How careful should I be about toy guns?

[cakeshooter]

My kids have a couple of ugly bright orange cap guns.

My 6 year old's birthday is coming up and he wants new cap guns but more real looking. I'm looking on Amazon and finding a few nice ones...

http://www.amazon.com/AutoCap-Auto-A...407271&sr=8-12

http://www.amazon.com/Imperial-Toy-2...1407350&sr=8-2

Regardless of the orange tips.... is this the kind of toy that might get him shot by a police or turned in by nosy neighbors? Should I just get more bright orange plastic ones?

[codename]

Not if he is taught how to handle a firearm (regardless of if it is a cap gun or a real one). I'm not making any assumptions, just saying teaching the basics early should keep him out of trouble. I wish I was taught the basics early in life in stead of having an all out ban on guns.

How your neighbors feel is a different story!

[soberbyker]

My kids have a couple of ugly bright orange cap guns.

My 6 year old's birthday is coming up and he wants new cap guns but more real looking. I'm looking on Amazon and finding a few nice ones...

http://www.amazon.com/AutoCap-Auto-Action-Cap-Parris/dp/B000IU6DOE/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1331407271&sr=8-12

http://www.amazon.com/Imperial-Toy-23258-Kansas-Frontier/dp/B000FGKE5A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1331407350&sr=8-2

Regardless of the orange tips.... is this the kind of toy that might get him shot by a police or turned in by nosy neighbors? Should I just get more bright orange plastic ones?

Nosy neighbors will always be busy bodies so you can't tell what they'll do. The times I've heard of cops shooting kids with toy guns the orange tips were removed or painted black.

Man I miss the good ole days, too fucking much PC in this world, orange tips on toy guns weren't needed back then.
.

[cakeshooter]

Man I miss the good ole days, too fucking much PC in this world, orange tips on toy guns weren't needed back then.
.

I know. :-S I actually remember when the orange tips thing started, although as a girl it didn't really affect me, other than hearing it from Peter Jennings, at the time....

Re. gun safety...*technically* in the "good ole' days" you could send your kids out back to play cops and robbers with their cap guns.....its not like you can target practice with them. :-S

[snakeman21]

I know. :-S I actually remember when the orange tips thing started, although as a girl it didn't really affect me, other than hearing it from Peter Jennings, at the time....

Re. gun safety...*technically* in the "good ole' days" you could send your kids out back to play cops and robbers with their cap guns.....its not like you can target practice with them. :-S

Yeah, I never understood why my mother wouldn't let me point my toy guns at my friends... "But Mom, that's how you play with toy guns!"

[Sandcut]

I wouldn't (and don't) worry about it. Most play activity isn't anything that could be even remotely be confused as the real use of a gun contextually. The only thing that I would make sure that you tell your kids is they are only allowed to point the toy guns (yes I said it) at other people who were playing "guns." Explain to them why. Kids are smarter than most people give them credit for. Reinforce that if they see an LEO, that they are NEVER allowed to point the toy gun at them for any reason. They will understand.

Unlike a lot of folks in the "gun culture" I don't reinforce the same rules w/ toy guns as I do w/ real guns. I started to initially, then backed off. Kids need to be able to use their imagination and pretend. Having Jeff Cooper screaming at them subconsciously to keep their "boogerhook off the bang switch" while they are tear-assing around the house at full battle cry is a complete buzzkill. And as I said before, if you explain it properly, MOST kids will understand the difference between how to handle real guns and play guns. Mine do at least. Maybe I'm giving other people's kids too much credit, but I doubt it.

[capitolcop]

If he sneaks the toy gun to school in his lunch/etc. his little ass could be in a jam...so watch out for that one.

[Ranger P229]

Kids are supposed to have and play with toy guns, at least in my opinion. I had wooden guns my grandfather made for me first, then a wooden stocked kid-sized version of a 1903 bolt gun, and finally a bunch of plastic ones.

That being said, its not the same world today. Look for a neighbor to throw a fit about kids playing with "guns".

[mauser]

I wouldn't (and don't) worry about it. Most play activity isn't anything that could be even remotely be confused as the real use of a gun contextually. The only thing that I would make sure that you tell your kids is they are only allowed to point the toy guns (yes I said it) at other people who were playing "guns." Explain to them why. Kids are smarter than most people give them credit for. Reinforce that if they see an LEO, that they are NEVER allowed to point the toy gun at them for any reason. They will understand.

Unlike a lot of folks in the "gun culture" I don't reinforce the same rules w/ toy guns as I do w/ real guns. I started to initially, then backed off. Kids need to be able to use their imagination and pretend. Having Jeff Cooper screaming at them subconsciously to keep their "boogerhook off the bang switch" while they are tear-assing around the house at full battle cry is a complete buzzkill. And as I said before, if you explain it properly, MOST kids will understand the difference between how to handle real guns and play guns. Mine do at least. Maybe I'm giving other people's kids too much credit, but I doubt it.

Regarding the bolded above, I'll take it one step further and say that they should be taught to not point them at anyone who isn't playing the same game with them.
Squirt guns are a prime example, how the hell are you supposed to have fun with them if you don't get each other wet? You have to point them at each other, that's what they're for, but some people don't appreciate getting wet when they're not expecting it.
I think it's safe to say that in today's culture toy guns are looked at very differently that they were a half century ago when I was growing up, people just aren't used to seeing kids running around having fun any more. Combine that with the media and some politicians hatred for guns and you have a society that wants to sue or prosecute for the silliest things and would much rather have toy guns banned altogether. Some people wouldn't wait until they get wet from a squirt, they'd get highly upset just seeing a toy gun in the hands of a kid,.... and then if it were pointed at them??? Holy shit

[csmith]

If he sneaks the toy gun to school in his lunch/etc. his little ass could be in a jam...so watch out for that one.

The way the schools are these days I would expect them to have very little tolerance if something like this happened.

I've been wary of allowing my 3 year old to have any form of toy gun, I'm still trying to make up my mind for myself. I can't get over the feeling that it will contradict everything I have been trying to teach him about firearm safety so far. I certainly had my fair share of toy guns as a kid, I just can't remember what age.