Hot Topic (4/4): Should Kids Play With Toy Guns?
I found this in CafeMom's Daily Buzz:
Do Your Kids Play With Toy Guns?
There is a huge bag of little Army men armed with machine guns and the works up high on a shelf in my dining room. It was a gift from some well-meaning person for my oldest son's 3-year-old birthday. This person obviously didn't have little ones; the toys were way too small for a child still occasionally prone to sampling things by mouth. And of course, there was the whole toy gun issue.
At the time, I was firmly, absolutely against the idea of toy guns. No, I don't want my kids playing with war toys, thanks. But now my boys are getting older and have discovered guns despite my efforts. Pow! You're dead! Water guns, paintball guns, and even guns made to look real; all of these are available--and marketed to especially to boys. So here we are only a couple of years since the Army men gift, and I'm thinking about taking them down off the shelf (Um, why did I keep them?). Sure, I feel sort of sad about children's fascination with guns; but since I'm anti-war, why "battle" over toys?
My children have water guns, and nerf guns, and those ones that shoot the little foam balls, and my oldest has a pellet gun and target for it. They're toys, harmless fun, or at least they were until someone, somewhere decided that they weren't. Kids generally if raised properly do not grow up and shoot people because they had a little plastic gun when they were little- if your child (God forbid) grows up to be a sniper, chances are you had other issues besides that plastic toy.
Good point PP I think it does have to do with how the child was raised, whats happened to them in life, depression issues etc. My fear is that young kids who don't understand the difference between real and fake kill each other too often. Until they are old enough to understand this is a toy and you dont point it at people just targets then I say keep them put away. There was a sad story a couple year ago where a child thought it was a toy, hard to tell sometimes, and shot and killed his friend or brother I cant remember exact details of the story. The numbers of accidental shootings that they showed at the time was staggering. Thousands of accidental shootings, whether resolving in death or injury was far too many! Parents need to be held accountable, keep your guns far far out of reach and locked, better yet keep them out of the house locked up at a club or storage unit. Kids may not know the difference, and how would you feel if your young one shot a friend, sibling, themself or you because they thought it was a toy? Nerf, water guns that are colorful and obvious well cool I love them but if it looks real put it away its not worth the chance.
Read my journals of a 12 year old, Abby, who is fighting for her life in a coma after a ruptured brain aneurysm! The story may just help you save the life of someone you love!
Quoting lakegeorge_mom:
Good point PP I think it does have to do with how the child was raised, whats happened to them in life, depression issues etc. My fear is that young kids who don't understand the difference between real and fake kill each other too often. Until they are old enough to understand this is a toy and you dont point it at people just targets then I say keep them put away. There was a sad story a couple year ago where a child thought it was a toy, hard to tell sometimes, and shot and killed his friend or brother I cant remember exact details of the story. The numbers of accidental shootings that they showed at the time was staggering. Thousands of accidental shootings, whether resolving in death or injury was far too many! Parents need to be held accountable, keep your guns far far out of reach and locked, better yet keep them out of the house locked up at a club or storage unit. Kids may not know the difference, and how would you feel if your young one shot a friend, sibling, themself or you because they thought it was a toy? Nerf, water guns that are colorful and obvious well cool I love them but if it looks real put it away its not worth the chance.
Read my journals of a 12 year old, Abby, who is fighting for her life in a coma after a ruptured brain aneurysm! The story may just help you save the life of someone you love!
I do think parents need to be accountable and responsible for any weapon they bring into thier home within reach and access of thier or even other people's children. My dh was raised around weapons and made to take all the safety courses and to understand the significance and reverence with which you must treat a weapon, it seems this is lacking in many cases.
I don't know if they even make "real" looking toy guns anymore, except the bb or pellet guns, they do have a "real" look to them.
We have squirt guns.
The time will come (when much much older) that our children will take gun safety and hunter education classes. We are a hunting family. We provide food for our family this way. We want to teach them proper gun safety. Then, when the age is right (and yes this depends on the maturity of each child) they will learn to hunt.
When my oldest was really young we said we wouldn't allow him to play with them, but that went out the window quickly when other kids had them at places he went and had squirt guns in the Summer etc, he plays "army guys" and super heroes so he uses them, he's not violent or aggressive b/c of it at all! He and all his friends where we live have them. Our rule is he can't point them at people except the kids that are playing, they do it to each other. My son is not allowed to say "Kill" "die" this or that etc.. I don't see the big deal with toy guns, that's just my opinion. Also he knows what real ones' can do.
Besides they make guns with their fingers or sticks or Lego's' or whatever.
Amanda
My kids have water guns,my stepson has foam disc shooter. I think the guns that look realistic are not a good idea. I also think that pellet and bb guns should only be given after a child has taken hunter safetly classes. And there is a reason you have to be 16 to buy paintballs and guns.
Well said I agree! 
Quoting athenax3:
My children have water guns, and nerf guns, and those ones that shoot the little foam balls, and my oldest has a pellet gun and target for it. They're toys, harmless fun, or at least they were until someone, somewhere decided that they weren't. Kids generally if raised properly do not grow up and shoot people because they had a little plastic gun when they were little- if your child (God forbid) grows up to be a sniper, chances are you had other issues besides that plastic toy.
Amanda
Once in a great while my little brothers would get toy guns for their bdays...and my mom would take them away most of the time, but my if my dad butted in they would get to keep the nerf kinds and the ones with the "bullets" that stick to windows. She didn't really like them because they promoted violence. She would let it slide with waterguns because they are not shaped like real guns. It was always funny to me, because growing up my dad was a police officer my whole childhood (retired now) and even though we rarely saw his gun we all new he had to carry one. So of course my brothers wanted to be just like my dad and play cops and robbers and cowboys and indians, but my mom just wasn't a big fan of them playing with them when they were younger. One of my brothers is now a marine and shoots guns all the time at the practice range. When he's done with the marine core he's all ready decided to become a police officer as well, so I don't know if my mothers prevention really did anything. My other brother also has a gun for hunting, which I hate, but to each their own. I personally won't allow violent toys in my home ever, with the exception of water guns because again they are more toy like and lots of fun on a hot day. If they want to play sports and get physical, great, but no toys that look exactly like a real weapon are allowed in my home. As you can tell by my story I know they will do what they want when they get older, but as long as they are under my roof, it's my rules!
Quoting Lexy2518:
Once in a great while my little brothers would get toy guns for their bdays...and my mom would take them away most of the time, but my if my dad butted in they would get to keep the nerf kinds and the ones with the "bullets" that stick to windows. She didn't really like them because they promoted violence. She would let it slide with waterguns because they are not shaped like real guns. It was always funny to me, because growing up my dad was a police officer my whole childhood (retired now) and even though we rarely saw his gun we all new he had to carry one. So of course my brothers wanted to be just like my dad and play cops and robbers and cowboys and indians, but my mom just wasn't a big fan of them playing with them when they were younger. One of my brothers is now a marine and shoots guns all the time at the practice range. When he's done with the marine core he's all ready decided to become a police officer as well, so I don't know if my mothers prevention really did anything. My other brother also has a gun for hunting, which I hate, but to each their own. I personally won't allow violent toys in my home ever, with the exception of water guns because again they are more toy like and lots of fun on a hot day. If they want to play sports and get physical, great, but no toys that look exactly like a real weapon are allowed in my home. As you can tell by my story I know they will do what they want when they get older, but as long as they are under my roof, it's my rules!
absolutely, and I agree it should be- whether we have the same view of the subject or not, children should follow the rules of their parents and household.
Check out these Tasty Treats from The Stir's partners:
Eight Year Old Girl Given "Catastrophe Award" By Teacher
- Cafe GroupAdmin
on Apr. 4, 2009 at 7:01 AM