Do your kids play "guns?"

[jade]

my parents wouldn't let my brother and i play with guns. my mom didn't want guns, toy or not, in the house. my dad is pretty much anti-gun. however, they saw no problem sending us out in the backyard with two wooden katanas. i also had a long bow that i used to shoot in the backyard.

if i had kids, i wouldn't mind them playing with toy guns so long as they follow the rules.


jade

 

[Guy L Johnson]

Yes

 

[Zach S]

I had toy guns when I was little, although there werent any fireams in the house. Had a blast with the other kids, always playng cowboys and indians or cops n robbers, running around shooting each other with capguns. Never gave it a second thought untill after educating myself and seeing other kids in the neighborhood do it. I dont have any kids of my own yet (that I know of anyway), but I dont think I'd have a problem with it, as long as they play by the rules.

 

[cracked butt]

I was at a neighborhood party a couple of weeks ago, after dark, many of the adults and all of the kids went down into the basement. A couple of the 4 and 5 year old kids found a vacuum cleaner and started using the attachments as guns.
As I was showing my neighbors kid how to put the vacuum cleaner tube over his shoulder to use as a rocket launcher, a mother of one of the other kids came down in the basement and freaked out that her son was playing guns with the other kids.

Its pretty natural that a kid will pick up a stick and pretend its a gun, spear or sword. My mom tells me of a story how I used to sit in the back yard with a 2' long piece of conduit and pretend to shoot birds as they flew by.

 

[MessedUpMike]

As a matter of fact we just stopped a few minutes ago (bedtime). As far as I know my 5 y.o. has the only wooden Dragunov in the area (with a scope ). No real toy guns allowed *&%$ sillouette laws, but he is allowed to play with other kids' "real" looking guns so long as they have been fired at a wall first.
Of course there are the mondatory rules. No shooting at people who aren't shooting at you, NEVER point a toy gun at Police, and generally they stay indoors. Interestingly enough a toy gun got my anti-wife over into the light. Rubberband guns were not threating enough to open the door.

 

[Nightcrawler]

All the time, when I was little. We even made up a set of rules. For instance, shotguns weren't effective at long ranges, hitting in different places had different results, etc. My dad even bought me a camoflauged BDU top from US Cavalry that made me the envy of my friends.

I had many different toy guns. I'm sure my gun handling left much to be desired in those days, but between those and the violent computer games I play now I've never once had any trouble distinguishing game from reality.

I mean, in a computer game, I "kill" dozens of opponets without thinking twice. In real life, the thought of leveling a gun at an innocent person and killing them distrubs me greatly.

Because in the game, it's not real. It's in the child's imagination, or in my case, it's light on a monitor screen.

In real life, it's a real person, flesh and blood.

Considerable difference.

So, if I ever have kids, God forbid, they'll have toy guns if they want them.

 

[jhisaac1]

My parents were on-off with the gun thing. Since toy guns were banned from the house, I made one out of Construx or something like that.

I was going to tell my story about when I was a kid...

Then Penforhire comes out with,

She gave up after he chewed a piece of toast into a gun-shape and went bang-bang with it

and steals my thunder. I thought I had an original story. (although mine dates back to the early 70's or so.)

When toast is outlawed, only outlaws will have toast!

Jason

 

[Nightcrawler]

Anything can be a toy gun. Sticks, baseball bats...baseball bats especially, since you can throw them over the shoulder and they double as a bazooka...

I once built a disrputor ray out of legos, too. My mom took it away after I incinerated the neighbor's cat.

 

[OneShot]

Yep, mine does although toy guns are boring to him since he's ahot the real thing.

C'mon now and fess up...How many of you played BB gun war, when you were a kid? I remember doubling up on clothes in the winter and having wars with the nieghborhood hoodlums Dirt clods were used as grenades.

I realize how stupid it was now and would never advocate such things --Oneshot

 

[Dave R]

Yes, and they help each other follow the 4 rules. I always enjoy hearing from the basement "Watch that muzzle!" Or "Finger off trigger!".

Good training.

 

[wendy]

My sister and I both had toy guns as kids. We also both grew up loving and respecting the real thing.

I don't have any kids of my own, but if I did they would have toy guns if they so desired them.

 

[Ladybug]

Not speaking from experience yet, but my husband and I were talking about this the other day... Basically, I think its one of those things that we will not push until it comes up. If one of our kids gets interested in guns and wants a toy gun (or starts chewing toast into weaponry) he/she can have one. At that point they will get a lesson -- no shooting at real people (imaginary ones are okay) or pets. And like Pax mentioned, we will be aware of the sad state of affairs around us. I don't really want my young kid to hear from OTHER parents/teachers/whoever that "only bad guys have guns" (my 3 year old niece brought that gem of wisdom home from daycare) so the toy will stay at home. And furthermore, if my child brings over a friend whose parents are against toy guns, they will not play with it - I'm not going to make decisions like that on other people's behalf. I lost two of my best friends growing up because they parents "forbade" us from playing together, and it broke my heart. As soon as I deem my child ready and mature enough, they will learn ALL about real guns.

 

[Ryder]

My kids (3) had toy guns. I let them begin using real guns after observing that they could handle a toy like the real thing. They all got real quick starts.

 

[Topgun]

Anyone who will not let children play with toy guns for fear that they will be unable to make the distinction between "real" and "play" had better pick up all those toy cars.

 

[Master Blaster]

I let my two 5 and 7 play with toy guns, we have nerf dart guns, Super soakers, and toy replicas of cowboy guns and revolvers.

I also educate my children on gun safety, when my son was 4 and he saw my keltec p-32 out of the safe, he looked at it and then said:

Daddy is that a real gun or a toy when I said real he then said OK and left without touching it!!!! I followed and asked if he wanted to hold it, and he said "real guns are not toys". He knows the difference.

The super soaker s are lots of fun, I am using them to indoctrinate the neighborhood kids, some of whose parents dont own guns.

On a hot summer day we have 6 or seven kids having watergun duels in our yard, under the sprinklers.

When I was growing up we had toy guns that looked like realones and we had real guns, that were not even locked up. We were taught the difference. We were taught responsibility.

 

[Master Blaster]

Guy Johnson, that looks like the pellet gun range at DELCO field and stream.

I take my son and daughter (junior members) there to shoot also!!!

 

[Sunray]

In the olden days, when I was boss of an Army Cadet Corps, any time we'd be out playing silly bugger sans real weapons, the first tree line, no matter how thin, would be gleaned of suitable sticks by every kid. When the line of troopies came out of the trees every one of 'em would have a C1A1 stick carried at the ready. These were city bred teenagers not children. Funniest thing you ever saw.

 

[Sisco]

My son had toy guns when he was younger.
He preferred the real thing though.

 

[10-Ring]

I did & so did my son. Actually, we played cops & robbers, cowboys & native Americans together I thought it was funny that my son always ran out of bullets, climbed on my back & tried to scalp me all the time

 

[m.i.sanders]

My daughter has played with toy guns and her BB gun, but at the moment she's "into" baby dolls. Of course, she still wants her own .22 with a scope to take to the range with daddy

 

[FireInTheHole]

Anyone who will not let children play with toy guns for fear that they will be unable to make the distinction between "real" and "play" had better pick up all those toy cars.

Have you seen what children do with toy cars? I know what I did with my toy cars growing up. I detroyed them!! (home-made fireworks, ramps off of roof, et cetera)

I wouldnt let a child drive a vehicle if I witnessed them destroying things/cars with their toy cars.

I believe alot of people here trust [their] children too much. Kids do stupid things. (I'm speaking from experience)

That said, I dont care if my [future] kids destroy their toy cars as I am not going to teach them how to drive before they are old enough. The opposite is true for firearms. I plan to teach my children how to shoot from an early age and I do not feel allowing the use of toy guns will make my job easier.

 

[Nightcrawler]

One thing that I think about, is this. I knew kids when I was little that weren't allowed to play war, or have toy guns. I knew kids that were "mature" and basically acted like miniature adults.

I felt bad for these kids. Even at a young age, I had a sense that they weren't actually allowed to be kids. Kids need to have an imagination, to be allowed to play pretend. It's that that develops a sense of creativity and expression.

I knew kids that all they did for fun was play sports, ride dirt bikes, etc, when they were little. They did the same thing for fun when they were adolescents, when they were teenagers, and I imagine they do the same things now as adults.

What kind of childhood is that? Childhood is the one time in your life when you can pretend to be heroes and villians and not feel stupid or get made fun of for it. Look at all the jokes that get directed at role-playing-gamers, for example.

Just something to consider. Not trying to tell anyone how to raise thier kids. But, having been a kid not that long ago, all I can say is LET them be kids.

Being a grown up BLOWS. I mean, I have to pay BILLS now, and worry about my FUTURE. I have RESPONSIBILITIES.

Such things certainly would've taken all the fun out of childhood.

 

[Ryder]

I do not feel allowing the use of toy guns will make my job easier

Nothing wrong with starting them young. I feel there is more opportunity to instruct them on safety rules and observe their application with a toy though than with a real firearm. Mine had constant control over their toys but they only got to handle real guns on occasion. More practice that way

 

[cracked butt]

"Just something to consider. Not trying to tell anyone how to raise thier kids. But, having been a kid not that long ago, all I can say is LET them be kids.

Being a grown up BLOWS. I mean, I have to pay BILLS now, and worry about my FUTURE. I have RESPONSIBILITIES.

Such things certainly would've taken all the fun out of childhood."

The wisest thing I ever heard from a human being came from a friend of mines son, he said "daddy, I want to be 4 forever"

 

[hawk0484]

I have 3 sons, 3 years apart. When the youngest was about 6 months old, I could put him in a stroller and put it out on the patio where I could see him easily and he could see his 3 1/2 year old brother. The "baby" would watch his big brother shoot cap guns for a L-O-N-G time while I sat and listened to their 6 1/2 year old brother read to me (all homeschooled).

I considered the 100's of rolls of caps cheap entertainment and a much better influence than TV! The 2 youngest, now 14 & 17 are avid hunters (deer, turkeys, doves, ducks, etc.), and are great shots. They should be---there are a zillion bb's in the woods!

Becky