Do your children have toy weapons?

[MrsFabuloso]

Thanks for the perspectives everyone! You all have some interesting points. I have skimmed everyone's responses, but will have to read through properly at a different time though, but thanks!

[Nai]

I have 2 girls and they have light sabres made from pool noodles and they do Jedi "fighting" complete with "zwooom" noises. They hit sabres but not each other - they know that's not allowed. They aren't interested in guns but do have water squirters that come out in summer which I don't have a problem with. I think if it's part of imaginative or active play then I don't have as much of a problem with it as I would if it was "aggressive" type play that has the intent as a PP referred to.

[raffy]

I am anti gun and DH has respected that despite disagreeing with it, ds1 was given a light saber for his birthday and the other day he was playing with it and said 'ds2 I'm going to kill you' I got down on his level and explained as best I could why we don't say that!

[black_rose]

I hate guns too but it's how kids play it's not violence it's imaginative play we never have toy guns or swords but they use the fingers or sticks this includes my girls. The last year we got NErf guns and they just think it's hilarious to get mum but we talk about how real guns would be dangerous. We also got water squirters and soakers last time we went camping and we talked about when using them it had to be ok with the the people you play with to get wet never to run up and just 'shoot' someone.

[littlelara]

I always said no, but dp made me feel silly and came home with a plastic sword. Until. Dd whacked her little brother with it when she was 5. I chastised her saying "you could have really hurt him" and she looked at me like I was crazy and said "yes, that's what they're for". Vindicated i felt, in to the bin it went, I couldn't have made the point better if I'd tried

[Ginger]

My kids have nerf guns, water guns etc and they love them. Water pistols are awesome fun on hot days.

[Kazzo]

I do not like toy guns/knifes that are made to look real. I watched my then 5 year old nephew play with a toy pistol and it unnerved me because it looked real and he was actually going around trying to shot people. My girls ignored him. They even picked up his toy riffle and asked me why the sweeper was broken

We have rifles. DH and I both have our firearms license. All of them are in stored securely. The girls have never actually even seen them though as we will not get them out in front of them. They are to young.

I don't have any issue with Nerf of supersoakers though and don't see them as weapons. If these were given as gifts then fine with me. If someone was to give any one of my kids a toy weapon though I would have no issue telling them that we wont be keeping it and giving them the option of taking it back.