Parents' Guide to

Guntucky

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Pro-gun reality focuses on family, safety, legality.

TV CMT Reality TV 2013
Guntucky Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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What's the Story?

From the producers of Pawn Stars comes GUNTUCKY, a reality series featuring a popular Kentucky gun range and the three generations of family who run it. It stars Biff Sumner Jr., the family patriarch and owner of the popular Knob Creek Gun Range, which is known to locals as a gun lover's theme park. While "Grandpa" Biff works with customers who want to legally buy and sell firearms, adult sons Kenny and Steven, and their adult kids, Chad and Stephanie, help clients live out their shooting fantasies. Adding to the fray is Steve's rather unmotivated teenage son Payton. From blowing up cars, boats, and other large items with the help of explosives, to staging events like zombie attacks, gangster-like drive-by shootings, and Civil War reenactments, the Sumner gang lets folks play with large amounts of firepower within the safety of the firing range. It gets a little crazy, but this family has a lot of fun doing what they do, and they do it responsibly.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Guntucky features a close-knit extended family full of colorful personalities and demonstrates how folks can safely and legally have fun with their firearms. It also offers some historic background about guns, and their use in major historical battles all over the world. Tips on how to determine if a firearm is an original (and valuable) piece are also offered. But the show's real source of entertainment comes from its obvious focus on big explosions and gun fantasies, many of which include shooting (and killing) imaginary people.

Some folks may find it interesting and entertaining, but others may find some of these activities disturbing thanks to the national controversies surrounding gun control, and the many gun- and explosive-related tragedies that have received international media attention. Clients' comments about loving the freedom to own and shoot fire arms in America may also be unsettling to some. But if you can get past this, you will find positive themes about family, and the importance of acting responsibly in any situation.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about firearms and the media. Films, TV shows, and video games often depict lots of guns and shooting. How real do the consequences of using these firearms seem in these depictions? What kind of impact does it have on folks who are watching and or gaming?

  • What are the differences between the way firearms in film, TV, and digital games are featured, and the way they are used in this reality show?

  • Is it socially responsible to show people having fun shooting guns at things and blowing things up, even if it is in a safe and legal way? Why or why not? Given the controversy surrounding guns and other weapons in the United States, why do you think the producers of this series decided to put this show on the air?

  • What kind of messages do you think this show is trying to convey?

TV Details

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