To allow my DCs to play with guns

[yeahalright]

I know this could be a controversial one but I'm seething about a sanctimonious comment mil and sil made to my ds(4) about our water guns. "We don't allow guns in our house, don't get them out, they're not very nice". DS felt like he did something wrong.
In the recent hot weather we bought the kids water blasters/ guns to play with. They had really good fun and I would say too young to really associate them with violence. Objective was just to soak the other person. I completely understand the importance of minimising violent culture, but is banning toy guns the answer? I don't believe playing with water guns will turn them in to psychopaths. I think they could be educated about effects guns instead.
I know there is a deeper issue here with toy weapons, but even if I banned such toys, they will create them with other objects. And isn't banning it and making it "bad" will mean it becomes a bit of a forbidden fruit?
I suppose the original issue here is that mil and sil appear to be making a stand on this and not "allowing" it, but many many things they do "allow" would make me . And if they looked closely at their own toy boxes, they would find army men, pirates, police, super heroes, Star Wars, foam swords etc. Are there not just the same?

They're nutters

Personally, I think water pistols are absolutely fine.

I wouldn't want my son to be given an actual toy gun though.

I let my DC play with them. The only child I knew of growing up who wasn't allowed to play with guns, ended up joining the army anyway so...

YANBU. People's reactions over toys are ludicrous and if they generally believe toy guns make children violent, they need to go back to school.

*genuinely

Yanbu. Kids need to learn the difference between fantasy and reality.

My kids weren’t allowed guns when they were younger. So they picked daisies and sticks and pointed them at people and went pew pew pew. Now they just have toy guns like everyone else. I’ve no more energy to be PC.

I bought my DS a real gun. He 'accidentally' shot my MIL. So a win-win

Personally, I think water pistols are absolutely fine. I wouldn't want my son to be given an actual toy gun though.

I agree with this

Toys and play are children’s way of understanding the world about them in a safe way. Toy guns don’t create murderous psychopaths.

'An actual toy gun"

Hilarious. The comedy value of Mumsnet is never ending!

We bought my DS’s aged 4 and 2 super soakers too over the summer. DS4 keeps asking for a Nerf gun but we’ve told him he needs to be 8, which he has accepted. You’re right though, it doesn’t matter whether you buy them guns or not, to my 2 everything is a gun, especially sticks. I also remember my brothers being particularly fascinated when they were young. I don’t think it’s a recent thing.

My 3 sons are young adults now,18-23.

I let them play with toy guns, plastic knives, lightsabers , swords, bow and arrows.

They have grown up to be pretty decent, academic , emotionally intelligent , kind and well rounded.

I always recommend Penny Holland’s book on this kind of thread ‘We don’t play with guns here’.

Well worth a read.

Yeah I would allow anything but actual guns. Kids make them out of Lego (you tread on it and the pain goes through you), and they make them from twigs (someone loses an eyeball). Toy guns are the safest of the lot.

No - toy swords, guns & sling-shots have been parts of child's play since forever. Cops & robbers, cowboys & Indians, etc is harmless fun. Time enough for teaching about extreme violence and all of the other horrors of life when the kids are older. No need to burden them with this stuff until they're able to understand. Let kids be kids imo

I don't like my kids playing with toy guns but imo they're completely different to water pistols.

Toy gun = pretend to kill someone
Water pistols = drench someone

I am a tree hugging vegetarian. And I was 'no guns' 'natural toys' whilst pregnant. But roll on twins and several years on my house looked like an explosion in plastics factory. And my 11 year old collects Nerf guns. In fact we've had the best ever Nerf wars party in garden. I loved it as much as the kids.

There is no link between children playing with toy guns and violence later on.

I completely agree with HolyMountain. I've three 20-something sons who played with guns throughout their childhood & have turned out to be lovely, gentle, caring young men who wouldn't hurt a fly. So I've no problem with it whatsoever.

Just draw the line at a walther ppk.

Thanks everyone for your responses. That's pretty unanimous! I was a bit taken by surprise by the comment so just put them away! There are some very good points made here so I will be prepared with what to say next time! And I will read the Penny Holland book, thanks @HolyMountain

They are being silly. If my DD played with dolls i would not worry she would become a pregnant teenager any more than I would worry she would become a murderous psychopath if she played with guns.

Real guns also have a place, e.g shooting as a sport or hobby (target shooting, not hunting), is fine by me.