HTT: Toys

mancila60 · November 2014

How do you feel about your kids or kids in general playing with TOY guns? This includes any variations of the toy (water guns, cap guns, bb guns, etc). Do you feel differently about boys doing it than girls?

Flutterby00 · November 2014

Nerf/water - totally fine. pop guns are awesome. But I do think there is education that comes along with letting them play with them...even at a young age. I don't like toy guns that look like real guns...i don't think any good can come of playing with those. Well, at least like the big machine gun types....little revolvers if they want to play sheriff is fine. When LO is older DH will teach him how to handle a real gun. We belong to a shooting range, and live out in the country in Colorado.

mancila60 · November 2014

I grew up with all sorts of toy guns and see nothing wrong with them. I feel like all toys require a certain education/maturity level for them. I think nerf guns /water guns are a much better fit for kids. H and I are both very big into shooting and teaching the younger generation about safety in shooting. H is a hunter and plans to take DS and any future kids at a young age to teach them and educate them. I live in Louisiana where this is fairly common practice and where most people buy their kids toy guns all the time.

Before DS gets and life like gun there will be discussions on it. H is also trying to join our local police dept and I feel that DS will at some point want to play cops with seeing H have that job. Same as a fireman's son wants to play firefighter. It doesn't matter to me boy or girl but I feel boys take more interest into these things.

skyla13 · November 2014

I'm with PP, depends on the type of gun. Water guns, nerf guns, cap guns don't bother me as much. At this current juncture I will not be allowing BB guns or above in the house.

An interesting article:

https://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/toy-guns-do-they-lead-real-life-violence

skyla13 · November 2014

@comeongetdown I'm not sure I get the backing away. This is a topic we're all going to have to address with our kids. Whether we like it or not, kids are exposed to a crazy amount of violence (unless they live in a bubble) and I don't know of one kid who hasn't picked up a stick to use as a toy gun. I think rather than backing away from the situation, we should be comfortable and familiar with our stance and how we're going to react when our children want to play act things like "bang, you're dead".

emmylou78 · November 2014

Nerf fun, water gun: yes. Fake revolvers to play harm someone: no. I also plan to get rid of the violent video games we have where your aim is to shoot people. No different in boy or girl.

Weljadraak · November 2014

We are not into it. I don't foresee us buying any type of gun for him.

trackgirlparis · November 2014

I don't have a problem with any water guns/nerf guns/cap guns. If we ever get any, we will probably not have BBs or anything until the pre teen/teen years, since more responsibility goes into handling those.

Also, definitely no difference between girls and boys. If someone said they did, they would get a major side eye from me.

BrittanyCupcakes · November 2014

Carmen will get a Daisy rifle when she is older. Probably 11 or 12, depending on her maturity. I had one as a kid and I loved shooting paper targets in the backyard.

DH is very pro-gun, but I want to draw the line at BB guns.

BrittanyCupcakes · November 2014

Lia1303 said:
What's a daisy rifle @BrittanyCupcakes‌ ?

It's a brand of BB gun.

I enjoyed it the same way I enjoyed archery- shooting targets for sport. There was no concept of violence involved.

megs1409 · November 2014

No issues at all with water/cap/nerf guns. As for a BB gun, I'm sure my dad or brother will buy one for DS when he's an appropriate age (I haven't really thought about what that is, but maturity is deft a key factor). I grew up in a family of hunters and although it's not mine or DH's thing. I had a BB gun as a kid, but got it only after taking a gun safety class with my dad. We took the class every year. I'm hoping I've got several years before this is even an issue to discuss with my family!

acethebase · November 2014

Water guns are fine but I won't allow play guns in the house or even pretending to play with guns. Although my step father wants to take DS1 hunting in a couple years... I'm not quite sure how I feel about that.

dovetail223 · November 2014

I'm fine with fake toy guns for both girls and boys. I personally do not see the correlation between toy guns and teen violence/shootings. I feel like that has more to do with adult guns and TV/movies than a plastic toy.

Most ppl in Cali don't hunt, so when I moved to the east coast that was a big adjustment. Mostly because I just can't imagine shooting/killing an animal myself. But I've gotten over it and try not to judge ppl that like and grew up hunting. That said, not sure I would love DD going hunting when she's older, even though DH did. The thought of my child shooting something makes me sad.

tashad18 · November 2014

I played with toy guns as a kid. I also had a bb gun. we would shoot at cans and targets on hay bales. My oldest played with Nerf and pop guns but didn't play like he was shooting people. He also has a BB gun he uses for scouts and at my grandparents farm.

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