Children & guns??

Question

Today my husband bought our 2 year old a play machine gun. It came with a play knife, binoculars and a play bullet clip. The play machine gun makes real machine gun noises and my son is in love. But for obvious reasons I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable about my son being excited about running around the house pretend shooting everyone.  I haven't told my husband yet but just wondering how other mother's feel about this?? Am I overreacting? Is it all in good fun? Or should I put a stop o it?  Opinions please!!
**update** I just told my husband how I felt and he said he hadn't thought about it like that. And he was just letting him "be a boy" but agreed to no longer allow him to pretend shoot anyone. He didn't agree to get rid of the guns but Instead he said he'll make little targets on the walls for him...so we'll see.

Answer

I'm fine with my son playing with a toy gun. He will not "shoot" anybody though. If he does, he'll have it taken away until he learns the error of his ways.

Answer

Teach him now that you are to NEVER EVER EVER point a gun at ANYBODY...even a play gun. He can pretend shoot pretend things, pretend bad guys, etc, but never a real life living thing. Every time you see him do it, tell him the rule. If he keeps doing it, take it away from him for a few minutes...give it back and tell him again. Keep it longer and longer until he gets it.

Answer

I'm not a mother and I probably don't be for a long time but I completely get it. Something about kids playing with guns so easily doesn't sit right with me

Answer

We had toy guns, but we were never ever allowed to point it at a human being even if it was fake to even insinuate play shooting them. That was soooo against the rules like, my mom was so freaking serious about that. We also live way out in the country where we can have target practice. My mom is pro guns, has a gun collection. We had BB guns, pellet guns and paintball guns. We could only shoot each other  with the paintball guns but that's kindof like a sport, we had like our entire backyard set up for it lol. This was all before we had a foster kid that had been shot in a drive by and and watched his entire family die, we never even had nerf guns after that point. My mom also has a hidden safe room built into our house that she keeps her guns in. They are very locked away and I don't even know how to get to them. So I mean, you could teach him to not play shoot people or pets.

Answer

I'm completely fine with Nerf guns and water guns that look like toys, but replicas aren't allowed in my house. My husband is trained in Filipino martial arts and has been taking our daughter with him to his dojo. We have *other* weapons in our home for self defense that are kept locked up. We're also very open with our daughter about the repercussions of "playing" with or acting as though she has a gun (especially since we're black).

Answer

We've agreed not to have toy guns.  I've agreed to let our son learn how to shoot when he's old enough.  Guns are not toys.

Answer

I must admit if we have a boy the only toy gun he will play with is a water gun. I can't stand when children with or without a toy gun pretend to aim and shoot at people. I get its just something they play but I wouldn't allow my son to do it. I agree with you

Answer

My kids play with you guns and bows and arrows. They aren't allowed to pretend to shoot real people with it, though.

Answer

My boys have always had toy guns. From the beginning we have taught them that you don't point guns at people. They graduated to BB guns and last year at 8 they learned how to shoot my handgun. They've been taught gun safety and they know guns are weapons,not toys. I don't worry about them messing with it because they've used them,they know what a gun can do and there's no taboo or mystery about it for them. To them a gun is a tool to be used for specific purposes life defense or hunting and that's it. I think it's  smart to make sure your child knows not to run around "shooting" ppl but if you're teaching him to be respectful in his play I can't see the issue with letting him keep it.

Answer

My daughter has had toy guns and it eas laways a rule if it was a real looking gun dont point it. She got a nerf gun for a birthday and it came with two, so we were going to play with them and shoot eachother with the foam darts and the minute one of us would point it at the other my dog would freak out and grab the gun out of her hand. So now its no pinting at anybody even if its a nerf gun simply because it stresses my dog out

Children & guns??

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