What are Oppo's thoughts on toy guns?

"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher) 12/20/2019 at 15:03 • Filed to: Hopefully this isn't a trap I set for myself

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My oldest (who wants to be a cop when she grows up) asked for an old school diecast revolver cap gun for Christmas. It was exactly like the kind I had several of when I was a kid. My wife was absolutely unwilling to let her have that.

Undeterred, my daughter then asked if I could ma ke her a wooden toy gun. I try to make something for m y girls each year, so I said yes. It was a pretty quick and easy project fore, and I think they look unrealistic enough that my wife won’t be upset.

I know some people have strong feelings about toy guns. I really don’t. I had many as a kid, and I loved playing with them. I’ve never owned a real gun, although I’ve been licens ed to own fire arms in my state for many years.

What say Oppo about kids and toy guns?

Oh, hey, leave the politics out of it. We don't need another shit-show this week!

facw > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 15:19

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My parents tried not letting me have toy guns as kid. That ended pretty quickly when I just started pretending other toys were guns, at which point they decided such rules were impossible to enforce. Though they still didn’t let me watch G.I. Joe. 

CB > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 15:20

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I nearly lost my eye to a Nerf gun once.

Also, remind them there is a time and place to have them out. At home or inside, sure. Outside, probably not. It can be hard to tell real guns from fake guns at a distance.

HammerheadFistpunch > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 15:20

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I try to make things each year too...except this year and last. I’ve been bad. Those look good though and I know what you are dealing with. my wife is very opposed to having guns in the house. Im of the opinion that learning about danger is better than fearing danger. dull knife vs sharp knife kinda thing.  I don’t know what I would do with such a request though...probably something nerf.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 15:20

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I personally don’t have an issue with it. Even pellet guns or a .22 for a kid is fine.

It is a great teachable moment to tell kids how serious and dangerous guns are. It shows your kid that you are willing to treat them as a more mature person.

***I never had anything more than a pellet gun, and that was around 10 years old and up?  

ttyymmnn > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 15:22

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No issues. God knows I played with them as a kid. We’ve got a huge bucket of guns of all descriptions in the garage, most of them no longer played with. Now, it’s all FPS games, so in a way, they’re still playing with guns. The only thing that bothers me about those FPS games is how the word “kill” loses its meaning. It’s just winning the game.

nermal > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 15:25

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Completely opposed to them, the more realistic they are the worse.

Totally fine with kids getting hunting licenses at 12 and learning to use a real gun to shoot critters though.

Chariotoflove > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 15:26

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My uncle used to have a gun collection. When we would visit, he would trace outlines of whatever handgun we wanted and cut one out on his jig saw.

When I was in Industrial Arts in middle school, one of the projects was a clothes pin rubber band gun. No one batted an eye.

My position is that toy guns are instruments of imagination no better or worse than any other.

M.T. Blake > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 15:27

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My five year old has a Chiappa Little Badger. Go real steel. It will give you an excuse to buy something for yourself.

Everyone should know how to shoot, and not fear a gun laying on a table. There is no 912, and 911 can only help so much!

CobraJoe > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 15:29

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Our kids would absolutely pretend to use something else as a gun if they didn’t already have nerf guns. I mean, they pretty consistently use other things as “guns” even though they do have nerf guns.

But like others say, it’s a good teaching situation. I’m not sure cap guns are exactly the smartest thing right now (especially realistic looking ones), but I guess it varies wildly depending on where you live and the proximity and personality of neighbors.

I grew up in the country, so no worries about cap guns out there. In the suburbs, I’m not sure I want my kids running around with a realistic looking gun toy, and I’m absolutely sure I don’t want my kids running around with a toy that only produces loud and jarring noises.

Chariotoflove > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 12/20/2019 at 15:31

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I learned to shoot a .22 from my dad and in Boy Scouts. The education in gun safety you have to absorb before they let a kid shoot is worth the experience alone.

Ash78, voting early and often > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 15:31

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On one hand, you’ve got the orange cues.

On the other hand, Glock is going to sue you for design infringement.

Ash78, voting early and often > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 15:35

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Honest answer is I force my son (9) to treat toy guns like real guns, since I want him to have that respect and muscle memory when the time comes. He has a revolver cap gun that can be cocked, de-cocked, or fired as a double-action. We’re working towards the responsibility of an air rifle soon. Our rules are basically “Don’t point it at people or animals” for now.

I was partly raised by WWII vets for grandfathers, so keeping my toy guns on the DL was normal. If they even saw one, I’d get a graphic, stern lecture for 5 minutes. So I just learned to do without, but they had a point.

You’ll never keep toy guns away from boys especially, but some girls. It’s just a fascination that I believe is innate in people. Probably goes back to our collective need to hunt using projectiles, which are a part of every society in history.

Maxima Speed > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 15:39

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I love toy guns! Loved them and played with them growing up and still get into nerf gun battles with my brothers as an adult. I don't see any problem with them. My brother actually has a business and makes and sells wooden toys and has made toy guns for special orders.

ClassicDatsunDebate > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 15:54

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No different than playing Fortnite.

bob and john > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 15:57

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knowledge, not fear, is the best combat to danger

Cash Rewards > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 16:08

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Id go need, but  how did you engrave the "pee-pew!!!" on those? They look great! What wood?

f86sabre > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 16:11

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It’s a tough one. Like you I had tons as a kid. Any stick became a gun or lightsaber as well. I have feelings about the gun  culture in our country (it is more offensive to show a nipple than someone’s life ending by gun violence), but our kids still have weapons toys. 

shop-teacher > Ash78, voting early and often 12/20/2019 at 16:14

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LOL!

Pickup_man > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 16:14

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I have no problems with toy guns so long as the parents do a good job of teaching their kids about guns, and gun safety in general.

Growing up dad was fairly strict* about toy guns and always had me treat them as if they were real guns. Never point one at another person, or a pet, or anything that you do not intend to shoot, never look down the barrel etc . I didn’t quite understand this when I was young because, they’re toys, but the lessons stuck.

Now that I’m older, a father, and an uncle, everything makes sense. My nephew who is now five, has one of those cast revolver cap guns, and he would run around the house, pointing it, and “shooting” it at people. It all seems like fun and games, and everyone treated it as such, but I’m honestly not sure that he would know the difference if he came across a real gun. He “shot” me once and I asked him to stop, and told him that we don’t point guns at people, and it was pretty apparent that I was likely the first person to tell him that.

*It wasn’t so much strictness, is was more of a very firm teaching that until you fully understand the difference between real guns and toy guns that everything is to be treated as if it is real, and as if it is loaded. I intend to raise my son with the same mindset.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 16:17

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Toy guns? They sound like a blast!

I suggest including a pack of cigarette-gum for your girls too! My siblings and I enjoyed pretending to smoke before consuming it.

And I also suggest a switchblade hair comb:

And to get them more interested in science, get them a Breaking Bad Crystal Meth lab toy set:

And cap off their gifts with some Juicy velvet pants:

And for bonus fun... Teen Pregnancy Barbie!

WRXforScience > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 16:17

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Just be smart about them : don’t let em have toys that look too real, make sure they know how dangerous a real gun is, and that anything that looks real could be (there are pink guns).

Guns are a part of our culture, movies, tv, and games all prominently feature guns so avoiding them is a bit of a lost cause.

I’d recommend waiting until the kids are old enough to tell the difference between toys and real guns, so like 6-8 (or whenever that happens). I wouldn’t have kids in a house with unsecured guns (like not locked up separate from ammunition), kids get into everything.

My grandfathers both had lots of guns, they were secured and I didn’t know where or how to get at them until I was an adult (aside form the .44 revolver my maternal grandfather kept in his bedstand but we never went in there and knew that drawer was off limits, and I don’t think he ever even showed it to me ).

My dad left his guns with his father while we were growing up, he has a nice shotgun that one of my uncles (or my grandpa, I don’t remember for sure) had restored and sent to him one year after us kids were driving).

One weekend I was coming home from college to visit (a 2.5hr or so drive) and I talked to my mom Friday afternoon and told her I’d be home around 12 since I had some stuff I had to do before I left and wouldn’t be done until the evening. She assumed I meant noon Saturday because she doesn’t stay up past 9pm, so when I got home all the lights were off, the door was locked, and when I made my way in through the garage after trying the front door to find it locked (I didn’t have a key at the time since I was living out of state and there was a keypad on the garage so I could get in anyway) I made enough noise to wake my dad up. H e wasn’t expecting me and thought I was an intruder so he met me at the door with his shotgun. Luckily, he didn’t point it at me and called out first to find it was me, I didn’t see him or the shotgun and din’t know anything was going on other than he didn’t know it was me and seemed unreasonable angry that I woke him up .

He was ready to shoot and was understandably upset about the whole scenario. I didn’t know until the next day that we were pretty close to a very unpleasant weekend. My dad gave me a key and from then on, I was supposed to call him instead of my mom when I was coming over. He hasn’t grabbed his gun since and now with my brother and sister having toddlers, the gun is disassembled, stored, and locked up. He does have a pellet gun for the squirrels that were eating his outdoor cushions, but it is also safely stored and the kids are too little to be strong enough to cock it.

I don’t have guns and don’t ever plan on it. The numbers indicate that they are more dangerous to have than not to have (especially where I live). I know plenty of people here in Texas that believe that they’re safer with a gun and have friends who are among them, I think they’re wrong but it doesn’t bother me that they have guns (I might have more reservations if I had kids that they would be responsible for, we’d have to have a conversation about how they store and secure their weapons but it wouldn’t be an automatic deal breaker for my kids going to their house).

Toys are fine.

Only Vespas... > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 16:18

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Ah, guns. I had lots of toy ones in the l960s. Thought they were neat. Now, after V ietnam, Riots, two G ulf wars, and sadly so many mass shootings that we have become numb...I don’t think they are so neat. But that was a process I went through. My downstairs neighbor Vicki banned guns for her three boys. Then one morning she was hugely entertained to find the her oldest chasing the other two around the breakfast table with a gun-shaped piece of toast. Talk to your kids  about guns, toys, guns in entertainment , and the real things . Let the kids decide.

slipperysallylikespenguins > Ash78, voting early and often 12/20/2019 at 16:19

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Same here, my dad was very strict about my brother and I pointing our toy guns at people/pets. Nerf and paintball were ok to shoot at each other because that was the point though.

I got my first real guns and went through hunter education at 9 so he definitely didn’t want any confusion.

jimz > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 16:19

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“Pop won’t let me have a real one yet.. .”

“Not ‘til you’re 12, son!”

Snuze: Needs another Swede > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 16:20

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I love the idea, which has been brought up by a few commenters, of giving her a toy gun and treating it as a real gun. Keep it stored safely, learn the actual firearm safety rules and obey them, etc. As a junior rifle/air rifle coach I get a lot of interaction with kids and guns, and I’ve probably seen the whole spectrum, from kids who are more competent around firearms than many adults I know, to kids who are down right petrified, to kids who are careless and dangerous . And that almost all comes to how the parents teach them. A s an instructor its fantastic when I get a kid that respects guns and knows gun safety, because I can spend less time harping on safety and more on teaching them how to shoot better and getting them ready to compete.

Depending on your daughters age, y ou may want to start teaching your junior officer that shooting guns is just a small percentage of what police do. Do you have any family or friends who are officers, or know any locally? Does your local department offer a ride along program, or a junior police academy? That might be a cool gift if she’s old enough for it. One of my dad’s good friends was a state trooper and we had a neighbor who was a detective, so I had outlets for law enforcement questions as a kid. I actually briefly considered a career in law enforcement after the Navy (I was accepted to the Supreme Court Police Department, but chose to stick with engineering instead ).

That aside, I have no problem with toy guns. I grew up with a “pop” gun (looked like a Red Ryder, but didn’t actually shoot projectiles, just made a loud pop) and played Army with my friends. Frankly, I’d rather toy guns than kids playing f irst p erson s hooter games. Toy guns are imaginative, and as others have pointed out any other toy can become a toy gun - when I played Army my pop-gun was a my main arm, but I had a broom stick sniper rifle that could take out bad guys across the back yard! It also means they are getting out of the house and getting some fresh air and exercise. FPS are mindless drivel at best, and desensitization to violence at worst, and make you lazy. Can’t be a cop and run down the bad guys when you’ve been a couch potato playing video games all your life.

Finally, there’s nothing like the real thing. It sounds like the wife is going to be a tough sell, but if your daughter is really interested, start looking into some air rifle shooting. It’s a great way to start, and with the right rifle you can really build good shooting fundamentals. It’s safer than an actual firearm, can be used places firearms can’t (I have a range in my basement), and there are lots of options to learn and compete (local clubs, Junior ROTC programs, postal matches, etc.)

barnie > bob and john 12/20/2019 at 16:20

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This. This needs more stars. Skint knees and bruises are essential for forming good kids. Sometime s the blood needs to come out - it is the best teacher.

ttyymmnn > Ash78, voting early and often 12/20/2019 at 16:23

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I was taught from an early age never to point a gun, toy or otherwise, at anybody. And I told my boys that the most dangerous gun is an unloaded one. That took a bit of explanation, but they finally figured it out.

jminer > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 16:23

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It’s a hot topic for sure. I grew up out in the sticks on a small farm and shot my first gun at 6. I honestly can’t remember playing with toy guns much but I did have a c ap gun, one of those that used rolls of caps.

I did get a BB gun pretty young too, guns weren’t everywhere but they were definitely around.

At the same time pretending shooting someone is really not great either so I’m honestly not sure how I’d handle this (no kids).  I’d probably lean toward nerf/water guns for the kids until they were old enough to learn about firearms better and then teach them safety and how to handle one.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 12/20/2019 at 16:25

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My grandfather was a woodworker, and he did the same for us. I wish I still had that wooden rifle he made for me.

Ash78, voting early and often > ttyymmnn 12/20/2019 at 16:25

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Yep. The biggest lessons in life are about a false sense of security, from guns to cars.

RallyWrench > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 16:31

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Those are cool!!

Obviously fake-looking toy guns I have no problem with. It’s when they look real that I’m torn . My wife will not allow anything more than cartoonish squirt guns, though I would love to have Nerf battles with the kids. She definitely doesn’t want me to own any real ones , though I’ve thought about it more given... and I’m really trying not to be political here... certain societal developments. By that I mean, one side is really heavily armed and emboldened about it, and the other, the one I’m mostly on , is not. Dumb logic, probably, I hope, but it’s something I think about. Also, shooting at the range is fun.

When I was a kid, I got a kickass little red motorized Chevy 4x4 truck that I absolutely loved. It had a gunrack with a rifle on it molded into the interior, inside the back window. My mom made my dad go in with little cutters and take it out. Later, my Marine cousin sent me a cool squirt gun that looked like a real handgun, and the reservoir was like an extended clip. I thought it was cool, but my mom freaked out at one point when I played some Calvin & Hobbes-inspired games with it . I wasn’t allowed to have G.I. Joes. Actually had to exchange one I was given at a birthday once. So, uh, guns were not acceptable in our house . But I made more than one wooden rubberband gun, and we had a BB gun that dad would let me target practice with sometimes. He had a .22 stashed away that I never touched though. My buddies had all kinds of realistic looking weapons, from toy M16s to hand grenades, that we had all kinds of fun wars with in the open fields around the neighborhood . I t was great, and nobody got hurt, it was just fun . I expect that a lot of us here older than, say, 30 had similar experiences. But it was a different time, and that kind of shit just doesn’t fly now. 

In this day and age of 3D printing, the aforementioned gun culture, and hyperactive law enforcement , toy guns probably just shouldn’t look like real ones because people get killed. But if kids grow up in a bubble and don’t play with toy weapons and learn the rules and consequences , I worry they won’t respect the real ones properly .   Also, shooting harmless stuff at each other is just fun.

shop-teacher > Chariotoflove 12/20/2019 at 16:32

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That’s pretty much how I view it.  

shop-teacher > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 12/20/2019 at 16:41

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I enjoyed candy cigarettes and the switchblade comb I had as a kid.  I don’t think we’ll be getting any of these for my daughter though :)

shop-teacher > HammerheadFistpunch 12/20/2019 at 16:42

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I missed last year on the making things front.  We have nerf guns they play with a bunch too.

shop-teacher > Maxima Speed 12/20/2019 at 16:43

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Cool!

shop-teacher > Cash Rewards 12/20/2019 at 16:44

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Thanks! I have a laser engraver in my shop teacher arsenal. They’re made of walnut.

Brickman > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 16:51

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I only stick to nerf and water guns. Just have a nerf rival hand gun nowadays collecting dust in the closet :)

Thats some nice hand guns you made :D

benn454 > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 17:08

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 I never bought any realistic looking toy guns. I stuck to weird looking space guns and stuff that obviously wasn't real. I also made it a point to instill firearm safety and responsible handling practices before ever letting them touch the real thing.

benn454 > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 12/20/2019 at 17:14

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I loved candy cigarettes as a kid. I don’t smoke now.

I had a switchblade comb too. I never joined a gang.

I got my driver's license when I was 16. Almost killed myself or others several times.

Gerry197 > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 17:17

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Those wood guns look awesome.

Love toy guns, big fan of the Nerf type guns for kids, they are crazy looking and colorful so not possible mistake for a real gun, but they are surprisingly accurate which makes them  fun to play with the kids.

Manny05x > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 17:28

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I love toy guns  go ahead and buy her one.

Captain of the Enterprise > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 17:42

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I’m always wary of them being to real because god forbid something happens and she gets shot. Always orange tips and talking about what to do in a situation. 

just-a-scratch > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 18:09

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I ha d an arsenal of toy guns growing up, and some exposure to the real ones. While I jad some very realistic looking examples (Beretta 92), I will not recommend them. Those which can be easily mistaken for the real thing can cause real problems. 

just-a-scratch > facw 12/20/2019 at 18:13

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Any time in the woods as a kid I would find a stick with the right shape then, BANG! I got a gun you play with. 

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 18:19

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Your wife sounds like a bit of a wet blanket.

XJDano > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 18:22

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This is a real topic that needs discussion within the family and out.

In our family, toy guns aren’t allowed. There is a line to be learned on the difference between toys and real guns. I think that our kinds have an understanding of that line by now ( ages 9f & 7m).

We have gone to my sister’s property and shot target practice and they just aren’t interested.

Recently I’ve let them shoot up some skank beers with the BB-gun that they can now cock themselves. (The red rider is a lever action - spring firing BB gun, meaning one pump and it’s ready, vs the pneumatic ones that  you pump 10x) .

They are slowly coming around but still have no interest in real guns. In fact after reading some of this with my wife and then the daughter interrupting, I asked when she wants a real gun, and she just doesn’t.

I have some other things I’ll have to discuss when in person about this topic which cemented our decision on no toy guns.

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 18:36

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My daughter really wanted a nerf gun for Christmas and we got her one. She’s 5 and her best friends have them.

My daughter still whispers the word gun to me as she knows my wife is sensitive about the subject.

But getting the nerf gun for her was a tough call for us. My wife works in an ER at a metropolitan hospital and one particularly bad incident recently that she saw at work caused her to start  having second thoughts.

Urambo Tauro > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 18:42

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Toy guns are okay in my book. And i f the kid demonstrates any worrisome behavior, well then you’ll have a teachable moment on your hands. The more they enjoy the guns, the more effective a lesson taking them  away will be (if it comes to that).

Poor_Sh > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 12/20/2019 at 18:49

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You had me in the beginning there, nodding along yes yes that's what I did, but then... no. 

TheRealBicycleBuck > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 19:20

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One of friends absolutely refused to allow toy guns in her house when she finally had a son (he was her fourth child). She was appalled when her son picked up a big stick in the back yard and started “shooting” his sisters with it. Being one of a family full of girls, she never learned what little boys were like until she had one.

Both my kids had access to nerf guns when they were little. I used them to teach basic gun safety before letting them handle real firearms. 

Noodles > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 19:21

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Cool toy guns. I remember having more fun with rubber band guns as a youngin. My favorite looked like a double barrel shotty. & Bonus points for the "PEW PEW"

DipodomysDeserti > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 19:42

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I’ve bought my girls toy cap guns . However, since I own guns, they were taught at a young age not to point guns at people they don’t want to put deep, bloody holes in, so playing with them lost its appeal pretty quickly. Everyone in my family and all of my friends own guns, and several of us have had to use them, so we don’t really view them as toys. As with your wife, t he less gun like they look the more likely we are to let our kids play with them. I think seeing people get half inch plus holes blown in them makes most of us cringe a bit when seeing our kids poi nt even fake ones at each other.

My oldest daughter wants noting to do with them, but my youngest wants me to take her out shooting. Need to get a little .22 for her as everything I have right now will scare the shit out of her if she shoots it.  

Censored > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 20:46

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Toy guns are a great place to start teaching gun safety. Just like real guns, toy guns are fun when used properly. There is, in my opinion, no reason to shelter children from toy guns, you just have to teach them how to shoot and play with them responsibly. This is purely my opinion and pertains to my kids, you ultimately have to make the decision that is in the best interest of you and your kids. I would however, if you allow toy guns, encourage using them as a "teachable moment" for fun safety. It could literally save their or others lives.

OneSlowScion > shop-teacher 12/20/2019 at 21:21

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I have no problem with toy guns, as long as they don’t look too realistic and you teach basic gun safety along the way. Growing up I progressed from any stick that looked like a gun to cap guns to nerf and eventually to the real thing. My Dad grew up with guns so he taught me proper safety along the way which definitely helped a lot . I did grow up on a farm so that probably made a difference too.

Also I love those guns you made, I made(or tried to make) guns like that when I was young, t hey definitely didn’t look that good though.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > shop-teacher 12/21/2019 at 00:26

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I grew up with toy wooden ones and would go play army/cowboys and outlaws in the woods (middle of nowhere). I also had a grandfather and uncle who were big hunters, so i had exposure to real rifles and when I could be trusted with nerf guns, moved to BB, and then highshool paintball. I was kinda young my grandfatehr would even let me take his .22(after he checked it) and play in the woods behind his house. except he lived in almost suburban neighborhood, with only a little bit of woods between the homes. I can’t remember if it was high school or college, I remember a story of a cop mistaking a kid with toy, 10 miles from where i used to play and then think, “oh crap that could have been me.” The crappy metal ones I had looked realistic from 20ft. I dont’ even know how someone could tell the difference with ones I saw in a store.  

One of my sisters dated a cop, when I was a senior in highschool and some of his frank conversations on various subjects, particulary guns had me really reevaluate things. The stupidity in movies/shows how everyone is an expert marksman with noone messing up.

The thing is how does one item is interacted with blend into another. I have a dumbass cousin on the other side of the family from my hunting grandfather who also grew up with and we’d occasionally play in the woods. but I know he had zero lessons in safety. I know for a fact he owns a couple guns and I would bet $50 wihtout hesitation they aren’t properly secured.

I think if played by ear, its fine. Are they acting responsible or are they a moron. 

shop-teacher > Noodles 12/21/2019 at 01:39

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I had a rubber band gun that I loved as well.

I think they'll love the pew pew :)

shop-teacher > benn454 12/21/2019 at 01:40

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Same here!

shop-teacher > barnie 12/21/2019 at 01:42

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We're all about letting them get skinned knees and bruises. 

shop-teacher > Snuze: Needs another Swede 12/21/2019 at 01:44

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I totally agree about toy games vs. first person shooter games.

We'll see about the real things, when the time comes. I actually think taking her to the range to be taught properly will be a much easier sell than a realistic looking toy gun.

shop-teacher > RallyWrench 12/21/2019 at 01:49

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We have a small arsenal of bed guns that they love to play with, my wife is fine with them.

I had a ton of realistic looking toy guns as a kid, but I was never allowed to have a BB gun. I bought one of those in college, when Mom couldn’t stop me.

Its very hard to fine that line of what do they need to be allowed to try/do vs. what is acceptable or safe in current times.

shop-teacher > Pickup_man 12/21/2019 at 01:50

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Good points to consider.

shop-teacher > Brickman 12/21/2019 at 01:57

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Thanks!

shop-teacher > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 12/21/2019 at 02:01

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Generally not. We both believe in letting our kids try new things and climb and play and experience the skinned knees and bruises of a good childhood. We’ve been letting the oldest ride her bike farther and farther on her own. When the weather is nice and they walk to school, my wife will let her go at the library a couple blocks away from school, and let her go the rest of the way on her own.

She's jumpy about guns though, definitely.

shop-teacher > Gerry197 12/21/2019 at 02:02

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Thanks!

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > shop-teacher 12/21/2019 at 11:17

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I mean to be fair though I also live in Kansas where you pop out of the womb with a gun and spent most of my childhood doing competitive marksmanship with BB guns, air rifles, air pistols, smallbore, shotgun, etc.

shop-teacher > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 12/21/2019 at 12:05

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Yeah, that’s not really a thing around here. The only place to go shooting is an actual range. I grew up with my dad’s shotgun on the wall. He took me shooting when I was 4 (I did, with assistance, fire a pistol that time), but he didn’t go shooting again for another 20 years. My mom refused to let me have a BB gun. I didn't get one of those until I was in college. 

My wife grew up with no guns or shooting at all.

LastFirstMI is my name > Pickup_man 12/21/2019 at 13:11

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My dad was the same. Of course it didn’t keep me from breaking into the gun case and practicing my quick draw with his revolver...

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > shop-teacher 12/21/2019 at 15:09

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So weird. I was shooting at a state level at 15 years old, lol.

shop-teacher > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 12/21/2019 at 15:47

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I've gone shooting a grand total of twice. The last was almost a decade ago.

RangerSmith > shop-teacher 12/22/2019 at 15:36

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As others have stated, toys are actually a great way to practice safe carrying.

1. Always treat a gun as if it is loaded.

2A . Never point the muzzle towards anything you don’t intend to shoot.

2B. If you do shoot. NEVER shoot to maim. (This is really a judgement call on when you approach this subject due to maturity, but before they start nailing the neighborhood kitties with a bb gun ).

As a father of two kids I think its beneficial to introduce guns to kids at an appropriate age. Teach them about safe carrying and safe operation before teaching them proper marksmanship. It helps prevent curiosity, while constructively teaching discipline, caution, and respect for firearms.

RangerSmith > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 12/22/2019 at 15:44

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More likely maternal instincts and a lack of familiarity of her own. I want my kids familiar with them once they are mature enough. But I agree if you keep the toys away, guess what’s getting built out of the lego s they got for their birthday!?