On her journey, Kesteleyn encountered "mostly ordinary families who loved their kids and trained them to use the guns safely and responsibly". Nevertheless, she remained bemused and disturbed. "The adults talked about protection all the time. They believe that you have to have guns to protect yourself from the other bad people out there with guns who want to do you harm."
Some encounters have lingered in her head. "I remember this very young girl who was really tired and worn out after her shooting practice, and that just seemed very sad somehow." At another girl's eighth birthday party, which was held at the local shooting range, Kesteleyn even tried out the child's new pink rifle. "They do feel like toys," she says, "and the bullets are
Some encounters have lingered in her head. "I remember this very young girl who was really tired and worn out after her shooting practice, and that just seemed very sad somehow." At another girl's eighth birthday party, which was held at the local shooting range, Kesteleyn even tried out the child's new pink rifle. "They do feel like toys," she says, "and the bullets are