Toy guns - OK or not??

[ladybird11]

As the title implies, I'm wondering what people think about whether its ok (in their household) for kids to play with toy guns.

My DD walked up to me with a bright orange toy gun an hour ago while I was cooking dinner (I seriously have no idea where it came from, I've never seen it before , but thats another story )...And I started thinking 'hmmm, not sure if I'm ok with her playing with toy guns, no matter how fake it appears'.

So do you let your kids play with toy guns - is it harmless fun or could it lead to something more sinister??

[Astrolady]

We do not allow toy guns in our household. But being kids they will make play guns out of anything including their own hands and fingers.

[Phteven]

I don't see the need to buy toy guns - they can make a gun out of a stick or their fingers if they want to play a gun game. That said I'm all for water pistols on a hot day.
Same with swords and light sabres, they can make their own if they want them.

[Floweryfields]

Personally I don't like them and my children won't have guns.

[Feijoa Mum]

I dont allow guns in my house either. Despite my protests my family still used to buy water guns and would call me mean when I confiscated them. I just think that of all the toys there are for them to play with why does it have to be a gun?
In saying that though boys being boys I guess, once mine hit a certain age the lego became a great gun making tool much to my dismay.

[BellyBelly]

We don't have them here either, and never will.

[boomba]

Nope no guns here...but DS1 has pretended wiht his hands??? No idea where it came from ?

[Lulu]

I won't have it either but I WILL have water pistols - much fun-ness!
But they can and do make guns out of anything...

[ladybird11]

Yes, I'm certainly not comfortable with them either - DH thinks I'm over reacting- but I have 'hidden' the toy gun - in the bottom of the rubbish bin , no one will miss it there!

[Phteven]

Speak of the devil.... Yasin is busy right now shooting his brother with a pair of trouser hangers.
TBH I've retty much reached a point where I barely see the need for toys. We left Australia with about 4 trains and a colouring book. Since then they've picked up 3 cars, a plush reindeer, some snow 'shovels' and some lego. They're just as happy with this tiny collection as they were with their boxes of toys in Australia and their imagination is getting a pretty good workout (Yasin has decided against shooting Imran because he's just a baby elephant and decided to protect him from poachers instead- wtf?!)

[Queen]

I am not a fan.