NEWSJoy-Anna Duggar's Husband Under Fire For Carrying Handgun Near 4-Year-Old Son In Family Snapshot
Sept. 7 2022, Published 10:30 p.m. ET
Joy-Anna Forsyth (neé Duggar) and her husband, Austin, found themselves in hot water after fans noticed several unsettling details in a recent set of family photos.
"4 mile hike in the National Forest this evening with friends! I might be sore tomorrow, but the views today were worth it!," Joy-Anna captioned a series of sweet snaps, adding of their son: "Gideon loved riding in the backpack for most of the way!"
While the happy couple was enjoying a day in the great outdoors with their 4-year-old son, the father-of-two sparked concerns after fans saw he was open-carrying a handgun strapped to his hip.
"Being locked and loaded and ready to kill at a given moment during a family hike doesn't really mesh with the WWJD [What Would Jesus Do] mindset," one Reddit user commented, while another added, "Why did he take [a] gun hiking? What was he expecting to see on this hike?"
Another Redditor said the gun gave off "doomsday prepper vibes," with a fourth noting, "He looks like a hitchhiker about to take someone hostage."
Other Duggar critics slammed Austin for allegedly carrying his son on his back in a "do it yourself" hiking pack in an "unsafe" manner. In one of the photos, Gideon appeared to be ready to tumble out of it.
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"They make ones that can hold kids Gideon's size, he's probably right at the upper limit, but the DIY pack is… Something," a commenter pointed out. Others quickly agreed, with one user adding, "This is not proper, like using an umbrella stroller for an infant seat. Buy cheaper and unsafe. Save the difference!"
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Joy-Anna and Austin first announced their courtship in November 2016 and planned their wedding for the following October. However, the couple famously sparked rumors that they may have broke Duggar family rules and gotten pregnant before they said "I Do" when they shifted their nuptials up five months and tied the knot on May 26, 2017.
Joy-Anna gave birth to Gideon almost exactly 9 months later on February 23, 2018.
