Toy gun, viewed innocently or not !

Whilst I loved my absolutely fabulous cowgirl outfit (created by my mum) and definitely played with a cap gun as a child I did feel that by the time I had my own children not only was the idea of using guns in play no longer acceptable to me but the idea that "Indians" were "baddies" was also suspect.
As it happens, I also loved the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and read them with my children - but felt they definitely needed to be read with them and the ideas discussed in context.

Maybe I'm a boring kill-joy but like someone upthread, I simply explained that I don't like guns and, regarding the novels, that times have changed.

Just because it "didn't do me any harm" doesn't mean it's a good thing.

"Waving"

Yet another old thread resurrected by spammers.
It doesn't lessen my disbelief and horror that anybody - whether in 2022 or 2024- could still defend toy guns in public or smile indulgently at "little dears" eavingi them around and pretendng to stick 'em up.

MissAdventure
I've found children will just make their own 'guns'.
My friends little boy used one of his Barbie dolls' legs to make the gun barrel and went around 'shooting' people, despite mums ideas.
And they still make them out of multilink at school until stopped.
I don’t blame the OP for removing it from her GS though.

Toy guns have been "not the done thing" for a very long time. My son was born in 1977 and there were mutterings about them even then. Rightly so in my opinion. How can anyone justify the enactment of murder or harm through children's play. I know it often happens anyway and has done since time began, but surely it shouldn't be actively encouraged by adults.

Fiorentina51 ‘I was raised in a gun owning family. My father, an ex soldier, hunted, as did my uncle and grandfather. My mother could also handle a gun and was a good shot.
My brother and I were taught how to use a gun safely by dad though I was not very good as my eyesight is poor.’

Good point - Your brother and you were taught to use a gun SAFELY. As I understand the use of guns they should never, ever, be pointed at anyone - whether believed to be unloaded or not.

I'm not surprised, having been "accidentally" (so they say) being shot with a nerf bullet.

No I didn’t buy guns for my kids or grandkids and I don’t remember them pretending, grankids were more into sports bikes, go carts, skateboards etc
I hate guns with a vengeance and would never buy them in any form
We get dozens and dozens of nerf guns in the charity shop and they don’t sell very well at all now

I can remember yearning for a toy iron and ironing board as a little girl.

I think there are limits to ensuring children do or dont play certain things.

Surely we all played cowboys and Indians as children, didn’t we, with the boys always insisting on being the cowboys who shot the Indians ?!

Nowadays of course a child playing with a toy gun in a supermarket is likely to be frowned on in some quarters, although if I had been there I would have gone along with what it was, a child playing a pretend game with an obviously toy gun.

Maybe it’s a generational thing, with those of us remembering playing similar games when we were young.

When my children were young, on Palm Sunday, you could almost guarantee that after service all the little boys and some of the girls would turn their palm crosses around and sword fight. Children are inventive! I don't believe even one of those children has ever been involved in violence as an adult.

My children used to shoot with bananas.

I kept all the Action Men figures our sons had when they were very young in the 1970's. A few weeks ago I got them all out for our 6 year old grandson to play with but one of the Action men had a gun and a bullet holder belt strapped around his waist. Our daughter in law said she would prefer him not to play with the one with the gun so I said, no problem, I went into the kitchen, got a sharp knife and cut the gun off the Action Man's hand and removed the bullet holding belt.

He now plays happily with them and there is not a gun in sight.

My friend bought her boy a barbie doll, so, he bent one of barbies legs up, so it was pointing forward, held her other, and hey presto!
A gun!

I will hold my hands up (pun intended) and admit that our sons had toy guns and swords.
All three of them were taught to shoot the real thing with an instructor and by the age of 11 they could all strip a gun.
Our daughter is no longer interested although her daughter had her first lesson on the range at her school and loved it.
The boys are both keen shooters but it’s my husbands passion he has shot from an early age, he would be devastated if he ever had to give it up.

Right I’m ready for the onslaught.

I'd allow a 5 year old to take a toy gun out, but I'd confiscate it if they kept pointing it at people in shops.

They would soon be disarmed.

As someone from Dunblane where there was a mass shooting of a primary one class I would not allow them guns in public. At home it is up to the individual.

Ooh sneaky!
Well spotted, Jax

Reported

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How many boys in the 1960s and 70s had guns and went round shooting people.

Games with toy guns were limited to games between friends, not that that period lasted very long. I have no memory of any random child I met producing even a toy gun and trying to shoot me.

Mine had a limited run of our village and yes, they did not always obey the firm rules I set, so I never learned what they got up to that they shoudn't have done until they were adults. Had I known when they did it. Punishment would have followed. Knowing it long after, I admired their initiative, although one thing they did was, is and always be dangerous. and I would always deplore.

My son and wife have been training their children up to freedom, since primary school. In the last term of primary they were allowed to walk to school alone, a couple of 100 yards, with a busy road to cross at traffic lights. Once they reached secondary school they now have a walk of over a mile and do it alone or with friends. They also walk to friend's homes alone and the 14 year old is allowed into town, 2 miles away, as long as she is with a friend.

How about shooting people with sandwiches and leeks?
They have both been given as examples here.

Of course nobody can or should supervise kids all the time constantly. It's sad that modern living extends so few opportunities for physical freedom with risk taking to kids at play . My sons were teenagers during the late 60s and 70s , and they and their mates had the run of a seaside village and its wide environs with no supervision whatsoever. They all did very well and grew up with good principles, and lasting affection for their village and friends. I now am informed by them that they did some hair raising risks.

Parents were generally hands-off , at least when they were teenagers. I guess that for most teenagers in Britain such freedom to roam is a thing of the past.

The parents were generally people who thought about others, and if any of the boys had been doing bad stuff the parents would have stopped it. Shooting people with guns is bad stuff.

I also agree with M0nica. Bubble wrapping children does them no favours whatsoever.

M0nica, I couldn't have put it better myself. You cannot wrap a child up in cotton wool - they have to grow up and become independent adults at some point, and that means making mistakes (and hopefully learning from those mistakes) and yes, falling over, hurting themselves (hopefully not seriously!) and finding out what they can and cannot do - within limits, obviously. Accidents happen - as parents and grandparents we obviously do what we can to limit the dangers, but overprotecting a child does them no favours whatsoever in the long run.