To not want toy guns

[yesiamwhoyouthinkiam]

I know I will get a lot of 'boys will use sticks as guns, it's just what they do' responses but I wondered if there were any other parents here who have successfully managed to at least keep toy guns out of their houses?

My DS (almost 4) has already started making shooting actions, talking about 'good shot' and mentioned 'killing monsters with guns' which I know he has picked up from nursery and my DHs tendency to let him watch slightly unsuitable cartoons (scooby doo, super ted).

I have tried explaining that guns are just not nice things to have but clearly it's all just a game to DS.

Was quite aghast at his similar aged cousin threatening to shoot my DS this week.

Anyone been able to successfully keep guns away from their kids (boys I suppose) even after they have started school?

How about boys who go out shooting for real? You know, the country types with dogs. Now, I do object to that.

No,shop girl ive got wring end stick.i read it as you thought guns et al were all modern warfare
Youre replying to ied quip.and im getting complete wrong end stick
Sorry i misunderstood.

oh - ok scottishmummy, cheers

Eh, I'm happy to 'impose' my values on my kid while he's a kid.

That includes the idea that guns aren't toys.

FWIW, I own a rifle and am licensed to use both it and a handgun, though the handgun license has lapsed. Not in the UK but in a country with similar gun laws. I'm not squeamish about guns.

Guns aren't toys thats correct
And toys aren't guns,thats also correct

How... enigmatic, scottishmummy.

Will it help if I elaborate? I do not want my kid to associate guns with harmless play when he's young. I'll reevaluate when he's 8 or so and has a better grasp of context.

IED ?.

Yes, I have five children, three two teen boys. It wasn't even a battle I picked. I told them no, they listened.

No battle needed.

I don't understand why anyone would care they some are against toy guns.

We don't care that yours play with them, we have not said we think your kids are going to grow up to kill people.

I don't really see the debate here.

I don't like my kids playing pretend violent games. Some disagree that it is a violent game but it's role play which is based on shooting people. Of course children don't look deeply into it but I ban them for the same reason I don't like them to watch too many violent films, I don't like it.

Just to be completely clear. I do not think that playing with guns will turn the dcs into gun wielding psychopaths, however I find "playing" at inflicting lethal damage on each other deeply distasteful, as I would "pretending" to strangle each other or stab each other or evicted ate one another. Too close to life, not showing the due respect for the millions who have died at the hand of guns.

Just about to make the same point about violent films (eg: I don't like James Bond I think it glamourises violence, it's also sexist, that's another thread). However we are not squeamish we watched black adder goes forth together and talked about WW1 and the pointless waste of life, we have also been to Normandy and looked at the graves.

Also, growing up there was always a pistol to hand in our house
We knew from a very, very early age what it was, why it was there and absolutely why we must never ever touch it
When we become older we learned to shoot shotgun/rifle/pistol

We always knew the difference between real firearms and toy guns
We always respected the former as we should have

Toys are toys and kids get that

I asked before,but nobody answered- how would you feel about your child playing with a toy IED?

IEDs have one purpose.

I said upthread that when my children played with toy guns, it tended to be in the context of playing at being a police officer, guns are used as a threat to uphold the law in that context, not just to shoot people. I don't think I ever saw my children 'shoot' anyone while playing.

I don't understand why anyone would care they some are against toy guns

I don't care what anyone else thinks on the matter really.

We don't care that yours play with them, we have not said we think your kids are going to grow up to kill people

You may not care, but in your reasoning for not allowing them, the judging of those who do is there.

That's fine, we all judge in some form or other, but don't pretend that that is not happening here, it's really quite clear.

Are you in the US knee? English police don't carry firearms as a rule. Guns ( hand guns and pistols are designed to shoot people).

No one answered ied question as its lame.and setting a trap for any respondent

No I am in the UK, London actually.

I see firearms officers daily.

Guns for mainland police are not routine.exceptional circumstances eg G8, post 7/7 or police special operations

Gun toys, like bow and arrow toys need rules of safe use. Never point it at people or pets, never threaten to hurt someone with it. Break the rule , lose the toy.
I have a son, he has one or two toy guns and a number of stick bows and arrows. He occasionally plays with the guns that fire sucker bullets target shooting. He likes trying to shoot arrows further and further down the garden.
Now age 8he is starting to try archery and air rifle with cubs. Living where we do gun sports are popular and I expect he will shoot competitively or for food at some point.

Yes Unis no problems with safe use of rifles/archery outdoors, quite different from pretending to shoot each other.

YANBU. I sympathise with you and I adopt a similar attitude with my DD and DS. Hate the way boys are targeted with 'macho' shitty toys like guns, and the way girls are targeted with image-obsessed pretty things.

I know you can't control the influences they receive from other people at school, etc. But you can teach them to reflect on and question those influences, instead of blindly accept them, by the attitudes you adopt at home.

biniIt's a hard one. I too was against guns and started off not buying them. But it's difficult - many kids love shooting things. Mine started with sticks, fingers and lego. Irelented in the end and now the house is full of nerf, water pistols,laser guns, swords etc.Shooting targets is fun, l've tryed archery, pistol, rifle shooting myself and enjoy it and have let my fairly young kids do it.

Don't like replica looking toy guns but I do understand where you are coming from OP.

Bizarrely- some may think- I am quite happy with my children using real guns in the proper circumstances. They are both excellent marksmen, and dd has shot a rabbit, cooked and eaten it.

Interesting that people are squirming about IEDs and land mines. Are they a bit too real for you? A bit too killy?

Who has squirmed about IEDs?

Are they a bit too real for you? A bit too killy?

Odd thing, for someone who is happy for their children to use real guns, to say.

Well thanks, I have decided that i will continue not to have toy/replica guns in the house.

No change then