Second Amendment & Children's Literature

The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the USA guarantees the right to bear & use firearms by the citizens. The collateral damage of this is becoming more evident day by day. Ironically, this is buttressed by two classics of Children's Literature.

A Swiss pastor, Johann David Wyss, inspired by Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crutsoe", wrote "The Swiss Family Robinson" in 1812. It is the story of a shipwrecked family with four sons surviving in a deserted island. The surprising thing is, in spite of being a pastor, he had no qualms about encouraging his sons to mercilessly hunt down the various animals & birds there, with no concern for ecological balance.

Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote "The Little Place in the Big Woods" in 1867. This is an American family living off the land in a hard unforgiving terrain. The descriptions of wild, untamed nature are no doubt enthralling. But what shocks the reader's sensibilities is a little four year girl being trained to make bullets, handle a gun, kill small animals for food.