Within 5 minutes of having a toy gun in our house, we have an injury.
I swore that I would never have toy guns for my boys. In fact, I don’t even allow them to talk about “killing” each other while they’re playing. As much as I attempt to control that, I still hear, “I’m going to kill you” when the game gets really intense. I do my best to drill in how what they are saying is NOT OK, yet, it still keeps happening. I think of myself as pretty strict when it comes to what they watch, and what they play. So, I can’t blame it on the fact that they’re learning this from Bubble guppies or something. But, at the same time, I’m left to wonder if it’s not just part of a boy growing up. They learn it from somewhere, even if it’s not my own home. But, please, can’t I at least have gun control in my own home?
The truth is, you can’t control it. The proof is in the fact that I recently blogged about how my four year old was pointing his “finger gun” at the audience he was sitting in front of. At church. The kid is resourceful. I’ll give him that.
But, my Mom sent the toy gun in a package today. Innocent enough, right? I saw my four year old’s eyes light up within seconds of hearing the fake, “pop, pop” when I pulled the trigger to see what it would do. Then, he promptly pistol whipped his little brother. OK, I’m exaggerating, but there is a welt below his left eye. The four year old said, “I just put the gun up to his face, and it was an accident”.
Bad picture. It’s hard to get a 22 month old to sit still
I took it away for the rest of the day. And, we’ve had it five minutes.
I’ve had some leniency with water guns, but they are kept outside. Yet, the light saber gets a free pass. And, a toy sword? We have that too. Not logical, I know. But, it makes sense to me. Guns just are not what I want my little innocent boys playing with right now. Sadly, they’ll learn about them soon enough in this scary world we live in.
He has been crying, begging, and pleading for the past 15 minutes since I took it away. It’s like since he KNOWS I don’t like them, it’s what his little heart so desperately desires.
Maybe it will have an accident like this little guy that my Mom also sent. A true wind up cowboy that crawls along the ground on his belly hunting with his gun. Where does she find these things?
Sadly, he lost his head in a tragic accident involving a four year old who wanted to play with a gun so much that he flung himself to the ground crying, and thus, killed a cowboy.
RIP Cowboy. Oh, the irony.
My kids talk about killing and I hate it. It’s so upsetting.
Yes. I hate it too.
Our kids have guns that look like spaceman guns to play with, if that makes sense. The gun you have pictured is a very real looking .38 or similar gun. I could justify shooting a suspect holding that very toy to protect my own life. Could another person shoot a little boy holding a gun like this because he thought he was protecting other kids from being shot with what he thought was a real gun? Maybe. Sad that we’re paranoid like that nowadays, but it’s true.
I know! Good to have a cop’s perspective. I already think this gun will be disappearing soon.
oh man. I don’t even want to know what I will do in that situation. It’s so hard because clearly making it contraband is causing more of a fixation on it as this super-cool toy. I dunno, maybe the rule could be something like no pretend guns, but at 13 we’ll take you to a shooting range and class to learn how to fire a real one? Maybe hearing from an instructor as a teeanger about all the safety issues it’ll be better? I just don’t know how to answer this whole issue, and I’m worried about when potamus will start in on it!
Well, I like what Don said. This one looks real, and has a real-ish sound to it too. So, maybe an explanation to why we don’t keep this kind of gun around would be appropriate.
Yeah i like that, if it’s clearly pretend and nobody wounld mistake it for something harmful
Were these from your mom in Texas? Those Texans…I tell ya. 😉 I don’t know where they get it fom either…I don’t let them watch anything with guns yet it seems almost innate in boys to know about them. Strange. No right answer here but hopefully if you talk to them about guns as they grow they may see the true danger with them. Oh and that beheaded cowboy…hilarious!!!!! LOL!
No toy guns allowed in my house, sorry, no tolerance for that. I grew up playing with toy guns, but until I came in the States I’ve never heard of mass massacres, never heard of so many crimes due to guns…so no, I have no tolerance for that. Scott came home from school with a saying “goin’ to shoot’cha” …he doesn’t point the finger like a toy gun or anything, but it’s still upsetting to hear him. I’m going to be that crazy mom that if you have guns in the house, even completely safe in the locker whatever…my kid is not coming to your house for play. Sorry, I don’t give a damn about strange looks but I am not taking chances that are under my control. Scott got a toy gun with marshmellows for last Christmas; it’s still in the basement. I might give it away or just put in the trash if I get really cranky.
I totally agree!!
I wish I was better about this too, but my kid is so interested in them. Arrghhhh!
Sounds like a good bitter post to me!
I hate to play Devil’s advocate here, but I’ve never understood the problem with toys like these. If you teach your kids right from wrong it shouldn’t really matter what they play with. My cousins and I, when we were quite young, were obsessed with Mortal Kombat, the Power Rangers, Nerf weapons, and “slasher” movies like Friday the 13th, and every single one of us grew up to be a perfectly normal, functioning member of society.
I’m not a fan of the word “kill” when used by children, but to me toys are toys and kids will find a way to do what we don’t want them to do anyway. 🙂
Well, I just don’t want him to think it’s ok to talk and play with a gun that is so real looking. It makes it seem too casual to me when I think guns need to be taken very seriously. Nerf guns are different…although I still don’t want them talking about killing with those either.
I can understand where you’re coming from. Realistic-looking weapon toys might be a bit much for such small children. I just think, on the whole, that a lot of parents spend too much time trying to keep their kids away from certain things instead of just explaining to them the difference between good and bad, fantasy and reality. It’s a bit of a sore spot for me because of the way people constantly come down on video games, which were a huge part of my childhood.
Well, I will say, i played a lot of video games too growing up, I also watched a TON of TV. Like, a crazy amount, and I feel like I turned out pretty good. 😉