You can take my Nerf gun when you can pry it from my cold dead hands.

I have an 8 year old son, who as a toddler loved to play kitchens, his favourite colour was pink, and was even known to wear a fairy dress on occaision (I know this isn't looking good!).

However it became clear when he was about 5 years old, that his dally with the stereotypical behaviour of the fairer sex was over.

Stick,
Lego,
Newspaper,
Twig,
Bannana, anything remotely oblong in shape became a gun, despite never having been encouraged once to play guns, as I didn't think they were appropriate to play with.

So naturally I relented, having realised some Y chromosome component had switched on.

And yes even today, various plant life on the way home from school became the ultimate hand weapon of mass destruction.

But nevermind, I guess all I'm tryng to say is, I believe there to be some instinct for boys in particular to gravitate towards guns, and actually I don't think it hurts them either, after all, children learn from play, and being able to explore scary concepts within the parameters of a secure environment, is very likely to afford children a respect for weaponry, which facilitates an understanding as an adult, that they really wouldn't want to stand there with a real gun in a real adult situation. Of course there are alway's exceptions to this, as not all children/adults are stable, but I believe you run a bigger risk of glamourising a gun, and gravitating someone towards one, if the concept has always been taboo. We all know what curiosity did to the cat.

Side note : I know girls like guns too, my daughter is always trying to shoot her brother, for winding her up ! (nerf gun only ).

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by beezzer

 

They'd probably confiscate my Zombie Survival kit loadout...

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/43b83a851a09.jpg[/atsimg]

OMG! That's my sons!!!!!
(of course, much to the irritation of my wife, I had to buy two so I could "fight" back )

My Dad took me to the range with a Smith and Wesson and a Beretta. Wish I'd kept the targets. I was a wee bit older though, like married with children, but...

I use to have tons of nerf guns, I am not
a gun freak, I do not even own a gun.
This is the dumbest buy back spending
TAX PAYERS MONEY on stupid things.
In Orlando they hold a kicks for guns, if
you turn in a gun you get a pair of nikes!!
This should be illegal and anyone turning
a gun in is a moron..

When I was pregnant with my oldest, I had a list a mile of thing I would or wouldn't do as a parent, including not letting my kids play with toy guns. Then he was born and reality sunk in and I figured out what parenting was really about, and banning a boy from being a boy because of .00001% chance he might end up being careless with real guns, isn't it. He has had all kinds of different toy guns since then. A few weeks ago when we were at a sporting goods store, picking out a new knife for him (he is exceptionally responsible, and kids have to have their survival knives to you know) I asked him if he was interested in an air soft gun. He just shrugged and said, nah, maybe when I am older. What a real gun nut I raised letting him play with all those toy guns.

Originally posted by ThirdEyeofHorus
My Dad took me to the range with a Smith and Wesson and a Beretta. Wish I'd kept the targets.

Quick story, my son and I came back from the range one day. A friend of my wife (lib-prog) was over.

She sneered and asked where we were.

My son came running up, showed her the targets and said "Center Mass! I got center mass!"
(at 30 yards, I proudly say)

She left soon afterwards.

For Christmas my little soldier is getting the Nerf Recon, which can be reconfigured into no less than "5" different guns, and a bondollier (think I spelt it right ?).

Oh and a copy of Stargate, to inspire some RA target practice !

But Shhhh, nobody tell him

reply to post by solargeddon


You may find this interesting

Boys Need to Kill Things; Let Them

Originally posted by calstorm
Originally posted by solargeddon
Thnk you both for those awesome stories.

reply to post by beezzer


Then they'd be really afraid of 11, 12 year olds in the woods with rifles deer hunting season... Too funny, my eleven year old is taking her firearms safety training class this Fall. Yep, you can be eleven years old and hunt with a parent. Gotta love the good 'ol USA....at least I do.

S & F

reply to post by queenofsheba
Being stationed in Germany, the rule of the range is minimum age 14.
I had to promise that he (my 8 year old) could shoot again when we went state-side.

Every Halloween I whip out old Bessy here. Trick or Treat my left foot! They're after my booze!

I catch the little buggers out in the open coming across the lawn. They can't maneuver much all weighted down with candies. They drop like flies. Next day I have all the candy, plastic pumpkin buckets and wigs I can handle and then some...

RATA TAT TAT TAT....

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/bcca3bd970d7.jpg[/atsimg]

First fact: People have become desensitized to violence.(This one is just the warmup. It's not really on topic)

Second fact: There have been numerous studies that show people are more afraid when they are confronted with a knife carrying assailant, versus a gun equipped one.
This second fact suggests that we have in fact become desensitized to the effects of a very dangerous object.

Third fact: No one is forcing kids to stop playing with their Nerf guns. This is a voluntary program, and it is up to the parents to decide.
Stop blowing these types of stories out of proportion...
People on this website are getting worse than the mainstream media.

reply to post by Skewed


Thanks for that, very interesting article.

Thank you for sharing

yeah they would rather them be playing with barbies

too many people today trying to be parents of other peoples children when they have no right.

i say we all start out anti stupid group and end stupidity in this country

ok like that will ever get done

Originally posted by Ghost375
First fact: People have become desensitized to violence.(This one is just the warmup. It's not really on topic)

Second fact: There have been numerous studies that show people are more afraid when they are confronted with a knife carrying assailant, versus a gun equipped one.
This second fact suggests that we have in fact become desensitized to the effects of a very dangerous object.

Third fact: No one is forcing kids to stop playing with their Nerf guns. This is a voluntary program, and it is up to the parents to decide.
Stop blowing these types of stories out of proportion...
People on this website are getting worse than the mainstream media.

I refer back to a previous post. They are trying to raise a generation that will gladly give up the 2nd Ammendment.

If you like, I'd be willing to debate these studies. Links?

Originally posted by Skewed
Breaking News........

An eight year old boy was arrested and jailed for having an illegal cache of arms.

Arms Cache

I can't believe any responsible parent would let their child have that many automatic ak-47 assault rifle machine guns.

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by beezzer

 

They'd probably confiscate my Zombie Survival kit loadout...

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/43b83a851a09.jpg[/atsimg]

" Why You....You could put some ones eye out!!!!!

Originally posted by Oaktree

I can't believe any responsible parent would let their child have that many automatic ak-47 assault rifle machine guns.

2 words.
Zombie Apocalypse.

Nerf Guns are also banned from the college campus I was just at. Evidently a group was playing a variant of assassins and was a recognized activity group. Someone though saw the nerf guns and thought they were real guns (insert facepalm emote here...they really need to make one) and then threw a fit and got them banned when they went to the Faculty Senate or a similar group. We had them in our office and used them to take our minds off of the tons of paperwork and grading we had to do along with all of the other stress, but that stopped almost instantly and we were all a lot more grumpy for it.

Nerf gun bans...talk about morons.