In spite of peer pressure and TV marketing, and at the risk of disappointing your children, we strongly urge parents not to buy toy guns. Every toy we give our children carries the message that we approve of that toy.
Kids play with toys, at least in part, to rehearse for real life.
As they play store, house, school, and firefighter, they're trying on roles and practicing being an adult by using the tools that adults use. Every year, kids are killed by real guns they thought were toys. And police officers have mistaken toy guns for real weapons. Whether they have toy weapons or not, children have always played at games involving violent deaths. Such dramatic play is exciting and provides kids with opportunities to feel powerful and invincible.