T-Ball Team Jerseys Feature Gun Store Logo With Crosshairs; Player's Mom Speaks Out

An Oregon T-ball team's jerseys, which feature the logo of a local gun store, are causing at least one player's mother to speak out against the design, TV station KGW 8 reports.

The woman, who asked not to be identified, said the use of crosshairs on the chests of 5- and 6-year-old children was "inappropriate."

"We need to be eliminating any sort of association between children and guns, rather than promoting it," she said in a video interview with the station. (See above.)

Brian Coleman, the owner of sponsor Rapid Fire Arms in Sandy, Ore., has a son on the Sandy Cal Ripken League team. He told The Huffington Post that the design is his store's logo, and he isn't willing to change it. He added that he has the support of locals and merely wants to help the players.

"They're just happy to play," he said.

Coleman, 32, said he paid between $350 and $400 to sponsor the Ninjas and is reaping plenty of publicity from the controversy.

"I think this is being made into something bigger than it is," he said.

As of Thursday morning, the comments on the KGW site were overwhelmingly in favor of Coleman's sponsorship.

Jenni Heller, who identified herself as co-coach of the team, wrote, "We'd like to put out there that while we understand where the mom was coming from, we fully support our sponsor and appreciate him stepping up to help our team."

According to the webpage of the Sandy Cal Ripken League's T-ball division, which is under the auspices of the Babe Ruth League, some of the other teams are sponsored by a bank, a veterinarian, a photographer and a towing company.

The Huffington Post reached out to a league official for comment but did not receive an immediate response.