Duggar critics have spent years pointing out that some of Joy-Anna’s posts are downright dangerous.
Some say that it’s not her fault. She grew up in a nightmarish cult, and by marrying Austin Forsyth, she hasn’t exactly gotten away from that.
Others argue that, when it comes to your children’s safety, there’s no excuse.
That conversation has reemerged after Joy-Anna’s video revealed that her husband’s weapon was just sitting out on a counter.
On YouTube, Joy-Anna Duggar shared a family video. The beginning was, of course, some cheesy footage of the family on a grassy field.
Then, however, they quickly delved into Austin Forsyth’s looming departure.
He was headed on some sort of outdoorsy trip with his father and his brother. The Forsyth dudes were headed to Denver, Colorado.
Ostensibly, this was to be a hiking trip.
Of course, one of the things that Austin packed was a weapon.
And this — or, rather, the discussion surrounding it — was what led to some backlash from Joy’s fans.
So, the Forsyth guys were packing up a large RV along with some attachments, to bring an ATV.
Joy-Anna was helping. She reminded Austin to remember to pack his crossbow.
Specifically, she asked him if he had remembered to get it off of the counter.
A crossbow is a potentially deadly weapon. While Austin likely intends to use it to hunt non-human animals, it’s dangerous for humans, too.
A regular bow and arrow can be dangerous, but it generally requires strength and arm length to be effective at a distance. That is not the case with a crossbow.
The entire appeal of a crossbow, tactically speaking, is that it requires less skill and strength. It’s so easy to use that a child could fire one.
And that, of course, is the precise fear that went through people’s minds.
No weapon should simply sit out on a kitchen counter.
Most children are old enough to reach a countertop. Certainly, 5-year-old Gideon is. 3-year-old Evelyn might be.
(Admittedly, baby Gunner could not. But he was literally born this year; we’re not height-shaming the little dude)
“One day something really bad will happen to those kids,” one redditor predicted grimly.
“Not only Joy’s but the duggar’s kids in general,” the social media user continued.
The Reddit user added: “I was watching the old episodes and it’s full of neglectful behaviours from the adults.”
“It’s just dumb luck that nothing tragic has happened at this point,” another Reddit denizen quipped.
“[It’s] unbelievable,” an addition commenter remarked.
It’s true that the Duggar family tends to be reckless with child safety. Many people discuss the horrific abuse that the IBLP cult and similar ideologies advocate, but their family structure also makes danger and neglect seemingly inevitable.
At the risk of sounding like we’d ever defend Joy-Anna or Austin, we should point out something.
It’s entirely possible that the crossbow bolts are nowhere near the crossbow itself.
If so, then it really is just a heavy piece of wood. It’s not like with a gun, where checking for bullets requires actual investigation. So maybe this particular instance was safer than it sounded. Maybe?