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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think children shouldn't have toy guns?

182 replies

trianglesaregood · 08/05/2013 13:55

At the park this morning and noticed some pre-school age boys playing, quite aggressively, with toy guns. One looked like some sort of machine gun complete with toy ammo! I was a bit shocked as I didn't think anyone gave their kids these kind of toys anymore; none of my friends do and I wouldn't think it appropriate for my children. Am I living in a bubble? Wondered what others thought?

OP posts:
DreamsTurnToGoldDust · 08/05/2013 14:35

Whats darth vaders death grip called? Fed up with that one, ds thinks it will actually stop me in my tracks!

Seriously though, I hated guns but realised I couldnt stop him building them out of cougettes, cucumbers etc and then also remembered my three brothers playing with them as children and they are now normal fully grown adults (well most of the time) who dont run around pow powing anyone anymore.

Give dh a light saber though.......... Grin

AWimbaWay · 08/05/2013 14:37

My dcs have toy guns, swords, light sabres, bows and arrows. They love pretending to be cowboys, pirates, knights, star wars characters, robin hood etc etc. I don't see the problem.

Lollyheart · 08/05/2013 14:42

I also don't like real looking guns, with 3 boys there's no getting away from them making guns from Lego etc.
I took ds to visit his new school last week, as she came out of her office ds pulled out some Lego from his pocket and pretended to shoot her.
I was motified Blush she just laughed at him.

Lollyheart · 08/05/2013 14:44

As the head came out of her office

pipsqueakz · 08/05/2013 14:46

water guns I have no prob with. Toy guns swords etc I have no problem with. BUT my stupid xp took kids to corner shop once. They came back with these guns they put in their mouths and pull the trigger and sweets came out. Now that I DO have a problem with!they were conviscated immediately!

FoundAChopinLizt · 08/05/2013 14:46

Dcs play with toy irons, toasters, cookers and knifes, all of which are dangerous in real life.

Would you let them play cluedo? Battleships?

TeaMakesItAllPossible · 08/05/2013 14:46

I had a no guns rule for my PFB. Four kids in we have much weaponry in the house. It was pointed out to me that perhaps I was being a tad hypocritical as I was an archer for much of my teens and I was happy for them to have bows/arrows/light sabres etc.

I gave in following the stick, lego and carrot making of a gun.

I have a collection of odd rules which make me feel more comfortable with gun play:

I won't let the boys "shoot" people who they aren't playing with.

My DS4 (3) does not yet have a nerf gun or any weaponry - he's not old enough yet

No really real looking guns to be played with in the garden or outside at the park.

No guns at the dinner table.

I have no idea why I have these toy gun rules. I make myself laugh with them.

DreamsTurnToGoldDust · 08/05/2013 14:48

Love the no guns at the dinner table Tea Grin

ThatRuddyAbyssinian · 08/05/2013 14:49

I don't like toy weapons that look like real ones, which sounds weird. Anything else is fine.

When on holiday a few years back in the far east I was on a coach in front of a rich American family. The two boys (about 5-6ish) had toy guns/helicopters etc and were 'pretending' to shoot toy army soldiers - they kept saying stuff like 'shoot the brown people!'. Parents were actually encouraging it. It was awful and made me Angry.

ThatRuddyAbyssinian · 08/05/2013 14:50

Haha at Tea - 'a princess does not place her weapons on the table' Grin.

Has anyone else noticed that toy weapons are usually given as gifts to boy children but not girls? Hmm

badguider · 08/05/2013 14:51

I don't like 'real' looking guns or role playing as soldiers or hitmen or whatever.

But I do like things that can be aimed and fire stuff (darts, arrows, whatever). I think target shooting with a bow and arrow or catapult or 'gun' with rubber darts or balls or whatever can be really addictive and teach patience and perserverance is good for hand-eye coordination.

TeWiSavesTheDay · 08/05/2013 14:51

I don't mind then really either.

But from a safety PoV I'd definitely not have anything that could he mistaken as a real gun, and probably not anything that fired anything if we had pets or small DC still.

intravenouscoffee · 08/05/2013 14:52

Not bothered by guns at all. My brother had several growing up including one that fired caps and had a lovely gunpowdery smell Grin. DS makes them out of anything that comes to hand. I've not actively bought him a gun of any sort but wouldn't be bothered if he had one. I think it's a stage and most children seem to be past it by the age of 9 or 10.

claraschu · 08/05/2013 14:54

My boys got much more aggressive over chess games than they did when they were running around in the woods being gangsters, which was always relatively friendly play acting. But then, we are pretty extreme pacifist/vegan types, so I like to flatter myself that our values rubbed off on the kids, in spite of having some toy weapons around.

Actually, they were never all that interested in guns, except if they were out building forts with their friends, and needed the guns as props. Some of their friends were fascinated by the toy guns, and I couldn't help thinking that they probably had not been allowed to play with them before.

SconeInSixtySeconds · 08/05/2013 14:54

tra the same accursed jumble sale that ds bought his gun from also yielded a white and pink pistol that dd leapt upon .

I also have no weapons on the table rule.

And no weapons in the bathroom fed up of being shot when I was 'busy'

VerySmallSqueak · 08/05/2013 14:54

The rules are why I don't allow toy guns Tea (especially rules about guns at the dinner table Grin ).

Guns aren't toys and have rules attached. I think 'playing' with guns dilutes that message.

TeaMakesItAllPossible · 08/05/2013 14:56

Ruddy I laughed when I saw that too.

morethanpotatoprints · 08/05/2013 14:59

We started off with a no gun rule because of the messages it gave our ds. However, I feel that a couple of harmless florescent green (not life like) are much safer than the alternative of finding they have bent wire coat hangers or similar into the shape of a gun. They all make gun sounds and pretend to be soldiers anyway, if you give them a gun or not.

Asheth · 08/05/2013 14:59

I'm another one whose PFB was definitly not allowed to play with toy guns... until he was 3 and started making them out of lego! At which point I bowed to the inevitable!

I see no harm in having toy guns. But as they get older I think it's important for them to start to understand the realities of war, so as not to glamourise it.

Startail · 08/05/2013 15:18

My BF and I used to make lethal bows and arrows. We fired garden canes with quite enough force to take someone's eye out. DSIS cap gun was far safer.

LouiseSmith · 08/05/2013 15:22

Morals make good people.

Toy guns are just great fun, I had a toy gun when I was a child and I havnt shot anyone thus far.

thecakeisalie · 08/05/2013 15:27

Tbh its not something that's ever really bothered me and it wasn't until I started reading parenting forums that I even gave it that much thought. We have 2 boys and our eldest does like toy guns but not in a obsessive way (he much prefers ironman's repulsors!).

Its imaginary play and kids will make guns out of anything, as people have said. Its such odd logic - its ok for kids to pretend to be doctors performing operations with pretend equipment or a builder running round with hammers or a superhero who beats up the 'bad guys' but to play with a toy gun shock shock horror these children will grow up to think its normal to shoot each and die dramatically only to revive themselves 2 seconds later! Its playing and I doubt kids see it as anything more than that!

thegreylady · 08/05/2013 15:29

My grandsons have water soaker guns and a space gun which shines different coloured beams of lifht.Dgs3 who is 6 keeps asking for a nerf gun and saved his pocket money for one but was diverted by some leg.I don't like realistic guns at all but the fantasy ones don't bother me at all.

mrsjay · 08/05/2013 15:31

so he makes his own from lego

children will do this I work with preschoolers and have no guns but they do the lego or with their fingers etc , It really is up to the parent imo if they give children toy guns what is the issue with banning them do you think children wont do play fighting if they are not available cos they will

pictish · 08/05/2013 15:33

What Mrs Jay said - I used to be all 'oooh no nasty guns in our house" but ds1 would bite his toast into the shape of a gun and use that to mow down the enemy.