Image of little girl practising gun attack drill goes viral

A shocked American mum who posted on social media a picture of her three-year-old daughter practising a gun attack drill taught at her pre-school has become an internet sensation.

Picture of three-year-old practising 'gun lockdown drill' has outraged people on social media. Picture: Stacey Wehrman Feeley/Facebook

Stacey Wehrman Feeley, of Michigan, has made a plea for tougher gun control after learning her toddler had been given lessons of a ‘gun attack lockdown drill’.

The picture shows her daughter standing on top of the toilet.

At first, Mrs Feeley believed her daughter was being mischievous and was going to send the image to her husband - but was left disturbed when the three-year-old revealed what she was doing.

She has since posted the picture on her Facebook page, and has already had thousands of followers, with almost 10,000 people sharing the image.

The distraught mum now believes her daughter’s innocence has been taken away from her after being taught the drill at pre-school in event of a gun attack.

In a lengthy diatribe aimed at the country’s political leaders, she said: “Politicians - take a look. This is your child, your children, your grandchildren, your great grand children and future generations to come.

“They will live their lives and grow up in this world based on your decisions. They are barely three and they will hide in bathroom stalls standing on top of toilet seats.

“I do not know what will be harder for them? Trying to remain quiet for an extended amount of time or trying to keep their balance without letting a foot slip below the stall door?”
She has pleaded for tougher gun control in America, adding: “Banding together, signing petitions, rallying to get your voice heard is good, but is it actually doing anything or just making us feel better about the current situation? We need action.

“I am not pretending to have all the answers or even a shred of them, but unless you want your children standing on top of a toilet, we need to do something.”

People have responded to the Facebook posting in thousands, including British people saying they would be devastated if their children had to go through such ‘drills’ in nursery school.

In her post, Mrs Feeley said: I took this picture because initially I thought it was funny. I was going to send it to my husband to show what our mischievous little three-year-old was up to.

“However, the moment she told me what she was doing I broke down. She was practicing for a lockdown drill at her preschool and what you should do if you are stuck in a bathroom.

“At that moment all innocence of what I thought my three-year-old possessed was gone.”

She added: “No one thinks gun control will be 100% crime control. But maybe, just maybe, it helps 1% or 2% or 50%? Who knows unless we try? Why on earth are there not universal background checks? Where is a universal registration database?

“Why are high capacity magazines ever permitted to be sold to anyone other than direct to the military? Is that really necessary to protect yourself or hunt for that matter?”

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