# Kids and toy guns?



## BugBuilder (Oct 17, 2007)

I have a question for the masses. My oldest child is now five and her little sister is almost 4. They are starting to pretend they are hunting and shooting stuff (which I am really proud about) but the other day I heard my wife tell them not to point their guns at each other or anybody else. I have never really thought about this until now. I grew up playing war and cowboy's etc. and always pointed and pretended to shoot each other. 

What are everyone's thoughts on this? How do you handle these situations? How do you play with toy guns and not shoot each other?

I do believe in strict gun safety, but I am curious about how everyone else handles this. 

BugBuilder


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

It is a different time now. I would go with the wifes suggestion (IMHO). How does the person your pointing at know it's a toy ? What if they took it to school for show and tell ? I understand the age thing, but it has happened in other places with very bad results. It was years ago, but I remember a story about a man with a gun at a school after hours. The officers came around the corner and it was a kid with one of those lazer tag guns playing with his buddies. Not good. Ended in tragedy if I remember right. -)O(- Example #2 Squirt guns on state street. Not funny when a unmarked car sees a gun come out of the window at midnight. :twisted:


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## apollosmith (Jun 29, 2008)

Yeah, times have changed since we played war and even had BB-gun shootouts when I was young. While we need to make sure our kids our safe, teaching them that guns are evil and totally off-limits isn't the answer either. And with airsoft and paintball as popular as ever, it's hard to find a good balance. I think that it really depends on the child's age.

And be very careful in some cities (S. Jordan, most recently) where it is against the law for kids to possess (even in a bag or car) toy guns in parks or right of ways. I think it's totally asinine that it's perfectly legal for me to walk up the sidewalk with a fully loaded .45 on my hip, but if my 4 year old is carrying an unloaded airsoft gun, it's breaking the law. How's that for logic?!?


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## FROGGER (Oct 1, 2007)

It is a different time know, but the toys are different as well, when i was a kid we would use sticks, rocks, you name it as guns. Now the "toy" guns look very similar to real guns... people are paranoid and there is no reason we cant teach kids at an early age about gun safety...


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## torowy (Jun 19, 2008)

I think there are too many people that never hunted that think if a kid plays cowboys and indians they are going to kill everyone in thier highschool. 

As a kid we used to have all kinds of wars, but I was always super carefull when handling a real firearm never to point it at anything. If the kids are educated, they will be safe with real weapons and can have fun with toys.


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## FROGGER (Oct 1, 2007)

torowy said:


> If the kids are educated, they will be safe with real weapons and can have fun with toys.


And therein lies the problem, Far too many parents are too afraid to discipline their kids let alone educate them...


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## OKEE (Jan 3, 2008)

torowy said:


> I think there are too many people that never hunted that think if a kid plays cowboys and indians they are going to kill everyone in thier highschool.
> 
> As a kid we used to have all kinds of wars, but I was always super carefull when handling a real firearm never to point it at anything. If the kids are educated, they will be safe with real weapons and can have fun with toys.


+1 Well said . I also agree frogger toys are different who did'nt have a pair of pearl handle six shooters with plastic holsters and belt .Thats as close to real as it got when I was a kid  Now days toy guns are very real looking I think a orange tip does'nt cut it sometimes Kids are smart they know whats real and whats not teach'em young and keep the real ones locked up.


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