on point one: you're right. you can't tell from far away what's a toy; parris manufacturing makes incredible replicas. you could probably tell if a child is in play and when somebody is being a serious threat. i hope our fine policefolks can try and suss that out before they would cap a tween. this kid was obvy in the wrong and if you act a fool like that you may get capped. good modern life lesson. you really can't be doing that. that goes for /anybody/ not just children.

on the second point: of course you wave it around. that's how you play guns. it's such a ubiquitous kids game. take the gun away and they'll wave around sticks and hot dogs...as guns. now that we're all on hair triggers about this kind of thing, i really, really want to hope someone would be trained in how to tell the difference between play and a threatening situation.

when we start danger flagging things like finger guns (there's a case where a child was suspended for his shooter mcgavins) it sets up this confusing dichotomy where the innocuous thing will get you suspended but you go home and the real thing that can kill people is suddenly 'no big deal' 'doesn't need regulation' 'we all have a god given right to' and your GTA V.

toy guns? "not ok. it may turn you into a monster or get you shot by people who protect and serve you"
finger guns? "jesus christ! you may be a psychopath!!!"
violent video games? "sure! simulated violence is totally not something the military does and being rewarded for wantonly killing prostitutes and civilians won't affect you at all"
real gun? "GOD GAVE US THESE GUNS WE NEED 'EM TO PROTECT OURSELVES AND OUR PROPERTY THEY CAN'T JUST COME AND TAKE OUR GUNS"

that's where the danger lies. remember how the self-esteem movement fucked up we millennials? what kind of generation are we growing where their playthings are perceived as more dangerous than the real thing.

When I was pregnant with my son I said I would never let him have toy guns. Little by little I let them creep into our home. First as water guns, then as nerf guns. Then as more real looking guns. Ok I own this one as a bad parent. To be honest he is 13 now and has no interest in them anymore. When he did I did not let him take any realistic looking ones outside.I also made it very clear to him about police and what could happen if he had a toy gun. That they might think it was real and if the police approached him while he had a gun in his hand he should say it's a toy and drop it. I was very real with him and told him if the police think you have a real gun they will shoot you.

I agree that kids are stupid - their brains are not done cooking until at least 25

I was never strongly opposed to toy guns for my sons - they never really showed interest except for water guns and Nerf guns. It was none issue because I simply didn't buy them - they never asked, I never had to make it a 'forbidden' thing to them - that usually is the trick to make them HAVE to have something - ban it.

I haven't thought about this in a long time - it just popped into my mind. My Dad had a rifle in the bedroom closet in my parents room. I have no idea why - he wasn't a hunter - it was ever mentioned but it was there and we (my 3 sisters and I) knew about it. I grew up in Queens as an FYI.

My younger sister used to taunt me with that thing - she would point it at me and tell me to climb out onto the roof of our house. No wonder I stopped talking to her this summer - she always was mean to me.


I have a big fear of any kind of gun - I don't want to be around one at all, ever. It gives me anxiety thinking about it right now, my heart is racing as I type. I found out that a friend of mine carries a gun ALL the time - I had to stop hanging around with him because I am so afraid of some sort of incident is going to happen with his gun.

I don't know how people can think that they are immune to becoming a story on the 6 o'clock news when guns are around.

That being said - I don't know how to answer the poll - I have 3 kids in school, I work in a school - I send them and I go everyday thinking we are safe. We also live right near Newtown, CT. You would think I would have a homeschool classroom set up already, I guess I don't think about it everyday - I can't live my life in fear - then the guns win, right?

bingo boingo. i think this is a good bit why we as a national community are in such a struggle with ourselves. post 9/11 fear culture is a problem. putting foam rubber on everything is not the answer.

when sarge came back from baghdad, he was not comfortable anywhere unless he had a weapon. we slept with one locked and loaded on the night stand. i never once felt unsafe. he knew what he was doing. he was trained and experienced.

i can understand how your experience of your sister wagging one in your face has given you different perspective. i imagine had someone tried to run me down in a car, i'd feel a little different on the road.

at the end of the day i think we need to seek a common sense and prudent approach. the wild, wild west is just as fucking dumb as the padded room. we continue to be lead to believe there is nothing in between.

He ever wake up thinking you were the dangerous enemy?

i don't think so. he's an unusually controlled individual. doubtful he would have told me even if he had. we weren't exactly sharing our feelings then.

If I had a hammer,
I'd hammer in the morning
I'd hammer in the evening,
I'd hammer the fuck out of people
All over this land

Here's the thing, I live in Canada where we don't really have close to the number of school shootings down in the states. The amount of school shootings that has happened in Canada ever, is only slightly more than the average per year in the US. So up here I'd say, yes school is worth it.

http://www.keithandthegirl.com/Pictu...aspx?PID=17915

That's some nice belt!

Remember recently the Daily Show did a bit on how Australia cracked down on guns successfully even though a conservative government was in charge? Well we're at it again.

MORE than 1000 guns, including almost 200 shotguns, have been surrendered to WA police since August as part of a firearms amnesty program.