During a trip to the United States, Stacey Dooley was obviously taken aback after witnessing a nine-year-old child being sold a pistol – her 37th, in fact – during a visit.
Gun regulations are a regular subject of debate and controversy in the United States, with some feeling it is their right to possess and carry firearms while others fear the hazards and harm that the weapons may inflict.
In a new episode of Stacey’s show, Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over USA, she meets a family that passionately believes in gun ownership, a stance they’ve handed down to their little daughter.
The presenter stated on Instagram that the episode is “clearly highly contentious and an emotive issue for many,” and urged viewers not to “direct anything nasty” to the youngster featured in the docu-series.
In a footage published on social media, the presenter claims that over the previous eight years, the family has journeyed around the Nation, but only settle in places that have ‘relaxed gun restrictions’.
Finding a’reliable local gun shop’ is a ‘top priority’ for them in a country where the quantity of firearms outnumbers people.
Nine-year-old Autumn is escorted by her parents to a gun shop, where the salesman Josh declares his conviction that it’s ‘essential for youngsters to be able to shoot’.
‘It’s a pastime, we love it, and gun safety, we’re real big here on gun safety,’ Josh states.
The topic of concealed carry is brought up, which is when people carry firearms in public but conceal them, either beneath their clothing or in their backpacks.
Autumn’s father, Randy, displays the pistol he has tucked into the top of his pants, beneath his shirt.
‘Do you never get nervous?’ Stacey asks, to which Randy replies: ‘About what?’
‘Accidents,’ she answers, as Randy says that the gun is in a holster and claims that if the trigger is covered, ‘there’s no way it’s going to go off’.
Lindsay, Autumn’s mother, says she always carries a gun and keeps one in her luggage.
She’d feel like she’d ‘forgotten her phone’ if she left the home without it, she says Stacey.
‘It’s a part of you, it stays with you, it belongs with you,’ she adds.
Autumn’s father Randy purchases the rifle for daughter for a whopping $525 (£433), which he accomplishes by supplying his driver’s licence and filling out a form before the seller calls to verify his data.
Stacey speaks to the camera outside after the transaction to summarise what she’s just observed.
‘Autumn’s delighted, she’s on cloud nine, because her dad’s bought her this gun that’s worth $500,’ she says.
‘You just can’t help but compare yourself. When I was nine, my mum didn’t have the equivalent of $500 to buy me a treat. It really is quite something that that’s her 37th gun. And she’s not even 10 yet.
‘Why does she need 37 guns? Whilst I’m not shocked at most things, I do think that is pretty bonkers.’
Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over USA begins tonight at 10pm on W.