A 9-year-old New Jersey girl whose competitive pastime is firing semi-automatics — and who could soon became a criminal because her AR-15 violates magazine limits under lawmaker consideration — has created social media waves with her videotaped plea to Trenton lawmakers: Don’t take away my guns.
“I would be forced to choose between giving up on a bright future in a sport I love, or asking my dad if we can move to another state,” the fourth-grade Shyanne Roberts said in 7-minute testimony at a recent Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee hearing, reported by South Jersey Times.
Shyanne isn’t a casual firer. She is highly competitive and recently won second place at the state Rutger Rimfire event. She told “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday: One of her main motivations is the chance to compete and win against boys.
But newly mulled state laws that would limit the number of rounds in a magazine to 10, down from 15, means she would have to adjust her choice of weapons — the Glock 9mm and the AR-15. Her father, Dan Roberts, said on “Fox & Friends” that the law would place her at a competitive disadvantage because she would have to spend precious seconds to reload.
The video of Shyanne’s testimony before the township, meanwhile, has reached about 65,000 watchers so far, “Fox & Friends” said. Her father said, on the broadcast, “the comments have overwhelmingly been 30 to 1 in favor” of her fight.
“She’s gotten comments from parents, from other kids, saying she’s an inspiration and someone to look up to,” Mr. Roberts said on “Fox & Friends.”
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• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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