Do you allow your children to play with toy weapons?

Question

I have never allowed my children to play with any toys that are violent inlcuding knives, toy bombs, guns, ans swards. I feel if they can play with them for fun they may not understand the difference and the harm a real one can cause. I believe even when shown kids are not mature enough to honestly know the difference.

I came across this artical in which a child who is 6 is suspended from school for bringing a toy gun to school. I pasted part of it... I don't know how to hyperlink.

First-Grader Suspended Over Plastic Squirt Gun
School District Says Policy Prohibits Exceptions
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri mother is angry that her first-grader was suspended from school over a plastic toy gun.

"I asked her, 'You're going to suspend my son for 10 days for this? He cannot harm a soul with this,'" said Danielle Womack, whose son, Tawann Caskey, was suspended from Milton Moore Elementary School in Kansas City.

Tawann was suspended over a 2-inch plastic squirt gun.

"She told me it's a weapon, a little girl saw it and reported to a teacher that he had a weapon," Womack said.

According to Kansas City, Mo., School District policy, the squirt gun is a simulated weapon and a class IV, which is the most serious school offense. Principals claim to have no discretion in cases like Tawaan's. It is an automatic 10-day suspension.We ask our principals for safety of students and staff, and we do follow the code of conduct and do not give exceptions to Class IV offenses. We take it very seriously," the school district's Phyllis Budesheim said.

The incident will stay on Tawann's permanent school record. But Womack said her son does not understand why he's not in school.

Answer 1

My neighbor won't let her kids play with toy guns but lets her teenagers listen to rap and hip hop. Hypocritical don't you think?

Answer 2

First of all there are many things that should be taken into consideration. This is a very hot topic and I am glad you brought it up. When my son was young, there was no way I was going to allow a toy weapon in our house. NO WAY! Every time we were outside, or playing...guess what he did. He made a gun out of a stick, a gun out of his fingers, etc. You can't stop them from playing, role playing and they can make anything into a gun...and yes, being a teacher for twenty years, children do know what guns and weapons are used for. They may not know the difference between real and fake but they know what the intention of pointing a gun at another means.
GUN AND WEAPON SAFETY IS A MUST IN ALL AGES! Walking to school, many of my students come across discarded weapons that have been used throughout the night on the streets. They are shiny and look inviting to young children. We must teach them what to do in this and other weapon related experiences:
If a friend has a weapon
If they see an adult with a weapon etc.
There is also the issue of hunting. Many men in families bond and spend special family times while walking through the woods hunting, etc. They take their children to hunter safety classes and spend a lot of quality time with them teaching them how to use weapons safely...if there is such a thing.
Police Officers: what mother is not proud of her child when they grow up and say that they want to be a police officer to serve and protect those in need. They use weapons as a means of protection and only when necessary.
So many topics within this one question.... considering the socioeconomic background.....etc etc.
Schools need to enforce it and enforce it strongly...no tolerance..doesn't matter if it is a squirt gun or not.... they know right from the first day of school what will happen if a weapon or a pretend weapon is brought to school.

Answer 3

My son has played with toy guns since he was 3 years old. He knows the difference between real and fake. He is now 10 years old and I am buying him a bb gun for his birthday (He will be 11 in 2 months.) He will only be allowed to have the bb's when we go to his cousins house, they live out on 20 acres and hunt all the time. I don't see the harm in kids playing with toy guns.

Answer 4

I don't allow my children to play with any violent toys either. I think it promotes violence in children and well with today's society and laws, the kids are already out of hand. I know I get a lot of grief over it, my own husband thinks ours should be allowed to have them, but he doesn't argue it (anymore), I finally got my way. In regards to the news article. I do think 10 days is a bit extreme for a 6 yr old. Yes he should be in trouble but at 6 do they really understand why they can't have that toy, especially when show and tell days make you bring a toy, he probably just didn't understand why you can't have toy weapons at school. I do also know that it's "normal" for boys to have toy weapons. How can they play army men or cowboys and indians without them? For me, it's easy, I have girls and don't have to worry about making them feel bad because they can't play the violent toy games.

Answer 5

Yes. (With an explanation) My son is elven years old and is a very good child, friendly caring and intelligent. He has played with toy guns, rubber knives and such for years. I believe to not expose children to such things is a hazard to their development. These things are, in my opinion, the perfect learning toys for later on in life. Myself and my spouse use these toys to teach the dangers of real weapons to our son so that in the future if he exposed to the real thing he will know not to play with them. We teach him that real guns are dangerous and we teach him the difference between the to so that he will know the difference when the time comes. We have showed him real weapons and let him hold them(Unloaded we are not stupid). he knows that if he is at a friends house and a real weapon is brandished that he is too leave right away. That they are not toys and that he or his friends could be seriously hurt. The main thing is that HE knows the difference. I do not own a gun and it is my opinion that firearms should be outlawed among the common population but i am not foolish enough to think that this will ever happen so we have educated our son in the real and fake look of weapons to safe guard him against misshapes. Not to do this is in my opinion asking for disaster. Knowledge is power. Peace.

Answer 6

James Dobson stated in his book "Raising Boys" to realize that especially boys are going to find something to play cowboys and indians with. If it not be a store bought toy it will be a stick or something else. I have two kids (both boys) and although I am a Christian, and I believe in protecting them....I do let them be boys. They each have a little pop gun and the are not allowed to point at anyone, but play with it outside. About the school thing...I just hate that happened. I just try to pay close attention to what they hear and see, and what they take to school. Hope this helps!!!

Answer 7

With all the violence on tv, movies, video games, & public schools, it does seem so silly to equate a "water pistol" with a violent toy. Oh how the times have changed. This great nation of ours is at a crossroads. "We" have deliberately devalued life or a period of time. Our children have been subjected to this culture of death & all we can do is fear the effects of playing with a toy gun. How foolish we must appear to any "intelligent" life forms from afar. BTW, if the school's rules say no toy guns, then NO toy guns. I guess it's the best they can do. Sad :(

Answer 8

I understand the argument--but I think this is just part of the whole political correct thing.

Kids have been playing with this stuff from time immemorial (whether they be weapon replicas or pretend sticks). All the PC efforts you make are not going to change the nature of your kids.

Besides--I own guns. I like to play with them. A bit hypcritcal I think for me to be God Almighty and ban toy ones.

Answer 9

When my 9yr old girl was younger she had a squirt gun I told her to never NEVER point a play gun or real gun at anyone! Her Dad is a hunter so he had a deer head on the wall I told her to shot the deer (without water of course) She had fun but this is the only time I allowed it.

Answer 10

the article is on www.ketv.com

and I hate to say it, but I agree with the situation. My children cannot bring those types of toys to daycare for show and tell! A gun is a gun and it's the lesson they are trying to teach the child. And why the mother didn't know of this rule is beyond me...and if her child is bringing toys to school without her knowing, she needs to pay a little bit more attention to him.

Answer 11

No, you are correct. Children are not able to understand the difference. Any parents that claim their kids do, obviously dont understand the difference and ramifications themselves.

Sadly the world is no longer in the position where chldren can innocently play cowboys and indians like they could 40 years ago. There is so much violence directly affecting children that parents need to show them by restricting weapon play. More parents should.