We played Army all the time when I was a kid and we grew up not shooting each other for real. I think the toy guns made us appreciate what a real one could do. Now, kids gave real ones and don't appreciate not wanting to be on the business end until it's too late.
Hell, in the late 60's we had show & tell at school and one of my classmates brought his quite impressive NAZI guns and flags to show which his veteran Dad had collected during the war.
We only had fist fights in school back then. No one even bothered to use their pocketknives. Imagine that!
My brothers and I played cowboys and Indians with our six-shooters, decked out in our cowboy/girl attire.