The debate: Do you let your kids play with toy guns?

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These parents that have absolute bans on toy guns are just overreacting to their own pacifist nature. There is absolutely nothing wrong with playing war, or other such games. As a matter of fact, those games are actually beneficial.
1. They are usually out in the fresh air.
2. It is active, exercise.
3. Most times with friends, using and creating social skills.
4. Strategy, teamwork and communication. Learned through active play.

Because a child plays with a toy M16, does not mean that he or she will grow up to use one.

As a young boy I had a full arsenal of toy weapons, and have never fired a weapon at anything other than targets at the range to check my rifle before going moose hunting, and some moose.

The kids I know now, that play with toy guns are more educated than we ever were. Alot of them can tell you about the real thing, which military uses it, for what and when.

All other debate aside - my kids LOVE spraying each other with water guns, and there really is no equivalent that doesn't "look like a gun". That would sure be a loss on a hot summer day!

I grew up with two sisters. The three of us would play with water guns and pretend to "take each other down!". We played with imaginary guns, and toy guns, and we had a good time in our make believe world. IT built a healthy competitive spirit as we raced around the yard trying to be the final winner of the game. We also played with barbies, plastic dolls with perfect figures and copious amounts of clothing and fancy cars. WE played and understood the difference between reality and make believe. I understand I can't run around shooting water guns at my enemy and that barbies body is impossible to replicate without surgery. My sisters and I are now grown up, successful contributors to society. I work with children and youth, and have no problem with them playing with either toy. My sister is a librarian and archivist and my other sister is an account manager at a thriving business. We didn't grow up to be serial killers, or violent and crazed. I think it's not the toys that kids get to play with, it's the way the parents represent the toy to the child.

My mom never let guns into the house, and i really don't think I will either. What's the point?! However, I am more lax when it comes to water guns, funny enough...
It's definitely not an easy debate, but with all the gun violence that has exploded in North America this summer, it's hard for me to lean towards "yes."

Raptor took the words out of my mouth . . . the more I look at it, the more it looks like a P210.I actually kind of think it's neat . . . cetinraly a lot of work went into it. But it looks a lot like the so-called "gentleman's folder" that's so popular in knives right now, with insane clashes of color and movement engraved and anodized and jeweled everywhere. That kind of decoration isn't decoration anymore. The gold flourishes have become the point of the exercise; the gun could have been a Hi-Point and it wouldn't look a lot different, though they'd have emphasized different lines. It might be beautiful to an engraver, but as a shooter, in the end I can't get into it.

Shelley: I actually did specifically state that we don't give the kids toy weapons because we feel that encouraging violence isn't worthwhile. Your reasoning suggests that one may as well allow an underage teen to smoke, drink and do drugs because, let's face it: if they want to do it, they will.

Bonnie36: Ha, well. Um. I could write at length about that, too.

Cat: When my kids are older, perhaps we'll readdress. But at five and two, I don't think it's unrealistic to limit exposure to violent toys.

sfox: Actually, the imitation of violence is indeed a form of violence. Which, as I said, we try to discourage. I don't live in a rainbows-and-sunshine world, but at ages two and five, I'm confident in our choice to limit war toys. In addition, we have hunters in the family, support our local law enforcement, and teach the kids what we feel is appropriate behaviour.

I love reading the responses, thanks so much for taking the time to comment!

Alexandria doesn't really say why her kids aren't allowed to play with toy weapons...except that they don't need to. You don't need to toughen up boys but what about letting them act? A cowboy has a gun. So does a police officer. Playing with a gun is a FAR stretch from killing someone or something in reality. Like Stephen said, if they want to play with it, they will find a way.

It's like asking if I should let my daughter play with Barbies or Bratz lest she develop an unhealthy body image!

Sometimes we blow things out of proportion. I admit I did the same. My parents never vetoed toy guns, so why should I completely. Oh let them play with water guns...They are only kids once....in the beaches, my kids have 3 invites to water gun fights...not MY cup of tea, but hey...if they want to play with them on the beach or at the water park...shoot away....
Eventually when the cats away the mouse will play anyways...whether its with a "stick gun" or anything that slightly resembles a gun. Its the values of the child you should be more concerned about.

"...has aimed at us with his pudgy fists and said, “Pew! Pew! Pew!,” but we deter the violence by distracting him with some other game or activity".

What concerns me about this is that you refer to him aiming his pudgy fists at you as violence. This is not violence, and I think you could use his actions as a chance to teach him what real violence is (at an age appropriate level).

Any toy can be turned into a weapon (heck, our bodies can be turned into weapons). I don't think that preventing toy guns in the house helps much in preventing violence. I think education and role-modelling are better ways of preventing violence.

I also think that some of this behaviour IS ingrained in our kids' DNA. If I give my daughter three square blocks to play with, she will play with them in an entirely different way than my son. She will immediately assign them domestic roles and the blocks will start talking to each other (usually a mother and children) whereas my son will drive them around. There is some intrinsic factor at work here. I don't understand it, but it's there.