Never point a gun at anyone, even a toy gun . . .

[blanco64]

For those of us who had real-looking toy guns as kids, did your parents tell you this? I always assumed it was to instill good safety habits early.

After becoming CC and reading some of the deadly-force scenarios where people asked what you would do if a group of teenagers pointed their Airsoft guns at you and it wasn't immediately obvious they weren't real guns, I got to thinking: Is the more important, or just as important, reason that you might get shot by someone carrying a real gun, who couldn't tell that yours was a toy?

BTW - My favorite toy gun as a kid was an M16 look-alike that had a ratcheting sound when you pulled the trigger, this was prior to the orange barrel markers.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[ruso]

My father taught me gun safety at an early age. Even before purchasing my first BB gun, I knew to never point a gun at anyone. Of course this was way before that rule evolved into "never point your gun at anything you aren't willing to destroy."

With that said, if I were to ever get caught in a situation where someone held me at gunpoint with a weapon that couldn't be discerned between a toy or the real thing, I'm going to engage, period.

[skatalite]

My parents allowed me to have toy guns and swords. But the minute I pointed a toy gun at them, it'd be confiscated and I'd never see it again. The minute I touched them with a toy sword, it'd be confiscated and I'd never see it again.

I had an awesome toy version of Peter Pan's sword from the 1990s movie "Hook." Needless to say, I never saw it again after one bad move.

Pity. I liked that toy.

[Spovik]

I never knew my parents' reason for "why" not to point the gun, but considering my father's military background and my mother's family being avid hunters, I would assume it was more for respect of the firearm, than fear that someone thinks it's real.

We had cap guns and the like when we were kids, but most of our "guns" were usually cool-shaped sticks so no problems there.

[Ghost1958]

Im in my 50s. As a child when we had rubber suction type toy guns my dad never said anything about any of us playing cowboys indians shooting each other with them. They had a big red rubber suction cup on em lol.
Now from my first bb gun on up he was a little more direct about it. In my childhood getting your butt warmed up (and I dont mean by standing near a campfire) was accepted practice for reinforcing common sense and "Boy I told you never to do that!" scenarios. I learned really fast that the end of anything that could shoot more than a rubber suction cup better not be pointed at anyone or anything that I didnt mean to shoot.
By the time I shooting for real guns hunting target etc I had ingrained in me that firearm pointed at nothing I didnt intend to shoot, to be sure of what was behind it and even where my shot might land from a shotgun shooting up into a tree while hunting ie some houses rooftop or barn roof even though they were a good ways away on another farm.

I hunted small game on my own from the time I was 8 yrs old on our farm. Even at that age I was known to quit and go home if one of my uncles was hunting with me and started drinking or not paying attention. But back then things were different I guess. I was doing things then, running tractors, tending horses cattle etc that I would never have had my own kids do at 8 or 10 yrs old. It was just the way of life back then. Kinda miss it actually

[blitzburgh]

My son has plenty of nerf guns and I told him you never point it (or shoot it) at any animals (like our dogs) or people. He broke that rule once and I took them all a way for a week and he has yet to break it again ever since. I'm a firm believer in every action has a consequence and I do all I can to teach him that, as early as I can.

[KoolBreeze]

I've been around guns my entire life; starting shooting when was 5 or 6. Had a lot of toy guns, BB guns and pellet guns as a child. We played cowboys & indians all the time. We knew the difference between a toy gun and a real gun, so we had different rules for each.

[Mike1956]

I was taught to tell the difference between guns, bb guns and toys when I was about four years old.

[atctimmy]

I was taught to tell the difference between guns, bb guns and toys when I was about four years old.

Dang right! Toys are toys and kids should have fun playing with them. My kids and I have some epic Nerf gun fights.

If your kids can't tell the difference between play and not play.....well nevermind. People sure are stupid.

[dukalmighty]

I guess I wasn't paying attention,I been shot with bb guns and homemade slingshots,and reciprocated,but we had rules you couldn't shoot too close...if the bb stuck in you that was tooooooo cloooose

[Macattack]

My parents allowed me to have toy guns and swords. But the minute I pointed a toy gun at them, it'd be confiscated and I'd never see it again. The minute I touched them with a toy sword, it'd be confiscated and I'd never see it again.

I had an awesome toy version of Peter Pan's sword from the 1990s movie "Hook." Needless to say, I never saw it again after one bad move.

Pity. I liked that toy.

Awesome I had the same sword. It had the gold blade and made a ping noise when you hit it against something. awesome

[Tala]

Mom didn't allow toy guns - she didn't want us to accidentally learn that it was harmless to point a toy gun at your friend, and make the same move with a real gun. Seems like good logic on a KID, but she went a little overboard IMO by using that logic on us way past the age of innocent stupidity rather than teaching something useful, AND included finger guns in the ban. After the kid is about 5 or 6 it kinda feels like an insult to my intelligence to assume I can't tell the difference in a plastic gun and heavy old-school revolver (she didn't upgrade to tupperware till 1999). I mean, if your kid really IS that dumb or thoughtless then by all means enforce the rule, but after a while you gotta stop treating them like they're a toddler and they need to learn the difference.

She finally switched the rule to "don't point a gun at anything you don't intend to destroy" which is good, but we were well past cops and robbers by then.

She was an avid shooter BC - before kids, and her CHL was current until the day she died, but I guess she thought a miracle happened in the time between "no finger guns" and "always carry, never tell" coz she NEVER actually taught us to shoot or took us to the range to practice. I guess she did something halfway right, we all 3 sleep with guns on our nightstand and the only one of us kids without a permit is only because she's not old enough yet, but still. My grandpa taught me to shoot a BB gun and 4/10, and everything else I know is self-taught or learned from outside sources. When I was 18 my grandpa tried to give me one of his revolvers, but my dad wouldn't let him - he said, right in front of me, that I was too stupid to have it. I bought MYSELF a .22 rifle that year, a 30-30 after that, and my own revolver at 21, upgraded to tupperware in 2010, and *gasp* I still haven't shot myself or anyone else! I still kinda wonder if that chrome revolver is still up for grabs, but I don't wanna actually ask for it.
Dad also thought I was a terrible driver, but 10 years later I'm still driving my first vehicle and it's been in nothing more than a couple of parking lot dings. Yep, coz *everyone* wrecks their first car ya know...I mean, I guess I still could, but we're a little past that teenager stage.
I guess this is my review of bad parenting...just because some kids are stupid doesn't mean you should treat yours like they are. I realize that some kids, and some adults, are accidents waiting to happen, but let's not treat everyone that way. Some of us are actually pretty responsible if ya let us be.

[jdsumner]

Had toy guns as a kid. Played cowboys/indiginous-Americans, Army, StarWars, etc. As kids we pointed toy guns at each other all the time. Hunted since I was 8yo. Always was taught the 4 rules about real guns. Always knew the diff between real and toy guns and their appropriate roles, thanks to real, involved parenting.
Played w hotwheels cars and thier race tracks, never drove a real car in the same manner once I could drive.

dan

[Rcher]

When I was very little, we played cops and robbers. None of that was a problem with my folks. However, I grew up in a hunting family and as soon as I was able to understand about real firearms, I was taught the difference. I dont think pointing even a toy gun at someone is a very good idea "these days".

[OldVet]

I grew up in the '50s, the post WWII era, and no one ever said anything like that about toy guns. Everyone knew the difference between toy and real guns. Even Mattel had their "shootin' shells," little spring-loaded cartridges that fired plastic bullets all of 5-10 feet. Every kid in the neighborhood ran around with toy guns. It's only been since then that people became paranoid about kids and guns. Those no-good hippies....ruined everything. Now they run the country.

I never messed with my father's guns because I knew he'd warm my butt up if I did. And if I'd brought a gun to school, the principal would have warmed it up as a precurser to my dad's repeat performance.