Tranquility7 Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 We allow toy guns, but we are unsure of how to make wise rules around them. These are toy guns that do not shoot anything - no pellets, BBs, darts, or anything. Just toy rifles and pistols that make a loud click when shot. What rules do you have? Who/what can the gun be pointed at, who/what can be "shot at", and under what circumstances? Do you have rules of honor like never shooting at someone who is surrendering? How do you handle guests who are ok with toy guns but don't know the rules, or guests who don't allow/aren't comfortable with toy guns? Incidentally, we don't have real guns in our house currently, but likely will someday. I'm really nervous of that day, because I know my kids are not gun-wise. How do I teach them in the midst of toy guns? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 We did not do toy guns but I have certainly been shot with an assortment of lego lasers and stick guns. Our basic rules were: 1. No shooting mom. 2. No aiming for the face. 3. No shooting mom and dads guests. 4. Outside. 5. You have to stop if your friend says stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 with toy guns that don't shout anything the only rule is not to pretend to shoot someone who doesn't want to play. I've never had anyone over who didn't do guns but I suppose I'd hide them if I knew someone would be over who didn't like them Nerf gun the added rule is not intentionally shooting in the face Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooketopia Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 1. No shooting someone who isn't also armed. 2. No shooting in the face. 3. The best thing to shoot is the big map of the world on the school room's wall. Try to hit your favorite country. We also have some foam covered PVC pipes that they like to use as swords, and the first two "shooting" rules apply, along with "No whacking people on the back of the head." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 with toy guns that don't shout anything the only rule is not to pretend to shoot someone who doesn't want to play. I've never had anyone over who didn't do guns but I suppose I'd hide them if I knew someone would be over who didn't like them Nerf gun the added rule is not intentionally shooting in the face Same here. I hate when someone's kids point a toy gun in my face and pretend to shoot me and pretend my brains are being blown out. So, no pointing guns at people unless they are playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Ha! For me it was, "Don't make that clicking noise over and over!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I’ve honestly never thought of having rules for the toy gun that don’t shoot. Our general rule for all play is if someone else doesn’t like it they don’t have to play it/the other person has to stop or if it’s a guest my boys know that we would want them to be polite and not play something the guest doesn’t want to do. So I’m ok with wrestling or rough play but both boys know if the other one says stop they have to stop. For toy guns that do shoot (Nerf is all we have in that category) you can’t shoot someone unarmed or who doesn’t want to play and not in the face. And most of the time outside only. (Although I’ve been known to break my own rule on that one. Nothing like a sneak attack during Math to enliven the school day.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Outside. Don't hit your brother over the head, stab your brother, or make any other physical contact with your brother and your gun. DH (who's done gun safety classes with several groups of Scouts) is adamant that you never aim any sort of gun at people. I do my best to enforce that and encourage them to "shoot" at imaginary enemies, but since I kick the kids outside to play with guns, I don't enforce it very well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 For all toys guns, even if they don't shoot: No shooting (or pretend shooting) / aiming at people. No shooting (or pretend shooting)/ aiming at pets. No shooting (or pretend shooting) / aiming at pretend people (dolls) or soft toy pets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeslieAnneLevine Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 If your friend doesn't want to play, you stop and play something else. That goes for more than just toy guns. Don't "shoot" at people you don't know (for example, don't point your fingers like a gun at someone passing by in a car). That's about it. Same here. I hate when someone's kids point a toy gun in my face and pretend to shoot me and pretend my brains are being blown out. So, no pointing guns at people unless they are playing. I don't recall my son ever doing this, but if he had I would have told him not to and explained why that's very unpleasant for the other person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plink Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 For all toys guns, even if they don't shoot: No shooting (or pretend shooting) / aiming at people. No shooting (or pretend shooting)/ aiming at pets. No shooting (or pretend shooting) / aiming at pretend people (dolls) or soft toy pets. We have the same first two rules, but I don't mind them shooting at items. In our house toyguns are used on targets, not people/pets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 We had a standing rule that you don't point a gun at anything you don't want to kill. And, being ranch kids, they knew what it meant when you pointed a gun at something because they've seen animals killed from a VERY early age. Such is the way life works. I don't know if it's connected or not, but death was never a game at our house. They only "went hunting" with toy guns, or, "put down old cows." Of course now that Buck is a teen boy, he's into the whole air-soft thing and regularly shoots friends and foes. ;) And both have had Hunter's Safety, gone hunting with Dad and Grandpa and do shooting sports in 4H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 If you shoot me with your nerf gun, prepare for retaliation. :) We have a nerf gun armory here and there have been some epic battles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildLotus Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Odd but we keep real guns in the house and I do not allow toy guns, except water guns on hot summer days. Oldest DD has seen me shoot dear, and goats so guns are not "fun" they are tools. I have let her shoot my .22 while I am still holding it. I have taken hunter safety classes as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranquility7 Posted June 13, 2013 Author Share Posted June 13, 2013 Thanks so much for the helpful responses. These are some great rules, and give me lots to think about to figure out what to do in our family. I don't know if it's connected or not, but death was never a game at our house. They only "went hunting" with toy guns, or, "put down old cows." Death is not a game at our house either, per se, However, we are not hunters or farmers, and we are generally huge history buffs... and what happens in history - loads of battles and wars! DS knows a ton about the Civil War, Revolution, Old West, Alamo, etc... so those tend to be the things he wants to play and pretend... it's just hard to figure out how to put proper rules around it. We want him to be free to pretend to be defending the homestead or fighting for freedom or whatever, but yet we don't want to be reckless, merciless, or celebrating violence, you know? Thanks again for all the help! DH and I look forward to talking about all of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 If they don't shoot anything out of them my only rule is that you can't use it as a club, or be right in someone's face. We have 2 nice wooden ones that are replica's of Davy Crockett's old Betsy that the kids love. Mostly they use them for "bear hunting" and such but also at times play games where they have to shoot each other, recently they staged a revolution and were fighting to see if the people or the gov't would win. Toy guns that shoot anything out (even nerf ones) are not allowed to be shot at people at all. I wouldn't care if my teens shot each other, but the younger 2 would do the same and they are not as cautious about nto hurting people, so no one gets to shoot anyone with anything projectile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 -Nothing realistic that could possibly be mistaken for a real weapon for safety reasons. -Only "good vs. evil" play and good has to triumph over evil. -Villains can't be anything that an observer might get their knickers in a twist over (e.g. Allies vs. Nazis or Minutemen vs. Redcoats are fine, Cowboys vs. Indians or Crusaders vs. Infidels aren't). -No dirty tricks or mistreatment of surrendering troops. Also, if a P.O.W. tries to escape, only non-lethal "force" can be used against him/her. The jailor cannot shoot an escapee even if that would happen in the real world. -Don't point your weapon at non-participants. I think those pretty much cover our family's rules. I may be forgetting something but by this point, my kids are old enough to police each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I quite honestly never had to make gun rules when the kids were little and played their cops and robbers or war games. It just never was an issue. They later had nerf guns, water guns and there were some safety rules added then. More rules added with airsoft pistols and bb guns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 My son has an entire arsenal of nerf guns. We frequently have large groups of kids over to have all out Nefr battles. The biggest and most important rule is this: Mom is Switzerland! DO NOT SHOOT Switzerland! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 We don't shoot at people. Only at animals that we are going to eat or that are trying to eat us. (Pretend shooting, pretend bears) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Incidentally, we don't have real guns in our house currently, but likely will someday. I'm really nervous of that day, because I know my kids are not gun-wise. How do I teach them in the midst of toy guns? There's a program called Eddie Eagle by the NRA - do that, even if you don't own real guns, even if you're never going to, because they're out there in the world and this teaches to not touch it and get an adult - including if they're not sure whether it's real. There's a video (cartoon) on Youtube and workbooks (free or cheap) for different age levels. My kids follow the same safety rules with toy guns as they do with real ones, but the "don't point it at anything you don't want to destroy" rule has a different meaning. They don't really get them out when friends are over, so it hasn't been an issue, but if I knew a family didn't allow that play then I'd just encourage them to find something else to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Never point a gun at something you don't want to destroy was the only rule with toy guns in our house. We figured toy guns were the beginning of teaching them respect for the real thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 We have a whole arsenal of NERF guns, cap guns, fun noodle covered pvc pipe swords, and wooden swords. They are all outside toys. We have rules for how to sword fight to prevent injury. And no shooting Mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Rules? We're supposed to have rules for the toy guns? :ohmy: We have lots of Nerf guns and our main rule is no shooting people in the face. The only other rule is if you are 23 years old and you are running around the house trying to shoot a brother over and over, it should be the 18 year old brother and not the 10 year old. :leaving: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Shoot only at bad guys and dangerous animals. If a "bad guy" doesn't want to be shot, stop shooting him or her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linders Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 "Guns are for shooting, not hitting." Yea, sounds pretty weird, doesn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Uh....none? Can't even imagine why I would make rules for guns that don't actually shoot anything. For the guns that do shoot...don't aim them at anyone's face, and play outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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