# "My Parents Open Carry" the kid's book that explains why packing heat everywhere is good thing **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 13, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406 "2014-09-13T18:47:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/1 "2014-09-13T18:47:28Z")
Need to explain to the kids why you and Dad need to go around strapped while shopping and taking them to the pool? Your answer is here! [My Parents Open Carry](http://www.amazon.com/Parents-Open-Carry-Brian-Jeffs/dp/1618081012/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdt_img_top?ie=UTF8) > [@](#): > > Come join 13-year-old Brenna Strong along with her mom, Bea, and her dad, Richard, as they spend a typical Saturday running errands and having fun together. What’s not so typical is that Brenna’s parents lawfully open carry handguns for self-defense. The Strongs join a growing number of families that are standing up for their 2nd Amendment rights by open carrying and bringing gun ownership out of the closet and into the mainstream. From the Amazon reviews > [@](#): > > I’d like to propose that the author create an entire children’s book series along these lines. Some suggested titles: > > By Eric Heidleon August 21, 2014 > > Format: Paperback > “Green Eggs and BLAM” > > “Clifford, the Big Red Target” > > “Where the Wild Things Get Shot in a Tragic Case of Mistaken Identity” > > “Where’s Waldo’s Walther?” > > “The Lion, the Witch, and the Innocent Bystander” > > “Harry Potter and the Desert-Cammo AR-15 Buildout with Telescoping Stock and Tactical Red-Dot Reticle Sighting Platform” > > “The Little Engine That Could Reload” > > "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Who Decided to Get Strapped and Fight Back ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/2 "2014-09-13T19:07:22Z")
At some point in the last 15 or 20 years, I woke up in an alternate universe. Not an evil goatee wearing universe (my original universe had just as much explicit evil as this one); more like a weird off-kilter reality that’s slipping downhill faster and faster. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/3 "2014-09-13T19:25:53Z")
> [@](#): > > From the Amazon reviews > > > [@](#): > > > > I’d like to propose that the author create an entire children’s book series along these lines. Some suggested titles: Everybody Shoots. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/4 "2014-09-13T19:32:14Z")
Local press covered this story a few months ago; the authors’ website is chock-full of sillyness. > [@](#): > > We often get requests from Tea Party Groups and home-schoolers for bulk discount orders. I’m sure they do. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/5 "2014-09-13T19:37:04Z")
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought: [**Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed!**](http://www.amazon.com/Help-Mom-There-Liberals-Under/dp/0976726904/) Poe’s Law in action. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/6 "2014-09-13T19:41:49Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought: [**Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed!**](http://www.amazon.com/Help-Mom-There-Liberals-Under/dp/0976726904/) > > Poe’s Law in action. :smack: The description of that book is priceless. > [@](#): > > This full-color illustrated book is a fun way for parents to teach young children the valuable lessons of conservatism. Written in simple text, readers can follow along with Tommy and Lou as they open a lemonade stand to earn money for a swing set. But when liberals start demanding that Tommy and Lou pay half their money in taxes, take down their picture of Jesus, and serve broccoli with every glass of lemonade, the young brothers experience the downside to living in Liberaland. Honestly, if I threw away my scruples, I could make a fortune writing stuff like this. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/7 "2014-09-13T19:54:31Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > The description of that book is priceless. > Honestly, if I threw away my scruples, I could make a fortune writing stuff like this. Or you could maintain your scruples and write [books](http://www.amazon.com/Mama-Voted-Obama-Jeremy-Zilber/dp/0978668820/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0R2VAEQ9AQZJNGEA4EG1) [like](http://www.amazon.com/Why-Mommy-Democrat-Jeremy-Zilber/dp/0978668804/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410638019&sr=8-1&keywords=why+mommy+is+a+democrat) [these.](http://www.amazon.com/Why-Daddy-Democrat-Jeremy-Zilber/dp/0978668812/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0R2VAEQ9AQZJNGEA4EG1) ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/8 "2014-09-13T19:56:33Z")
> [@](#): > > Come join 13-year-old Brenna Strong along with her mom, Bea, and her dad, Richard… **Dick Strong**? I think someone might be compensating. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/9 "2014-09-13T20:03:17Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Or you could maintain your scruples and write [books](http://www.amazon.com/Mama-Voted-Obama-Jeremy-Zilber/dp/0978668820/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0R2VAEQ9AQZJNGEA4EG1) [like](http://www.amazon.com/Why-Mommy-Democrat-Jeremy-Zilber/dp/0978668804/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410638019&sr=8-1&keywords=why+mommy+is+a+democrat) [these.](http://www.amazon.com/Why-Daddy-Democrat-Jeremy-Zilber/dp/0978668812/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0R2VAEQ9AQZJNGEA4EG1) In the third one ([Why Daddy is a Democrat: Jeremy Zilber, Yuliya Firsova: 9780978668815: Amazon.com: Books](http://www.amazon.com/Why-Daddy-Democrat-Jeremy-Zilber/dp/0978668812/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0R2VAEQ9AQZJNGEA4EG1&tag=viglink20265-20)), I wonder if the author also explains about Daddy being a Bear? ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/10 "2014-09-13T21:08:30Z")
“Stand Your Ground, Charlie Brown”. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/11 "2014-09-13T21:12:32Z")
“If You Give a Mouse a Mauser” ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/12 "2014-09-13T21:30:15Z")
“The Cat with the Gat” “Charlotte’s Webley” “Harold and the Purple Glock” ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/13 "2014-09-13T21:31:00Z")
This is perhaps one of the less weird things about this book, but it seems strange to me that a _children’s_ book has a 13 year-old protagonist. From the limited preview on Amazon this is a book with simple language and pictures on every page, and so is presumably targeted at elementary school age kids. Although I’m not sure what a child is supposed to make of this passage, which appears on the first page: “One morning, Brenna was sleeping and dreaming dreams only a 13-year-old girl would dream”. Having once been a 13-year-old girl I have a pretty good idea what kind of dreams these must be (although girls today are probably dreaming about Justin Bieber or the members of One Direction and not the pop idols of my youth), but it seems like an awfully smutty way to begin a children’s book. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/14 "2014-09-13T21:36:41Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Although I’m not sure what a child is supposed to make of this passage, which appears on the first page: “One morning, Brenna was sleeping and dreaming dreams only a 13-year-old girl would dream”. “… she began touching herself in that very special place.” ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/15 "2014-09-14T04:36:39Z")
“Clifford the Big Red Target”?! :eek: That’s hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/16 "2014-09-14T04:45:56Z")
“Are you there, Chuck? It’s me Margaret .” Chuck is Charles Heston. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/17 "2014-09-14T04:51:14Z")
‘The Very Angry Caterpillar’. ‘See Spot Run. Scope Spot Run’. ’ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/18 "2014-09-14T05:21:32Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Or you could maintain your scruples and write [books](http://www.amazon.com/Mama-Voted-Obama-Jeremy-Zilber/dp/0978668820/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0R2VAEQ9AQZJNGEA4EG1) [like](http://www.amazon.com/Why-Mommy-Democrat-Jeremy-Zilber/dp/0978668804/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410638019&sr=8-1&keywords=why+mommy+is+a+democrat) [these.](http://www.amazon.com/Why-Daddy-Democrat-Jeremy-Zilber/dp/0978668812/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0R2VAEQ9AQZJNGEA4EG1) I’m guessing you miss the point. There’s a difference between “Here’s what’s good about my political party” and “Here’s why my political opponents are evil”. There’s something wrong about teaching children to hate. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/19 "2014-09-14T07:57:26Z")
“The Diary Of A Wimpy Kid Who Overcompensates By Carrying A Magnum .44 At All Times” “Kids, Protect Yourself Against Your Parents By Learning To Fire An Uzi” ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406/20 "2014-09-14T11:35:51Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m guessing you miss the point. There’s a difference between “Here’s what’s good about my political party” and “Here’s why my political opponents are evil”. There’s something wrong about teaching children to hate. Also, unfortunately it’s probably much easier to write a bunch of ridiculous smears than it is to write a thoughtful and educational book about values. And I think my point about making money writing hate books still stands. I don’t have any stats but I suspect that hate filled smears sell much better than thoughtful advocacy. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-parents-open-carry-the-kids-book-that-explains-why-packing-heat-everywhere-is-good-thing/698406.md?page=2)