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?

No idea about toy guns at school Cyberworrier,but swords and knifes allowed
Pirates themes and book day, swords and knifes

'What absolute bollocks. It’s a gun. You point a toy gun at someone and they pretend to die. You pretend to kill them'

We're talking about a kid 'shooting' random people in the supermarket though, and saying 'you're dead' to them.

Not a kid playing with friends.

I don't think it's on to let your kid do that in a supermarket, for a number of reasons. Or on the street or anywhere really.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/6727082/Parents-told-not-to-buy-toy-guns-for-their-children.html

Of course if the 8 year old is still holding it, no mistake. But if the dad or mum takes it off them and carries it around the store...

Don't take black plastic guns out in public or point them at people, even if you are a little kid, it's really really easy!

I personally don't care about within the home/pretend play at home, it's just common sense not to do that in public, which is why parents mostly don't and why this thread is controversial- not one person has come on and said 'why, I saw a little child doing just that the other day in a shop' because normal people don't do this!

PP made point I was thinking of.

Would it be OK for a kid to go up to people with a toy knife and pretend to stab them and say you're dead.

I would say no pretending to kill random strangers is not on. Irrespective of the means.

If children don’t have the ability to understand what shooting a gun and death are, they shouldn’t be encouraged to play at those things. Your argument makes it worse, not better

I’ll explain again.Adult and children are emotionally,behaviourally,cognitively different
When a child shots a toy gun it’s play.its not seeking to enact violence

Children playing with toy guns isn’t about violence & death.it isn’t.I've explained this.

Depending on age Children have limited understanding of death.which is why euphemism like “gone away” don’t convey meaning,as child thinks the adult will come back

'For children,toy gun,knife,sword is pretend play.all about boundaries,affirmation,trust. Totally nonviolent'

Children are stabbing each other in London all the time.

Older children but children still. They are not adults.

That's why everyone is so upset about it.

YANBU. The supermarket isn’t a suitable place for toy guns.

If it was a very realistic looking toy gun, then it may have been covered by the Firearms Act as an "imitation gun".
This may then have applied:
Offences involving imitation firearms
2.26 The 1994 Act amended certain provisions of the 1968 Act regarding imitation firearms.
2.27 Section 1 of the 1994 Act inserted a new offence at section 16A of the 1968 Act; it makes it
an offence to possess any firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause, or to enable another
person to cause, someone else to fear that unlawful violence will be used against them or
another person. It provides for a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment or a fine, or both.

As it was a small child, obviously the maximum penalty wouldn't apply, of course - but it's still irresponsible of the father to have allowed the gun out in public IF it was a very realistic looking toy.

Obviously this situation is in the UK, where guns are much less common - but in Australia this would have potentially more serious implications, especially if someone saw the toy, especially if the father had taken it off him, and called the police - some states have laws that say if it LOOKs like a real gun then you assume it IS a real gun and behave accordingly, which then also has the very real potential that the person holding it could get shot themselves. Police here are a LOT LOT less trigger-happy than it would appear some US police are, but mistakes could still happen.

In short, OP, YANBU. It's not appropriate in a supermarket.

Spring,you’re referencing a 10year old article
So if toy guns are such a threat how many incidents involving armed police and children have there been
Is it widely reported?any fatalities?

Thumb that’s a lot of ifs and unnecessary citing of act.all hinges upon ifs
IF it look real

It’s too much of a digression to introduce US and States
Different countries, different culture
This was UK Waitrose

Something like this? Totally unacceptable in a supermarket. Supermarkets are not playgrounds.

The boy was a little brat and out of line but there are approx 1.2 million children living in London and they are not all stabbing each other all the time.

Watch out he doesn't try kidnap you next time and shov you in the back of his little tikes car

Apologies as I know it's not really what the thread's about, but someone mentioned the chocolate smoking stuff kids used to get. Incredibly, you can still buy them (though I'm not sure who'd want to?)

www.retrotuckshopsweetsdirect.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=821

Nottonightjoseoheen

I haven't disparaged anyone!

I pointed out that your statement that 'They rarely re-enact a gangster drug-dealing robber! More, a cowboy or pirate etc, etc.'' etc was nonsensical as pirates are not now and never were benevolent, they were and are violent thieves, and the cowboys shooting people didnt originate in something benevolent either, far from it.

Also lots of people have said kids pretending to shoot strangers in the supermarket is cool and anyone who doesnt like it is a miserable killjoy.

I'm AOK with kids playing dress up etc

I'm not ok with them acting out murdering random strangers though in public.

Don’t superimpose your adult behaviour and cognition onto a child

No need. Just superimpose manners.

And they are not enacting murder
Murder is a perpetrator undertaking an act that kills someone

A child with a toy gun isn’t a perpetrator, and a startled shopper isn’t a victim

You can not impose adult actions and sensibilities onto children playing

I manage a nursery
Gun play is not banned
We don't have toy guns but children make them from duplo or use sticks or bananas
I don't ban it

Lipstick, well most pirate outfits I’ve seen come with plasticky cartoony swords, not toy knives- don’t think I’ve ever seen a toy knife. If a child had a pretend knife at my school, it would be confiscated and parents spoken to- and possibly taken further. Maybe London is different to other parts of UK but as siblings of our pupils have been involved with/victims of gang violence, toy knives really wouldn’t be acceptable.

Also, it is the context which is problematic here- this happened in a public space and the child was interacting with strangers trying to go about their day in a way in an intrusive and inappropriate manner. An 8 year old should know better and their parents certainly shouldn’t be defending such play- wrong time and place at the very least.