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'My Parents Open Carry': Michigan-Authored Pro-Gun Children's Book Gets National Attention

LANSING (AP) - A children's book by two Michigan men about a gun-friendly family is gaining national attention.

"My Parents Open Carry" has been featured in news-centric comedy shows, including HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" and Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," MLive Grand Rapids reported Friday.

The book was criticized by Parents Against Gun Violence.

"It took off like crazy because liberals don't like people with guns," said Brian Jeffs, one of the book's authors.

The book was written by Jeffs and Nathan Nephew in 2011, shortly after they co-founded an open carry organization in Michigan. The men, who both have daughters, wanted the book to be a starting point for the discussion of guns. They said they wanted to incorporate answers to questions they regularly heard while giving presentations.

"My Parents Open Carry" tells the story of a 13-year-old girl and her parents, who run errands with pistols strapped to their waists. The book addresses issues related to open carry, the Second Amendment and proper gun care.

The jokes made by Maher and Colbert focused on the book's topic, writing and illustrations.

"If mom and dad are both safe because they're packing, why are they using their daughter as a human shield?" Maher said on his show.

Nephew said he thought the jokes were funny, and he thanks Maher for the publicity.

"We knew when we wrote the book if it got out in a large liberal audience, we would get this kind of reaction," Jeffs said. "In fact, we were hoping for it, it just took a while."

© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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