Do you believe the theory that kids who play with toy guns on a regular basis are more apt to grow up?

Question

Do you believe the theory that kids who play with toy guns on a regular basis are more apt to grow up and become violent than the children who have not been allowed to play with toy guns? Please explain your answer.

Answer 1

I would say that children are not more likely to be violent because they play with guns. Children would have to be taught that guns only equal violence for that to happen. If you live in a gun owning family responsible ownership would have to be emphasized. This could show that guns can be used for sport, such as target shooting, defense as by police officers and soldiers, and for hunting as an additional sport (I do not own a gun or use one for any of the three listed above). Even if you causually play with nerf guns, cap guns, etc... it does not make you prone to violence. If a child is taught responsibility and has a clear distinction between reality and play then it can be a safe toy.

Answer 2

i dont think so but my mom never let me play with toy guns when i was small so obviously she believed that theory

Answer 3

I don't believe that lie. I live in a very peaceful city of about 20,000 where guns are a part of everyday life. We have not had a murder in over 2 years, they are really rare, yet all kids around here learn to use guns at a very young age. They also play with toy guns and bb guns all of the time.

Answer 4

Even though many people deny it, I believe that it does have a small effect on the child. Since they are still young, their mind basically absorbs whatever they do, and if the continually play with these toy guns, they grow to like them, which leads to real guns and violence. However, many children have more self control and can be responsible for their actions, but some kids can't, and those just might be the ones who shoot others because of hate, thinking it's alright.

Well i hope i answered your question well.

Answer 5

Not at all. In fact, most kids who grew up in the fifties and sixties had toy rifles, pistols or machine guns. Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Roy Rogers, The Combat TV series were all part of my childhood fantasies. We all played cowboys and Indians and war games. None of my neighborhood friends have EVER committed a violent crime of any kind. There is far more violence in video games than on TV when we were kids. I believe that parenting is the crux of the problem, not what kids play with. It may be more HOW they play with toys that indicates possible behavior problems in the future, than which toys they choose. Ripping the heads off of another child's doll is far more worrisome than "Bang your dead"!