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We have a friend who was adamant about not letting her two boys play with toy guns. One day they were eating sandwiches for lunch, and one of the boys ate his, starting from the corner....

And, of course, the sandwich became a gun -- and soon both boys were shooting at each other across the table with their bologna 9mm pistols....

LOL!!! That's boys for ya.

"And, of course, the sandwich became a gun -- and soon both boys were shooting at each other across the table with their bologna 9mm pistols....

LOL!!! That's boys for ya."

The LA Times ran an article by an upset mommie who forbade "violent" toys to her sons and was full of angst because they fabricated guns out of sticks and played shoot-em-up.

This was about the time Patsy Schroeder was working over the military. I wrote a letter to the Times which they surprisingly printed:

"Mrs. Smith is anxious because she cannot turn little boys into little girls; meanwhile Patsy Schroeder and her pals are trying to turn women into men."

--Boris

There is no pigggier man than I--but I never let my son or daughter play with toy guns. Toys are toys; guns are guns. Guns are not toys. My children were taught to use and respect firearms from when they were little. They were also taught that there is no room for error when it comes to firearm safety and handling. It's never good enough to say after a tragic accident, "I'm sorry."

I was very proud of my son when we went to Disney World when he was around 10. We were in the gift shop by the OLD Pirates of the Caribbean ride (you know, when pirates still chased wenches and they still sold replica muzzleloaders as souvenirs). My son was holding a toy flintlock when a woman went walking by him. He reflexively raised the muzzle of that fake gun so the muzzle wouldn't point at the woman. He didn't even realize he'd done it, but he'd been taught never to point a gun at a person--unless you need to kill that person, of course. I'm sure if Saddam ever got within 300 yards of my son and his .270, Uday and Qusay would be reunited with their monstrous sire posthaste.

By the way, although I always encouraged my daughter to shoot and hunt, she just never took to it. OhMike

Yes, my mother refused to let me have a toy gun as a child. I now have an arsenal of guns. She thought she would teach me how to be a man. Even as a small child I knew that was ridiculous. Fortunately I was smart enough to pay no attention to her.