Advice on child rearing from my son.
Everyone should grow up with simulated equipment from a heavy weapons platoon. It gives you a more well rounded education and an appreciation for the finer things in life. -- Sergeant Matthew Vanderboegh, United States Army.
Go here. Watch the video, and read the instructive comments.
My son, at the age of five had:
A full size AK rubber U.S. military training aid, painted like a real one.
Numerous toy pistols, hand grenades, etc.
A tripod mounted M1919A4 replica light machine gun, made by myself from wood and scrap metal. The top cover even opened and closed so you could load a belt of dummy rounds.
A functional look-alike 60mm pyrotechnic mortar made out of scrap pipe and truck parts. It could shoot grout tubes -- empty or full -- with a small charge of flash powder. The neighbors really didn't like that one.
A replica 57mm anti-tank gun complete with muzzle brake, trails, spades, wheels, shield, made from plywood, 2x4s & PVC pipe and an elevation and traverse mechanism made from a defunct table saw.
There wasn't an orange tip in the bunch.
He was the most popular kid in the neighborhood.
26 comments:
When I was a kid the whole neighborhood got to together to play "Red army Blue army" and NO ONE gave it a second thought. We have become a nation of "wimps whiners and weenies".
I made certain that my girls knew the difference between tools and toys (guns being in the first group), but we also went out and shot guns and discussed the consequences of their use. I gave my youngest her first pistol on her 21st birth day.
Dr.D III
I viewed the video and both toys complied with the orange tip law.
Dr.D III
Lucky kid. My son wanted math and physics books, but that paid off too:
https://sites.google.com/site/primenumbertheory/
I was still able to get him to learn the basics of pistols and rifles...
WarriorClass
III
Hell yes!
I think its time to outlaw all the nanny state types, they are a health hazard to the rest of us!
I will always treasure the Luger P08 my grandfather made for me out of scrap from a 2X4.
Your son was a lucky boy. When I was a kid I had to break into Dad's carbide cans or blackpowder for any real fun.
BTW enjoy your blog!
The only thing that bothers me about realistic toy guns is that a kid might find a real gun and not know the difference.
This is all part of re educating people about the dangers of guns. When these social-engineers target children, be afraid, they will turn your own children against you. Tell the government to stay out of our family business. I live by Nancy Reagans famous quote "JUST SAY NO", especially to the government
Had toy soldiers, cap guns, toy rifles and BB guns growing up in Florida. Like the others, we played "war" constantly, mostly Americans against the "Nazis."
There's this little-known thing called "education" that everyone has forgotten nowadays. And that includes the police. If a kid today doesn't know thew difference between a real gun and a toy gun, he has no education, and if he gets into trouble because of that lack, whose fault is it?
As for the cops, if you're walking the streets with your favorite 9-iron because of the local pit bulls, you may just be shot by the gun-happy LEOs who can't see past the nose on their face. Beware!
Hey Tavarisch, TEACH 'EM !!!
Our kids knew the difference by the time they were 4 ! if they were not sure....IT WAS REAL ! untill an adult verified it.
my oldest daughter won her first turkey shoot at age nine, shooting against grown men (all commers !),
and each of the three daughters got a Colt 1911 and sent to combat
pistol school upon graduation from high school. TEACH 'EM !!!
(or pay th' consequinces...)
bassett III
I will take the bait and prepare to be flamed for my comments. Here goes.
I never bought any "toy guns" for my children. I believed it sent confusing messages to them. Guns are not toys nor should they be treated as such. Funny though, our son and his friends would find other substitutes like sticks to point at each other when playing army games.
On the other hand, I taught my children how to shoot real guns at the age of 8 and they learned to respect the power of such a tool.
As far as legislation to ban such "toys" I see no point in enacting yet another law to keep us safe....of course, those of you who allow your children to "play" with guns, real of not may be surprised if they get shot by someone who believes them to be threatening with a deadly weapon.
Flame suit on now.
KPN3%
If I get a can of day-glow orange spray paint and spray the tips of all of my real guns, will they shut up?
Betcha 90% of them will see the orange tip and think "wow, that's a really realistic toy CETME/Glock/AR-15", including cops. Next thing will be bad guys with tip-sprayed real guns going into a bank lobby and....
You just can't help folks who can't see or think clearly.
Cheers.
Unfortunately the anti-gun mindset continues to spread despite all the responsible gun owners in this country who demonstrate (on a daily basis) that it is not guns who kill people, but rather the idiot criminals who use them. I find it absurd that outlawing realistic looking toy guns would even be considered, but then again, I find that whole anti-2A argument to be dumb as well.
As Bassett III said, if you want your kid to know something, teach him.
The only real danger in the child toy arms race is that we've raised a generation of cops to think 'if in doubt, shoot it out'.
The really odd thing about that is the cops got that way AFTER we gave them all bullet resistant clothing and greatly reduced the risk to them of waiting for the other guy to shoot first.
When I was five years old we had the usual cap pistols, toy rifles, etc. The older kids in the neighborhool chose up sides and played war with their Red Ryders. The only injury I heard of was a BB in the palm of the hand of a boy foolish enough to stick it out from behind a tree.
My oldest brother made his own black powder from ingredients he personally purchased at the local drug store. There was never a problem with LE. Different world?
Kpn: I won't flame you're You have every right to raised.yojr kids.as you see fit - just so you respect the same right of others!
I'm reminded of the story I once.read.by an uber-lib Mom who resolved to pussify her son by forbidding him any "masculine" toys & giving him baby-dolls instead.
She was HORRIFIED to find him - bare hours later - having ripped off its head and using its headless body as a submachine gun, complete with sound-effects.
She claimed some epiphany that "boys will be boys..." - and they WILL!
Criminals will also be criminals - I give it five minutes after the law passes before the first criminal paints his gun to look like one of the toys...
Idiots.
California cops have no problem with kids and unloaded real weapons. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/08/18/police-defend-letting-kids-hold-automatic-weapons/
I did say California. Didn't I?
Those kids have been reading up on LBVs. Are you SUUUUUURE they're not fledgling threepers?
No Flames from me.
At 11 my girls have started with 10/22 and as they age they will move up. I think the nice thing about a real gun, is it's a real gun. They treat it with the gravity it deserves.
As a kid I had toy guns, didn't seem to do much harm, but in reality I saw them as toys. My girls get the 3% talk every weekend we go out, and understand this is a tool for killing.
--hollywood
Kpn3 a valid viewpoint.
So I had the pellet gun and dad's blackpowder. powder + copper tubing and cannon fuse + ant hill = hillarity.
I have experienced a flash burn from black powder. It looks like a sun burn.... on half of your face.
Dad said, "If we can get you passed 18, you will live to be an old man.". We shall see.
Cory
Should toy guns be outlawed?
well, just as with real guns, it depends on how they make you feel when you look at them.
If they make you feel icky, then they're bad.
Even in the gun community we have those that wish to ban others from owning things they find icky! Some folks are just too wishy washy to stand up for themselves and will go along with whatever someone else tells them is bad. So some of us have just learned to ignore remarks from PC idiots. Let them learn about life and fire, the hard way.
I've taught people about handguns and self defense, only to go over later and find their handgun, unloaded and stuffed away in a sack, in the bottom of an ammo can. They want the gun to be 'safe' while they don't have to worry about it going off by itself! Defies any logic I can imagine.
So we see again, stupidity is a self curing problem!
I had an seemingly endless series of toy guns, swords, knives, etc as a kid. My whole neighborhood was the battleground for all of the kids (we learned real quick which dogs were not friendly, which yards to avoid). Never had any serious injuries, just scrapes, other minor stuff that would have occured no matter what we were playing with.
I allow my grandson to have the same fun, and will teach him about the real thing as I consider it appropriate.
I grew up with toy guns, and real ones also. My kids had that same pleasure, and knew the difference.
Now I'm happy to say My Grand Children are following a Great Family Tradition.
Dennis
III
Texas
PS My son had the cops come by the house a number of years ago because of his english report
"What I Did On My Summer Vacation"
it fizzeled instead of going BOOM, he learned two lessons that year...
How to make it go BOOM, and how to keep Yer Mouth Shut.
Kpn3, we're taking the same approach. Daddy frequently has so many guns around the house I didn't every want the tool/toy message scrambled.
Mine are 5 and 3 and have NEVER touched one of mine without permission. I have an unloaded .22 I put a new scope on sitting in the corner. It's been there over a week and I know neither one will touch it.
On the converse, I am going to buy my oldest a BB gun for his 6th birthday. 2 years sooner than I planned. I believe he's ready (only supervised use for the first couple of years). He attends benchrest matches with me and one day as we were leaving he saw the junior rifle team at practice. When he's old enough (8) and still interested I'll let him join them.
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