to think you don't let your kid shoot people in the supermarket?

[DonkeyHohtay]

Busy Saturday morning in the supermarket. Boy of about 8 with his Dad. Dad busy filling his basket and behaving perfectly normally.

Boy has a large, black plastic gun. Rifle type rather than a pistol (I'm not a gun expert). Boy is holding gun up to his shoulder, looking down the length of it, pointing it at people and saying "bang bang you're dead". When boy pointed it at me I said - perfectly politely - "Please don't point that at me, I don't like guns".

Father looked at me as if I had grown two heads.

AIBU to think that the supermarket on a busy morning isn't the place for toy guns??

Full disclosure - I'm not a gun fan. Although who is. My kids have in the past had those large "Nerf" type guns which are bright orange and could never be mistaken for a real one. The rules were always that shooting the little foam things at people was not allowed. The had hours of fun in the garden trying to hit a tree or something. This wasn't a gun like that. It was a toy gun, but a black one made to look like the real thing.

AIBU to be a wee bit shocked and think this was completely inappropriate?

Kids playing finger guns just makes me question what they've been exposed to on TV or gaming. It reeks of irresponsible parenting.

PMSL. It really doesn't.

Why is pretending to shoot people seen as a suitable theme for a children's game?

This.

Call me a party-pooper or a killjoy, "it's just a game" after all, played for many, many years with no harm done. But to me - guns = death. Why would I want my child thinking killing someone / something is a fun game?

As a parent I think it is one's job to recognise when something is inappropriate behaviour and make sure to keep one's child away from it even though the child can't understand why it's inappropriate

The thing was that the parent clearly thought there was nothing wrong with the behaviour because when I asked his kid to stop, he looked at me as if I was batshit crazy.

If that makes me "pathetic" then so be it.

Sancerra - 😅

I would have clutched where I was 'shot' and pretended to die

You're fun

Presumably the toy gun wasn't spurting out fake pellets or water all over everything?
It was just a plastic clicky thing?
Honestly I think YAB (a bit) U.

It's fine for you to say "please don't point that thing at me" you are entitled to say such a thing.
The boy and his dad are also entitled to make a dull shopping trip a bit more interesting for them.
Most people don't mind children playing.

If a child did that to me, I'd put both hands to my chest and collapse dramatically.
In fact I have, although it was a baguette they were using rather than a toy gun. He laughed, I laughed and his parents did a mixture of apologising and thanking me for playing along.

I too have been held up at gunpoint in an armed robbery. But I wouldn't equate it to a child 'shooting' me in the supermarket with a toy gun.

That said, my two had toy guns but I would have told them they couldn't take it to the shops with them.
In the OP's situation I would have just ignored and carried on shopping.

Are you usually starved for attention?

It has long confused me why people think giving kids replica guns is acceptable. The messages it sends about acceptability of guns in general should not be underestimated. Just my view

YANBU, why would parents allow their children to point guns or any other toys at people they don't know, and in a supermarket? Toys stay at home or in the car for mine if we're in a shop.

I think that some parent either just don't care or they actively revel in seeing their children solicit interaction from other people. It's rude either way when people are just going about their business.

Inappropriate? He's 8.. it's a toy.. plastic .. not a loaded ak47.

Are you usually starved for attention?

Is this directed at me?

If so, obviously I spend my Saturdays hanging around the cheese aisles in Waitrose, hoping a child will point a plastic gun at me so I can post about it on MN.

I agree, it's bad enough if you have to take young children to the supermarket, but with toys as well-nightmare.

You did the right thing saying that to him - polite and maybe the only time he'll hear that people don't like it! You possibly taught him an important lesson.

The Nurf guns annoy me more than black plastic ones as they do actually fire stuff at you and can hurt you but black plastic ones I’m a bit meh about. In the supermarket saying “you’re dead” is a bit weird though but I’d rather see a kid playing army than see them stuck in front of a console.

He’s just playing, if you don’t like it just ignore. Those judgy pants will give you a wedgy one of these days.

Yanbu.

As someone who's experienced it for real any replica gun sends my heart rate to death defying.

I'm also sure it's illegal - I'm pretty sure the 8yo won't get arrested and a criminal record but I'm sure there's a law about it somewhere?

It's a supermarket not a playground. He shouldn't have his toys there whether it's a gun or not.

He shouldn't be allowed to pretend to kill strangers. Wonder if all these "I don't see a problem" pps would be happy if he kicked a football around the aisles

This thread has just reminded me of when my little boys cousin shot him in the face with a Nerf gun at point blank range. He wasn't allowed' to shoot people either. Fucking hate those things. I'd much rather have a little replica gun like the ones they use when playing cowboys pointed at me.

'They rarely re-enact a gangster drug-dealing robber! More, a cowboy or pirate etc, etc.'

Pirates and cowboys were both awful though.

Cowboys, or when I was a girl 'cowboys and Indians' is about the slaughter of native Americans by western invaders.

Pirates were (and are) dangerous thieves.

Bit short sighed tbh