I got this poll from Parenting.com....just wondering what your views are on your kids playing with toy guns? Or using real ones, for that matter....

Other questions to consider:

How do you react when your child pretends that other objects (bread sticks, Legos formed into a gun shape, etc.) are firearms?

Do you think playing with pretend weapons makes children more aggressive?

We have super soakers we use in the summertime. No biggie. BUT, I'll flip if the kids are picking up sticks and pretending to stab each other, to hurt the other. Same with toys. If they're using something as in breadstick...and they start pointing and imitating gun sounds, I'll put a stop to it. As for making them more aggressive? Depends on the child. In some cases I say yes. I've seen it myself. If my kid ever bought a real gun, I'd completely flip. :|

I'm not a parent, but my mom always had strong views on this and I agree with her :)
Since we were a hunting family and also shot in competitions, she did not think it was a good thing for us to associate guns with toys; it's too easy for a small child to stop thinking long enough for someone to get hurt. She didn't approve of pretending to kill people either; even in fun, it wasn't okay to pretend to hurt someone. We always knew exactly what guns did to living things and that living things don't come back when they stop living.
We played with squirt bottles instead of squirt guns. Just as effective, without the possible mixed messages.
Well, maybe not as effective as a super soaker. That's what the garden hose is for :D

Another thing we're trying to instill...and we've had to already...is that when our boy DOES do it, he brings up that his uncle shoots so it's ok if he does it, too! That's when we say that his uncle shoots animals, he's a hunter...not people. Different story there. Then again...explaining the wars and such, parent's worse nightmare! :doh: At least mine.

I never wanted Kat to play with guns but it was a losing battle and she picked it up fast from her uncle who would play with toy guns (he was 11 when Kat was born). We do have real guns in the house so we do try to teach her that Daddy's guns aren't toys and she can only play with her toy guns. And when she gets a little older Louis will teach her how to use a gun properly and the times it's appropriate to use them.

We have a centuries-old cap gun that the kids play with. Never had caps in it.

Nichole's more interested in light sabers...

Someone just asked me about this last week...

My son doesn't have any toy guns, but only because we never really thought about buying them. He'll use ANYTHING to pretend it's a gun - dinosaur, car, guardrail from his race car set, etc.

We have guns in the house and the kids aren't allowed anywhere near where they're kept. As they get older, they'll be taught more gun safety.

My son is too young - 3 months old - but I have no problem w.him playing with guns.

Ty's got a BB gun that he's ITCHING to show Andie how to use....3 is waaaay to young IMO. But I don't have a problem with her learning how to use a gun, I feel it's better that way than just ignoring it, you know?

But she shows no leaning towards using anything as a gun....she doesn't have any toy guns (well, squirt guns but she uses those to clean off her toys outside! :doh: )...and she doesn't use any other object to pretend as a gun....do you think that's a gender thing?

My son...3 y/o...just holstered his first laser gun a few weeks ago....made me proud.

He scored several swords for Christmas....light saber, Capt. Hook, etc...



It's all about blood-letting and violence....I fully approve.





Big sister is usually gettin' chased around the house by some means of weapon...could be worse, he could be playing with her cabbage patches.

No, my daughter uses her fingers as a gun. OR sometimes a stick she'll use as a gun. :) I think she picked that up at daycare or something.

Daycare or DADDY? Do any of these look familiar to you? :guns: :ar15 :boom:

Who brought these on the board? Sure as heck wasn't ME! :gotcha:

My son has a cuple of toy guns and, as boys have for hundreds of years, he will play with them just fine. I think that it is only in recent years(like the last 20) that guns have become taboo. When anything becomes taboo it gains a certain appeat to kids. They will want to explore this forbidden thing.... But if a gun is no big deal, old hat, or commonplae, the intrigue is not so strong. I believe that allowing children to be exposed to these things and teaching them proper use and care will help them to be more responsible than hiding them and forbidden. Remember that the forbidden fruit is the most desirable.....

Never too young to learn to respect firearms, or even mockups....

Learn to respect then learn to handle....

Son has a slew of toy guns... He even has his own shotgun at my FIL's house... wish he'd talked to his mom and I before buying him that I dont' think he's responsible enough for it yet....

he has a "real" sword for display only a couple of daggers, and we have a bunch of purchased foam swords and axes, and a few home made foam swoards and even two home made foam double bladed lightsabers....

Son is learning safety.... maybe one day I'll get him his own starfire sword and we can duel metal on metal....

we mostly duel with the foam swords and he gets his butt handed to him time and time again because he gets too mouthy or too angry... my BIL and I take turns trying to show him he's got to back up his mouth so he needs to watch what he says and he can't get angry or he'll lose....

He keeps getting too close and I hook my axe around the back of his shoulder and just sweep him past before he can raise his weapon... it's funny....

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(sig worthy)


Please describe the gory detail when you DON'T play with foam swords....


:D

No guns.

we argue or play playstation....

Or sometimes we wrastle....