Do you let you children play with toy guns?

[Principal Skinr]

My kids know the difference. The ones old enough to shoot treat the toys VERY differently than the real thing. The important thing is that they are taught how to properly and safely handle the real thing.

I played with toy guns and pretended to blow the heads off of just about anyone around. Big deal. I never had that thought cross my mind as a kid when handling the real thing, and as an adult, it would be the last thing I'd ever want to do. People who confuse toys or fiction with reality have other issues that are deeper than I can understand. I remember when they thought Elmer Fudd blowing the bill off of Daffy Duck would somehow screw kids up, so they edited the Looney Toons to take out explosions and guns. All they accomplished was ruining great cartoons.

 

[MAJB Retired]

absolutely agree! I had eight kids, and they all got to play with toy guns. When I was younger, and my parents couldn't afford toy guns, my brother and I made them out or 2X4 pieces...best toy 45's we ever had!

 

[edporch]

Originally Posted by edporch Being born in the mid 50's I had toy guns even as a little kid.
But if my dad ever saw me pointing them at anybody I was sternly told to NEVER point a gun at anybody.

So even though they were toys, I was taught to treat them as if they were real.

I had toy guns as a kid, and I definitely pointed them at my buddies while playing. I must ask, if you aren't gonna play like your a cop or a soldier, what is the point of a toy gun? It isn't like you can target shoot with them...

Notice I said "... my dad ever saw me pointing them at anybody ...".
Sure, when I played with my friends we did point them at each other.

But my dad doing what he did also had an influence on me.

 

[1861navy]

If i had children I would definitely let them play with toy guns, I know I did as a kid. Many times I've wondered what I would have done without them, probably just chased cows and goats and pigs. Of course I also remember that before my dad bought me a toy gun, he taught me firearms safety with a real gun, then taught me the ins and outs of using a muzzle loader, after which he bought my toy gun. His logic was if I could be safe and responsible with BP I could be responsible with toy guns. I think overall, toy guns can be good for kids with the proper parental guidance of course. Heck I still see kids with toy guns running around my neighborhood, and no one questions it.

 

[Excalibur]

I've seen plenty of guys letting their kids play with toy guns and teaching them how to use them like real guns.

 

[Gluemanz28]

My daughter and son in law shot each other with an airsoft gun that my son in law was going to go have airsoft wars with the youth from church. My daugher wanted to see how bad it hurt. My SIL let her shoot him ad then he shot her. My 4 and 5 yr old grandsons were watching. They told me that guns don't hurt people like I had been teaching them. The thought of them getting a real gun and having someone shoot each other to see if it hurt came to my mind.

I talked about it with my daughter and SIL and they said they made a mistake with the airsoft gun. They decided to put away the toy guns for now. I spend quality time with them at my local shooting range with BB guns to start and the five yr old is now on a Henry 22 youth lever.

The boys handle my guns all the time. They help me clean them. They help me reload. The toy guns might come back out but for now they need to fully understand the difference between real and toy guns.

 

[bauerr3]

I have thought about this for a while as I'm looking to start a family in the next couple years, whether or not to allow toy guns...I always had some sort of projectile shooting item, whether it was nerf, slingshot, toy bows, etc. I then begged my mom to let me get airsoft, and then to let my brothers and I shoot each other, then to allow full fledged wars. In hindsight, I see what bad habits that teaches, why she didn't want us to shoot each other. There is no reason to point a gun that can shoot a projectile 450fps at someone and expect good things to happen. It was fun, sure, and I'll definitely allow nerf and other kid friendly toys, but I will likely skip airsoft and go straight to BB/pellet guns, then to .22 when the time comes

 

[sidewinder27]

We don't let our kids play with toy guns. The reason is we don't want them to then think all guns are toys. I have let them touch and look at mine while I have had them out for cleaning. They also like to look in the safe and point to the one they want to look at. I then tell them to go into the kitchen sit at the table and ill bring it in there. Once there I show them how to make sure that it is unloaded and give the safety rules. They do pretty good with them safety wise. My daughter has bumped into my gun when I carry it and realizes what it is and goes to my other side. They are 2 and 4 both really want to shoot and like watching you tubes videos of people shooting. I think my daughter like them more than my son but he is 2 so still have few years. We do own nerf guns and have a blast with them.

 

[ModernGunner]

We were taught that toy guns were TOYS and real guns were REAL.

AFTER that lesson, we were taught how to shoot, starting at age 6.

Duh.

 

[hd96heritage]

+1

 

[handgun]

I dont have kids. But if i did you bet. Toy guns are great. But you can also use a toy gun to teach lessons.

So i mean any kid should know the difference between a nerf gun or toy gun and a real gun.

But the perks of not having a kids is i can leave a gun on the night stand or on the kitchen table if i go mow the yard and i dont have to think twice about it.

 

[Indygunguy!]

I don't understand why people think kids are so dumb. We played with toy guns from a very young age and always new the werent real, but were aware of what a real gun was like and what it could do. If you teach them the difference between right and wrong, real and toy, then thats the important thing. When I was young I never had any problems discerning a real gun from a toy gun and played with toy guns all day long. And of course we pointed them at each other. How else it's a good guy going to shoot the bad guy? however using a BB gun or the real thing was a completely different story. My father taught me the difference and also taught me gun safety. We were never permitted to point our BB guns at anything we weren't willing/allowed to shoot and always treated as if it was loaded. By the time I was about 8 I had earned enough trust from my father to take the 22 out shooting by myself on the farm.

Oh, and by the way, I've never shot anyone. It's about responsibility, guidance, and leadership. Please folks, let's not bow to modern society and raise our little boys and girls up to be pansies.

 

[LarryC]

Ever since the question popped into my mind, I imediately answered with a resounding "Yes!". But having thought about it for a while, I can see the drawbacks. The major drawback to letting you child play with toy guns would be the possibility that they develop an association between guns and toys. Obviously this would be detrimental if (and that is a big if) they were to ever find a real gun at your house OR someone else's. I see a lot of people saying "I teach my children to never touch a gun when they see one." Well wouldn't that include toy guns as well? How is a 4 year old supposed to know the difference, without a shadow of a doubt? Maybe I'm overthinking things, being a new father and all, but it has been a little debate I've had in my mind for a while. Straighten me out INGO.

Well, I was raised in the 1940's and 50's (born in 41), I had cap guns, cork shooting guns, squirt guns, and a BB gun when I was 11. I and all my friends played war games, cowboys and Indians and cops and robbers, shooting each other with abandon. NO one ever believed they were real firearms, and by the age of 12 or 13 almost all of us were hunting with 22's and shotguns. All of us used "real" firearms safely and as far as I know none of us were ever injured or even had close calls with any firearm. My children (5 boys and a girl) all had many "toy" guns. I think the favorite was the ones that shot the small yellow rubber pellets. We still find the pellets in floorboard cracks occasionally ~ been about 20 years since the last one left the nest.

I see no difference in the children playing with rubber knives, plastic swords, or toy cars and trucks. I don't think allowing a child to play with a electric 4 wheeler raises the chances of them getting your keys and driving your car - do you? Children are not monkeys, they are quite intelligent and do understand the difference between a cap gun or dart gun and a firearm. Using these toys, with proper instruction, I think they are better equipped and trained to handle firearm's safer later in their life.

The only difference now is that there is so much publicity (not really any more violence, just so much more liberal garbage reporting) that today I would not let my children play with toy guns in public. When my children were young they would have "wars" in the neighborhood, with other children, today someone would probably call the police!

 

[Thor]

Absolutely. Nerf guns, squirt guns, rubber-band guns, bb-guns, airsoft guns, whatever.

They know the difference from real ones.

 

[esrice]

Absolutely not.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...119098-review-nerf-n-strike-recon-cs-6-a.html

 

[THE BIG SITT]

Absolutely not.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...119098-review-nerf-n-strike-recon-cs-6-a.html

That is absolutely golden. Can't wait to plan an ambush on Mom with me and the boys. She is so screwed.

 

[harrna02]

Ever since the question popped into my mind, I imediately answered with a resounding "Yes!". But having thought about it for a while, I can see the drawbacks. The major drawback to letting you child play with toy guns would be the possibility that they develop an association between guns and toys. Obviously this would be detrimental if (and that is a big if) they were to ever find a real gun at your house OR someone else's. I see a lot of people saying "I teach my children to never touch a gun when they see one." Well wouldn't that include toy guns as well? How is a 4 year old supposed to know the difference, without a shadow of a doubt? Maybe I'm overthinking things, being a new father and all, but it has been a little debate I've had in my mind for a while. Straighten me out INGO.

My brother and sister in law a very much against guns. My daughter was given a pink pop gun rifle for her birthday so she could shoot with daddy. She has learned you don't point it at anyone. It is a tool for gun safety at an early age. My in laws though, were appalled at her birthday party when she archived it. Posses me off!!!

 

[harrna02]

I had toy guns as a kid, and I definitely pointed them at my buddies while playing. I must ask, if you aren't gonna play like your a cop or a soldier, what is the point of a toy gun? It isn't like you can target shoot with them...

I agree with what you are saying I played cops and robbers when I was a kid and did point them at my brothers and cousins. I choose now to use them as a tool with my kids to teach safety. I think the world is a little different now and kids a exposed to guns more in media. I use this tool to explain that what they see on TV and video games is not real and a real/toy gun needs handled safely

 

[RobbyMaQ]

Nerf & squirt guns have always been a highlight of my son's youth (he's currently 12). he also plays some first person shooter video games.
He began shooting rifle & pistol around 9 or 10. (bbguns around 7 or 8).

I've noticed a healthy respect for 'the real deal'. So no, I have no issue with airsoft, nerf, or other 'toy' guns he wishes to play with. On occasion I actually see him indexing and using the 4 rules with the toys. Till it's 'game on' anyways.

 

[jb1911]

I can't believe I live in a world where this question is even asked.