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

[Alambil]

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"

I would confiscate it...

Then when he is sleeping I'd play with it, test it out for safety reasons! I LOVE the smell of cap guns

Seriously though, I don't know, on one hand 'in this day & age' it does seem wrong, but on the other hand we did all have them as kids and it doesn't seem to have turned us into gun weilding maniacs does it - so really is there any harm?

Not read whole thread but I am a very passive non aggressive person who dislikes toy guns and wouldn't willinly buy my son one (although he does have one - a gift that fires pirates).

My point is I had a cap gun and a spud gun as a child (I was a tomboy), loved them, am a fairly well rounded non violent adult.

My rule with toy guns (and nurseries have these rules too for when children are enjoying 'shooting' imaginery play), is they are not to be fired 'at' people. Targets on walls, or into the sky etc but not used in an agressive way. A lot of children in DS's class are apparently quite fixated on this kind of play and they don't ban it but do discuss it with the children and have simple play rules in place.

If you are not comfortable with it that's enough reason not to have it. Perhaps it could be replaced with something that "fires" but doesn't have a weapon-like quality, like water squirty animals or soaker-type things?

Me and my brothers didn't have toy weapons as kids and we turned out OK

Who really thinks a child is going to turn into a gun toting maniac if they have a toy gun?

I dont but I still dont want my kids playing with them.

Doesnt make me a hippy loon with no grasp on real life. Just dont think its particularly tasteful. But then I live in East London and guns arnt funny round here.

My dont even have water pistols.

If they get given guns they are removed. People know they are not allowed them so if they choose to waste their money on them thats up to them.

Parents make these decisions every day for lots of different things. Children are not allowed to drink coke, wear character clothing, 'inappropriate' logos, designer trainers, eat sweets, play video games, watch tiv, eat meat, go to McDonalds etc.

We all have our own priorities and reasons for these choices.

My brother insisted on buying my DS a gun one year despite knowing how I felt. The next person through the door was his wife who got a sucker pellet between the eyes.

He didnt buy him any more.

aSilverlining - I have this same rule for ds1. He's to shoot at 'things' and not 'people' and because he asked me why, we had a big conversation about guns and why people are scared etc etc. He now has a better understanding of the danger of guns.