The day after Christmas, the Duggar family shared photos of their brood opening gifts and spending time with each other, but one of those pictures caused a social media uproar.
While most of the Duggar children received toys, clothes, and other harmless items, Jedidiah, who turned 16 on December 30, received a shotgun. The photo of him holding his new present has gone viral.
In the photo, Jedidiah grins at the camera as he holds the black, pump-action shotgun. Some on social media were none too pleased, however.
"Oh, dear," an English woman wrote on the Duggar's Facebook page. "Only in America is it appropriate to give a kid a gun for Christmas."
"Worst present ever," another woman added. "I don't care how much gun safety they teach their kids. All it takes is one time of not locking it up properly for one of the dozens of curious young kids in that house to get a hold of it and have an accident.
"Why take that chance? Don't understand why a Christian family who values life would want to own devices that are specifically designed to destroy it."
However, the majority of commenters defended Jedidiah's gift.
"There is NOTHING wrong with guns," a woman responded. "It's HOW they are mis-used that's the problem."
"Nice!" a Washingtonian said. "In God We Trust and the right to bear arms!"
Jedidiah's father, Jim Bob, has insisted that his children are qualified to handle weapons safely.
"We believe it is important for children to learn safety about guns and knives," he said in a 2011interview. "To learn how to use them properly and to learn not to use them to hurt others but to use them as a tool."
The patriarch made the comments after a photo of then-20-year-old John David holding two guns was posted online.
The Duggars faced a similar controversy in May 2014 when Jessa was photographed holding an assault rifle.
Jim Bob said the children take gun safety courses, and the weapons that the household owns are kept in a safe that is only accessible by a few people.
The Duggars have not responded to the controversy over Jedidiah's photo.
