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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be uncomfortable with my mother giving my son a cap gun?

30 replies

Alambil · 03/04/2010 09:56

It doesn't fire anything - just makes a bang... but still

It's a starter gun for races - he thinks it's great, of course

but it just doesn't sit right with me in "this day and age"

OP posts:
Mutt · 03/04/2010 10:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bruxeur · 03/04/2010 10:03

Starter guns are not cap guns, they often fire blanks and can kill or maim.

AnzoneioBanderas · 03/04/2010 10:04

god i LOVE cap guns

and spud guns
oyu are overhtinking

Mutt · 03/04/2010 10:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bruxeur · 03/04/2010 10:05

How do you know? It's described as a starter gun for races in the OP.

Mutt · 03/04/2010 10:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Broodymomma · 03/04/2010 10:06

Have to admit I see where you are coming from - I discretly binned a gun my mum bought my 3 year old ds last week. Just not the kind of thing I want him playing with so in my opinion yanbu

RockSteady · 03/04/2010 10:07

I dunno, children have always played with toy guns of some sort or another haven't they? Even if its just a stick they're pretending is a gun. It won't do him any harm but of course if it makes you uncomfortable then take it away!
Wouldn't bother me though.

Slartybartfast · 03/04/2010 10:07

i had a spud gun as a child

brought one for my ds, they're good. just firing off bits of potato...

Cadelaide · 03/04/2010 10:07

Caps smell great when fired.

Know nothing of starter guns.

bruxeur · 03/04/2010 10:08

A starter gun for races is not the same as a cap gun. A lot of people are ignorant. Best to play it safe, isn't it?

Slartybartfast · 03/04/2010 10:08

is a cap gun the one where you have to buy the paper caps?
you use it, it runs out, you never bother to replace the caps, ime..

meltedmarsbars · 03/04/2010 10:12

Another "my ds is gonna turn into a guntotin' maniac because gp's bought him a toy gun" thread.

AAAAARGH!

Get a life!

Slartybartfast · 03/04/2010 10:13

although i was uncomfortable with the idea of a toy gun when ds was small, until i brought the potato gun

YanknCock · 03/04/2010 10:13

It would bother me and I wouldn't allow him to have it. But full disclosure, I've had a loaded handgun put to my head in the past. I don't like guns.

Plumm · 03/04/2010 10:27

YANBU - guns are vile and shouldn't be used as toys.

A 4 year old boy came to our house to play and the first thing he did when he walked through the door was hold is toy gun to DD's head and say 'i'm going to kill you'. Nice.

sayithowitis · 03/04/2010 10:41

Personally, I don't have a problem with cap guns. When mine were young, I never bought them any type of weapon yet they still managed to 'make them' from twigs, lego, whatever. Then we went to Legoland and they both wanted a foam sword and shield. I don't see why a toy gun is so much maligned and yet so many people who wouldn't buy those, do buy toy swords etc. Thereafter, we bought the boys spud guns. Great fun, no harm. They are both adults now, neither has turned into gun waving loons.

I think there is more damage done by not allowing things and creating a mysterious aura around them tbh.

shakingmyfattybumbum · 03/04/2010 10:43

I uesd to teach in an all boys school. believe me, you can take guns away from them all you like but they will always use pens, rulers, sticks etc to 'shoot' each other. it's a stone-age boy brain thing. I say accept that it's part of their ingrained boy personality and don't fight it.

BitOfFun · 03/04/2010 10:45

Blimey Yank- that's shocking

Definite blow-job bunny for you there...

looneytune · 03/04/2010 11:01

I agree that if they become banned, children often end up MORE interested in them. My 7 year old ds1 has a few toy guns (I used to think that I didn't want him having these things but dh pointed out that little boys used to always have guns and most of them turned out just fine and that people having guns as adults will not be because they had toys guns - I agree now).

My nephew is 12 and hasn't been allowed toy guns for different reasons (noise etc) and he is the most obsessed child with regards to guns that I've ever seen. We don't see him that often but whenever he comes (this has been going on for several years), the FIRST thing he asks for are the guns, he's totally obsessed, bless him. Ds on the other hand doesn't play with them THAT often and certainly isn't obsessed.

IME children with make their own guns out of hangers, crusts from sandwiches, their fingers etc etc. A cap gun wouldn't worry me at all.

How old is your ds?

wedlocked · 03/04/2010 11:45

Relax. As others said. Boys play with guns and if they don't have a toy one they make them.

BendyBob · 03/04/2010 11:55

Yanbu. I don't like it either. It's so hard to avoid though.

I know boys improvise and always have played with guns. In days gone by though it was very much emulating cowboy type films which were a million miles from reality.

Nowadays reality and fantasy is very blurred. Thankfully most people grow up knowing the difference although some clearly don't. But in this climate where there is definately more violence about I don't feel comfortable giving the thumbs up to toy guns.

Ds plays shooty games on the Wii and I don't like that either. Like I say though v hard to avoid.

BariatricObama · 03/04/2010 11:59

ah the smell of cap guns! the smell of childhood. that and smoking straw.

can you still get spud guns?

BariatricObama · 03/04/2010 12:01

you can!

Original poster
Alambil · 03/04/2010 15:14

It is a cap gun that we use for races; it isn't a starter gun

nothing comes out - just the noise and a spark (ooer!)

DS can't do it very well anyway due to his weak hands...

I don't mind him making pretend guns; he's always done that, but there's something different about holding a gun lookalike.

OP posts: