Toy guns teach kids unsafe gun handling?

[cannonfire]

Do you think that kids playing with toy guns lead to unsafe gun handling? Just a question we discussed at work today. Good education in gun handling is key, but kids are kids and you can tell them one thing but if they doing the opposite with toys, do you think they will pay attention to the real thing?

Just a question

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

Nope.

Generations of kids have grown up playing "war" and "cowboys and indians". Toy guns don't make them unsafe. Failure to educate makes them unsafe.

My 4 year old son has toy dart guns that we shoot at each other all the time but every time we talk about real guns I make him tell me the rules of safe gun handling. He knows the difference.

 

[musher]

The theory that playing with toy guns leads to unsafe handling of real guns underestimates the ability of children to handle the complexity of the world around them.

Kids are pretty much programmed for learning complex rule sets.

 

[arcticap]

It depends on whether the gun actually fires projectiles that are capable of doing any harm or not.
If they're only "play acting" with a non-firing gun then it's not unsafe and they're not learning unsafe practices.
But if the gun actually fires a projectile that for instance can damage an eye, then by firing it at other people they do become desensitized to unsafe practices by virtue of them doing an unsafe activity without any forethought.
If they're paint ball guns and they're wearing the proper equipment then that's a sport and safety isn't being neglected as long as they otherwise follow safety rules once the war game is over.
It's sort of the same as with letting young kids watch violent TV & movies. When they know & realize that the things that they watch in movies and on TV are not real and only staged, then it's not harmful for them to watch violent shows. They basically need to be able to differentiate between what's fake and what's real.
If the child doesn't know the difference then they aren't ready to be trusted with projectile firing "toy" guns.
Maybe they need training and/or time to mature enough to know the difference when playing with those firing toys. Shoot targets but not each other if eye damage can occur at close range.
But non-firing toys don't have much if anything to do with the real thing.
BB guns are not toys, but laser tag guns, cap guns and other purely toy noise making guns are just toys. As long they're not putting cap guns up to anyone's ears or eyes then they're okay and adult supervision and oversight for responsible use can be required to insure that.
I basically let my son point and shoot cap guns at anything he wanted to in a hunting fashion. This led him to be eager to want to learn to shoot real guns at a young age which he responded to very responsibly.

 

[Blue Devil]

No, I don't think toy guns impact handling of real guns. I think the best way to teach gun safety is to actually teach gun safety and teaching young kids to shoot. My son has been shooting since he was 6. There is no mystery about guns for him to explore. He's fully aware of the devastating effect a gun can have on a target. While I'm still extremely careful with my guns, I'd be very surprised if he touched a gun while not in my prescence let alone mishandle it.

 

[EricReynolds]

I have to agree with Pete here. Kids know the difference between toy guns and the real thing. My son is only 4 (a future TFL member) and he's crazy, but he has a few years before he gets to go with his old man to the range. When he's ready, I'll teach him we're notplaying cops and robbers. I don't think it teaches unsafe gun handling anymore than bumper cars teach kids to be bad drivers. I'll teach him how to drive safely when he's ready too.

 

[JohnKSa]

One of the main points of safe gun handling practices that is often overlooked is that it's not exclusively about being safe in the present. Consistently adhering to the gun safety rules teaches habits that will insure safety in the future--even if concentration lapses momentarily.

The idea is that by doing it right EVERY time you become conditioned to do it right automatically even that one time when you're really tired from the problems at work and you're thinking about what the doctor said to your dad and trying to pay attention to what your wife is telling you...

In other words, it's not just about UNDERSTANDING. I agree that kids understand the difference between toy guns and real guns, but understanding is only part of it. It's just as important to PRACTICE safe handling each and every time you're dealing with guns/airguns/toy guns so that you don't teach yourself bad habits and unlearn good habits.

I find myself picking up my cordless drill with my finger safely off the trigger and I even point it in a "safe direction" without having to think about it. On the one hand it's kind of silly to handle a non-gun that way, but on the other hand it's very comforting to be able to observe that my autopilot is programmed for safety. Not that I PLAN to rely on autopilot, but I realize that there may come a day when that is what saves me or someone else.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

It's something I've thought about quite a bit.

I was raised around guns, not in my home, but by my grandfather. We had cap pistols, toy guns, and all that from as long as I can remember.

We had no real guns in our home as a child, my father wasn't raised around guns and hunting, and spent a tour in Vietnam. He wasn't interested in guns or shooting, though I later found out he was a very good shot. Sort of the "I said I didn't have any use for guns, I didn't say I didn't know how to use them" sort of guy.

My grandfather taught me to shoot, I was pouring lead for 9mm and loading them in a Lee Loader for his old Luger P08 at nine years old. He taught me gun safety, and his rule was if I could take it apart, clean it, and put it back together, then I could shoot it all I wanted.

Fast forward a few years, and I wanted to start hunting. My dad taught me to drive on the way to and from the club, and I now suspect that he never loaded a round in his rifle. I asked once "Did you shoot anyone in Vietnam", he just replied "Son, we just did what we had to do and I hope you never have to do it".

Sorry for the rambling, but teach your kids what are toys and what aren't, cap guns and laser pistols are one thing, but when they graduate to BB guns, that's another story.

I remember an epic butt warming for shooting a bird of some sort with my Red Ryder, my dad impressed on me right then that if I shot it, then it needed to be used for food. To this day, if I shoot a coyote or whatever, it makes my butt tingle if I just let it lie. (Which I avoid, but sometimes it has to be done)

Anyhow, teach 'em right, and they'll impress you...

 

[chris in va]

Do you think that kids playing with toy guns lead to unsafe gun handling?

From my personal experience with kids, yes. I no longer volunteer to teach kids how to shoot firearms.

 

[Ben Towe]

Chris in VA, that isn't exactly helping the future generations.

 

[Sport45]

If toy guns lead to unsafe practices then they should outlaw bumper cars at the carnivals for teaching unsafe driving practices or pie-eating contests for teaching unhealthy dietary practice.

Kids are kids. We played war, cops and robbers, monopoly, agent 007, and scores of other games that differ greatly from real life. As they grow, children learn the difference between games and reality. It's called maturing.

 

[BlueTrain]

I'm not sure what I think about it. My son never played with toy guns but still joined the army and went to Iraq (1st Armored Division). Even now he has no interest in firearms. Tanks, yes, but not firearms.

Elmer Keith was the only old time gunwriter that I can think of that ever mentioned it and he was against toy guns--and bowhunting.

 

[CajunBass]

I grew up in the era when every boy in the neighborhood and most of the girls for that matter played with toy guns.

We also had real guns to use for hunting and plinking. Believe it or not, we managed to know the difference.

So did my boys years later. My grandsons do also.

 

[nathaniel]

I grew up playing with toy guns and "violent" video games. I havent shot up a school or killed anyone. Its all about teaching them the difference between playing and real life. When I say its the parents fault for the kids shooting up the school, it kinda is because they havent taught them anything about guns or gun handling. The video with the kid and the "aka" comes to mind right away.

 

[silvercorvette]

It comes up a lot on gun forums, I grew up shooting at my friends with toy guns and wound up getting a real shotgun at about 12 to 14 years old. My friends and I never got confused what was real and what was a toy. I think if a kid can't figure out what is real and what is fake they should never own a gun.

 

[madmo44mag]

I have to agree with many of the above statements.
Kids are a lot smarter than we adults give them credit for.
I also believe kids today are overall smarter than kids of my generation due to exposure to more things in general.
My grand kids were born and raised in a gun friendly environment. My oldest daughter is an LEO and my youngest daughter is married to an active Marine, so guns are a tool of the trade so to speak. With that said; my 2 ½ year grandson will tell you guns are not toys and to watch him handle his toy guns you can tell he has been schooled because he never points the barrel at anyone except imaginary targets.
This just proves to me kids are smarter than we think and teaching gun safety at an early age does pay off.

 

[EdInk]

Real vs. Pretend.

 

[shafter]

As long as the children are taught the difference between toys and the real thing there is no problem. I've probably shot millions of indians and outlaws as a kid but I've yet to point a loaded firearm at anyone. The problem is that these days no one is willing to teach a kid how to be responsible with a real firearm.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

I also believe kids today are overall smarter than kids of my generation due to exposure to more things in general.

In general,

They "know" more... but they lack common sense, which only comes from teaching them how to apply what they know. The result is that they appear to know less because they do things that people with less knowledge and more common sense would not do.

Examples like your grandkids are the exception rather than the norm, in America "whole". The come from the few remaining examples (as a percentage) of parents who take responsibility for their own and their children's actions.

 

[Gbro]

When a juvenile takes a gun to school the news media will look for someone in the neighborhood to say they saw him playing with guns and make it sound like that is what caused this shooting to happen.
Why the kid had terrible parents that allowed johnny to play with guns! :barf::barf: