Jonthan Turley has an interesting op-ed about allowing children, specifically boys, to play with guns. As I child, I was not allowed to play with and have toy guns. Much to the chagrin of my grandfather who once fashioned one out of wood at his woodworking shop in order to counter my mom. Overall I think it was a good thing. I do play violent video games, but that wasn’t until I got old enough to appreciate the difference between the game and reality, and I don’t fetishize weapons as I think many people do.
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Turley was on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” just a bit ago as well.
It was a short segment, and there were only a couple of callers. But the whole segment took on a “yes-it’s-dangerous-but-we-can-quit-whenever-we-want” air of denial.
The truth is, the United States suffers a higher rate of violent crime than most other industrialized countries. Does that unpleasant fact stem from children playing with guns? I hardly think so.
On the other hand, I think our society accepts aggression and violence to a degree that other societies don’t. On the whole, we consider play-acting at aggression to be normal childhood behavior. I suspect–entirely without evidence–that our acceptance of aggressive play is a symptom of our societal problem with violence.
My kids have played with guns and have had fun doing so. One of the things I did with my son was allow him to watch a few things that some parents might think is too rough for a kid his age (he just turned 10). I allowed him to watch ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and he enjoyed very much watching a lot of ‘Band of Brothers.’ I sat with him and explained while it was a movie, it was a portrayal of what really happened. He asked a lot of questions. My point was to get him to realize and distinguish the difference between reality and fantasy.
Far too often these days we don’t teach our kids or supervise them in the way that is necessary to show them the proper way to resolve conflict and it doesn’t include the use of firearms.
However, the reaction of some of these parents is just silly. The notion that some kid is going to start busting caps because of a Buzz Lightyear ray gun is just absurd. Go back to a different time and place and kids as young as 7 and 8 years old had their own real guns to hunt with. To them however, a gun was taught to be used as a tool, not as a weapon.
It all comes back to the parenting. Always does.
Oliver,
Great point about not having a fetish for firearms. Like Corvettes or a monster truck, firearms become this extension of your third arm(and most cases a lack of one). I hate guns but I played with toy guns as a child but not to a great extent.
Quaker,
Your point is excellent and highlights why toy guns are so bastardized in schools etc… I recently watched something on PBS that dealt with Rap music but a side issue to this was a critique on how unbelievable acceptable violence and aggression are in American society. I am on the fence because I think to some degree males(and women in my generation sadly) have a reptilian brain. I think it is usefull in a non-violent way in the sense it makes us competative and driven. On the other hand it makes us disregard our civility to have whatever “need” be satisfied.
My main problem with violent or aggressive play is that if completly accepted it sets up a terrible precendent for behavior and bleeds into other areas. American culture glorifies violence in movies, games and sport. Revenge is seen as neccessary and just(death penalty). We are constantly taught that power is what makes our country great, whether in the form of money( Wealthy aggression) or violence(middle to lower class citizens). If you or anyone was blessed enough to have a father, mother, or figure in your life to distinguish between acceptable behavior and allow you to emotional mature beyond a primary stage, then I would venture to say you will not use violence or guns as a means of living and existing.
I don’t understand why anyone not in the army or surrounded by man-eating lions thinks he needs a gun, and I never will. Jay, you frighten me.
However, the reaction of some of these parents is just silly.
Yes, it is.
Some parents seem to think the world should change on their demand to meet the needs of little Spike or Marysue. They’d rather complain about what somebody else is doing than take the time to teach Spike and Marysue how to deal with it.
Wow, Quake. I could not have said it better.
And Nimrod- it’s an American thing. You aren’t expected to understand. (Although personally, I have to desire to own any weapons of that sort. I do think bow hunting would be interesting though.)
Jay, you had me right up to the point when you used movies to demonstrate to Jay, Jr and Jayette the difference between reality and fantasy.
I have a nine-year-old son. I’ve explained my stance on guns to him: People who own guns like to hunt, shoot competitively, or feel that having a gun makes them safer in their homes. I don’t feel that way, so I choose not to keep guns at home. The most important thing about gun use and ownership is safety. Follow the rules and obey the laws. That’s all.
As far as gun play, well, I don’t see where a Nerf foam dart shooter that looks cartoonish is preferable to a toy .45 sidearm. The former, in fact, kind of trivializes gunplay. My son just isn’t that ‘into’ shooting stuff… yet. All it will take is a few friends, or his nitwit grandfather’s BB gun to change things around.
So, rather than make gun play the forbidden fruit, I say it’s better to instil responsible behavior in the tyke and let him make his own decision about this.
Jay, you had me right up to the point when you used movies to demonstrate to Jay, Jr and Jayette the difference between reality and fantasy.
Perhaps I didn’t explain myself better. I used those particular movies to distinguish the difference between the kind of violence that at the very least, has the appearance of being more realistic than the comic-book/video game cartoon violence that permeates the realm of pop culture.
Nimrod, what did I say that was so frightening?
@ Marty:
When you live as far out in left field as I do, you eventually give up on expecting other folks to go along. Haw!
Jay, why wouldn’t you show your son what real violence looks like? Why show him doc photos from World War II?
And that should have read “no desire to own weapons” although if I did, I know that my little “Spike and MarySue” would be taught to respect them for what they are.
Jay, why wouldn’t you show your son what real violence looks like? Why show him doc photos from World War II?
Because he’s not old enough to be looking at real violence.
Of course, I get the feeling I’m being set up here.
My parents let me play with toy guns, watch horror movies, and read pretty much anything. They took a laissez-faire approach to that kind of thing. As long as it didn’t create a problem, they weren’t concerned. While I’m still a fan of gory horror movies, I hate violence.
I think it all has to do with your ability to empathize with others. That, I think, is key to separating violent fantasy from reality.
BTW, since it’s sort of relevant, didn’t Pan’s Labyrinth kick ass?
I have owned a gun since the age of 12. I was taught gun safety from my father,who learned from his father. To date, I have never shot myself or another human being. I have a tremendous amount of respect for firearm safety. However, if you break into my home, I have a 9mm waiting. As soon as I have children, the pistol will be taken out of the nightstand and placed in a lock box.
“My kids have played with guns and have had fun doing so.”
“Because he’s not old enough to be looking at real violence.”
Not old enough to look at real violence but old enough to watch a film that contextualizes violence necessary and heroic?
I doubt it’s a huge deal one way or the other. But I think there’s a difference between hands-on use of a BB-Gun or rifle out in the country under parental instruction, versus kids just getting to think of guns as screw-off toys. I did not grow up in the country, and don’t like guns, but if my father fed the family by means of a gun (as one rural uncle does to get a lot of his caloric and protein intake in some months), that might be different.
most people who “don’t like guns” are afraid of them and have no idea how to handle them. I can kill you with a hammer too, and there are few people with as strong a reaction as “I don’t like hammers….”
My 5 year old has seen weapons before, and each time it is a teaching lesson. These are not to be touched, if you find one get an adult. They are also not to be feared, they simply require training to use safely.
It is interesting that this thread never even mentions the second amendendment. Imagine a thread saying “I don’t like free speech….”
Remember quaker, that todays violent youth didn’t spend their childhoods playing violent games like “cowboys and indians” running around with cap guns. So how do we explain this rise of youth violence that is associated with a decreased acceptance of toy guns?
that todays violent youth didn’t spend their childhoods playing violent games like “cowboys and indians” running around with cap guns.
You have absolutely no way of knowing that, come on now.
So how do we explain this rise of youth violence that is associated with a decreased acceptance of toy guns?
Perhaps the photo realistic depiction of gun violence in video games. I don’t know, I’m just saying. Maybe if the kids of today put down the fucking controller once in a while and ran around outside playing “cowboys and indians”, not, you know, “Crips v. Bloods” or something, they might be less tended to violence.
yea, I won’t argue with you about that. I think though if kids were introduced to guns in a way that a)demonstrates how seriously dangerous they are and that the results of using them is permanent and b) educated them more about them, we might reach the same endpoint.
Personally, I think the stuff on tv is as bad, people getting shot and then just getting up in two days with a little bandage. I spent too many nights in the trauma bay to think thats realistic…