I was just thinking about toy guns...
Some people are very against toy guns because they believe they encourage (and even cause) violence. They believe it will lessen the child's future respect for the deadliness of a real gun and make them more likely to use guns for a wrong purpose if we let them play with toy guns.
Maybe they're right...maybe they're wrong...I don't know.
If playing with a toy gun will have this effect on a future adult...then...this would have to apply to other toys as well, wouldn't it? I think this would help me figure out what I think about the gun issue...
So, what do you think?? Does playing with these highly seriously dangerous things in real life...playing with them as children as toys...make the future adult more likely to misuse the actual real-life version of the toy?
Let's look at some different toys which are very serious and even deadly "real life"...
People die on ATVs a lot...People can kill others with a real ATV just like with a car...Does having a toy like this lead to irresponsible use of an ATV by the future adult?
People die on horses. Will use of this toy as a child lead to someone who behaves irresponsibly around a real horse? Will the future adult approach a real horse from the rear? Will the future adult be more likely to abuse or misuse a horse because they played with a plastic one?
Trains are deadly serious in real life.
Will a child who played with a toy train grow up to text while driving a train or some other irresponsible act? Will they purposely drive into cars on the track because of their experiences with this toy?
This is a highly specialized piece of destruction equipment in real life! Definitely something to be taken seriously!!!
My own husband was killed in 1998 by someone making a mistake while driving one of these. These, I can assure you, are quite deadly.
World Trade Center. Deadly weapons for sure in real life. Could the world trade center terrorists have been led to that act by playing with toy planes as children?
People are burned and injured by these things all the time!!! And, a lot of people have one of these (real ones) in their homes!!!
Something else not to be taken lightly! Gasoline! A lawn mower? Both, if improperly used, can maim and kill. And, I for one can tell ya I've seen someone burned alive with gasoline (July 2007 in Guatemala).
Gasoline is a deadly weapon and usually available in everyone's homes.
Did the deadly mob in Guatemala douse that man with gas because they had played with toy gas cans as children?
Sharks. Deadly. Not to be played with! Does playing with this lessen a child's respect or fear of the real thing? Does it make the adult more likely to behave irresponsibly around a real shark?
Wolves. Deadly. Not to be toyed with. Does playing with a toy wolf make a child more likely to grow up and play with wolves?
Poisonous snakes kill people. Not something to take lightly. Does playing with a toy snake make a child more likely to grow up to be careless around or play with a poisonous snake?
How about these? Have ya ever watched a little kid play with these? Crashing! Flying! All kinds of crazy ridiculousness gets done with toy cars. How about these? Does playing with these lead to kids who drive violently and irresponsibly?
Do any of those toys make it more likely that the future adult will misuse, abuse, or be careless with the real-life versions of the toys?
No?
Just these below then?
Just guns?
OK.
I'm not saying nothing we do with our kids matters...and I'm not even "pro-gun" per se. Guns scare me. I don't want one. But, I believe that the whole anti-guns thing is a bandwagon...a trendy thing...and nothing more.
I say free your mind.
Stay off of bandwagons.
