitive development and age maturity of adolescents, recommendations from the American College of Physicians, and the differing views of companies about the use and safety of firearmsare alldiscussed in this study.
