Another toy gun story

I took my son for a Doctors visit years ago, he had to be around 8 years old at the time.

The Doctor asked him if there were any guns at home? My son looked at me, I looked at the Doc and said not as far as either one of you know.

Too many people can't mind their own business.
Years ago, when the latest version of the Presidential limo was unveiled for use by Obama, Secret Service answered a few paparazzi questions. One reporter got too inquisitive and a SS agent told him that they do not discuss such matters. End of subject. Jill and I do the same thing and taught our daughters not to discuss gun ownership or other security matters outside of our home. None of the doctor's business!
 
Both my kids were shooting real guns at that age.
Yup. Water, Nerf, BB, .22, then everything else. Sometimes, still water/nerf/BB also.


I miss the old days, when every single boy on the block and probably the entire US had at least a set of toy pistols and a toy rifle under the tree every xmas. And then they’d all run around the house or neighborhood shooting every person in sight, and they’d all play along with him as he roamed off somewhere else looking for potential cowboy outlaws, Indians or bank robbers that needed killin.
Jesus we’ve fallen a long way in a very short time.
Don't forget shooting Japs and Krauts. WWII influences lasted at least until Viet Nam.


I had to explain to my 8 year old to NEVER talk about guns to his friends and think it is cool because if they tell their parents, there will be no more play dates because most people are terrified of guns. This was pre-lockdown of course. There was a proud Dad moment where he said, "guns don't magically shoot people on its own!"

At the moment, he can care less about dad's "stuff" however if someone asks, he can tell you exactly how to safely handle a firearm. Me and the wife made sure gun safety was drilled into him VERY early.

If some cop felt the need to lecture us about how to raise our kid, the conversation would not go well.
So many of the kids friends' parents talk about or have guns. I've offered to take them to the range. I was thinking of doing a Women On Target for my daughter's dance class, but they are too young. Maybe for the moms (dance teacher is married to a statie).
 
I never bought any of my kids toy guns. Even 30+ years ago there were reports of kids playing and winding up on the wrong end of an interaction with trigger-happy police.

Instead, I bought them real guns and taught them how to shoot, and how to respect guns and the basic rules of gun safety, from a very early age.
 
I get the teacher talking to the parents. That's how modern teachers are.

But the cop??? Seriously????

"Can I talk to you outside?"

"What about?"

"We got a call from your son's teacher that he had a toy gun on the desk during his Zoom class."

"And?"

"I'd like to talk to you about it."

"OK, this goes 2 ways: First - you want to know where to get one for YOUR son. Or. . . . F off."

Gosh. I'm Mr. Polite to everyone. But I'd lose my mind on that one. Especially in relatively-rural (granted hASSisburg is not a conservative haven, it is in the middle of freaking nowhere) Penny-sylvania.



And I was shooting Japs and Krauts (Germs, Nips, gosh, we knew all those terms from my grandfathers) well into the late 1970's. Hell, there were more reruns of Hogan's Heroes on at that time than any other program.
 
My 9 year old has an airsoft thst looks like an AR-15.
He and his brothers also had me paint their nerf dart guns to look like sniper rifles (they were all orange and bright green). I did leave about 3/4" orange on the barrel tips tho.
 
My kiddo has had his LTC-toy for years.



I’ve explained to him that “not everyone likes guns” and the toys are my litmus test for when he is ready to know dad owns “grand dad’s old .22” or a shotgun for hunting. He’s recently graduated to the BB gun in the backyard. Once the ranges reopen it will be his choice if he wants to go shooting for realz. Even still, he needs to prove to me he can keep his yap shut first and foremost. Worse than a toy in the background on a Zoom call is him blabbering about real guns in the house.

1. demonstrate you can keep your mouth shut.

2.,demonstrate you can handle them responsibly (under supervision)

3. demonstrate interest

In my house, we’re just not fully there yet. So I’m good with him still being a kid for now...

My take on what kids start telling everyone about guns in the house and my daddy has (whatever) is this................................... If there are guns in the house and your kids see them and know they are there from the day they are born, they never become something to talk about, They are just something in the house like kitchen knives or the TV set.
My granddaughter has seen my guns from day one and has never touched one. If I go in the gunroom she comes in. says "Grampa you have a lot of stuff" and hangs around with me, but never touches anything. I even asked her one day what she should do if she saw one laying out and she said" leave it alone. "
I never told her that so it must have been her dad. He's a cop and has them at his house too. She pays no attention to them. I have some other Grandchildren and they Don't know I have any, because 2 are older when I got married and live in Mass, but are also half brainwashed. I'm going to fix that. The other 4 are still too young. My grandaughter also just comes over a lot more than the others.
 
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