Nerf guns: normal and ok for a 6yo or not?

[MaggieFS]

I'm completely on the fence about this one. DS wants one for his sixth birthday. They seem commonplace amongst his friends but the idea of anything violent as a toy doesn't sit comfortably with me in my middle age! I can't wrap him in cotton wool, I know, but is it really the case that "everyone has one"?

Ds loved his Nerf guns, I was lucky that a lady I met at the supermarket was selling a load of her son's Nerf stuff, I got about 8 guns for £35 including the machine gun & one with a laser sight on it, loads of bullets & accessories. Ds & late dp loved to play with them together, I'm still finding bullets around my flat & late dp has been gone nearly 10 years. I had never bought ds any kind of gun before Nerf guns, but he got so much use out of what I got him, he has just sold them for more than I paid, they still looked brand new.

Love Nerf guns ! Very normal for kids to play with them and not become a violent murderer