Would/do you let your child play with toy guns?

[farmertom]

I have two young children, oldest is only two so it hasn't really come up yet. Just wondering what the general opinion is on toy guns?
I remember my parents not wanting us to play with them and me and my brothers fashioning them out of anything and everything haha. We all grew into empathetic and peaceful people.
Do people have issues with it? I don't think I will buy them for mine

Mine have power ranger blasters and nerf guns, they get played with but not that often. My nephew is not allowed any type of gun and when he comes to my house the only toys he plays with obsessively are the nerf guns and blasters, he will not put them down and they have to be pryed from his hands when he leaves.

I didn’t want my son to play with guns so I didn’t buy any or let anyone else buy any but like the previous poster said he “shot “ anyone and anything with a stick, a stone or anything else he could find. I then gave in and bought him a whole cow boy outfit so he had the hat, the waistcoat and the belt and yes the gun but it seemed “more wholesome “somehow. Yes I know kidding myself right but he did stop shooting everyone and everything and just played with the whole ensemble

There is a huge amount of research into playing with guns or war type games. Kids will use sticks as swords and guns if you don't give them access to toy ones. Adults project their knowledge and fear of guns onto children, they are playing - they don't know the real damage of guns or that death is permanent. It's a toy. They use it to express, to scream, bang and make noise and pretend and that is how it should be treated. They grow out of it less fuss, less drama. Read some of the papers on it.

That's interesting I think you both have a good point re not having them making them moe appealing. This what happened with us as kids.
I don't know why I said I won't buy mine them, I probably will. Just meant won't go out of my way too I suppose (would anyone 🤷‍♀️).

I just got thinking about it the other day as I was walking through the park and passed a young family with a toddler, he was properly about 1/ 1 and a half, and the mum was saying 'are you going to shoot me?' And making shooting noises dnd getting the bit to 'shoot' her with his hand as a gun

Oh thanks @Rubytinsleslippers sounds interesting I'll have a look!

I always said no to guns. I relented last year. On holiday when all the kids on the caravan park had cool light up laser style guns that flashed lights and made a noise and my poor ds1 was waving a stick shouting “pew pew pew”.
I bought him the laser light up gun. He loved it for an hour. It broke. He has a couple of nerf guns now too. He isn’t a violent lunatic though and usually will choose to play dinosaurs or barbie with dd rather than nerf guns.

Nerf Gun wars is the best fun ever. Every friend of the DSs had Nerf Guns (and water pistols). Bright orange. made of plastic and shoot polystyrene 'bullets'. I miss those days.

They are 18 and 21 now and haven't yet turned into murderers.

My three boys are grown now but I never had a problem with them playing with guns. All three are kind, gentle souls who wouldn't hurt a fly.

Oh yes, Sparkling, Nerf guns. I miss those days too

Mine have nerf guns and Star Wars light sabres. I think it's fine. I wouldn't be keen on something that looked like a real gun.

I didn't and was set against it. But he started role playing at nursery and making his own pretend guns from other toys so have let it go. It's a phase and it passes, he only shows and interest when I am tidying and move the gun