Toy Guns: to Play or Not to Play
Essay 3
Toy guns: To Play or Not to Play
Jennifer Thompson
Baker College Online Division
Children all over the world have been playing with toy guns for generations. There are some toy guns that shoot darts, some that shoot BB’s, and some that make a loud blast or noise. Some toy guns look very cartoonish and are bright colored, but some look very much like real guns, and are hard to tell that they are toys. Lately there has been so much gun violence affecting our world there has begun a heated debate of whether or not children should be allowed to own and play with toy guns at all. Toy guns are so controversial that children have been expelled from school for bringing them; parents have kept their children home from play dates because they would be there, and children have even been shot for playing with toy guns. With so much controversy surrounding toy guns, parents, researchers and activists are wondering, should children be allowed to play with toy guns? Toy guns date back all the way to the 1860’s. According to Marzena Kmiecik, in her article, “History of the Toy Gun,” after the Civil War, gun factories used to supply guns to the soldiers were no longer needed, so to stay in business they began to create toy guns. The first toy guns created looked very much like the real thing, and usually contained a small amount of gun powder in a cap to pop and sound like a real gun as well. They have evolved a lot through the years, and become many different versions of this original cap gun. When they were first introduced it seemed toy guns were a great way to keep companies in business and children loved playing with the little toy guns that resembled their father’s real guns; however, in the present day it has become more and more dangerous for children to play with these controversial toys.
There have been many incidents, in which children have been expelled and suspended from school for using and carrying toy guns with them. In 2008, in Southaven
Toy guns: To Play or Not to Play
Jennifer Thompson
Baker College Online Division
Children all over the world have been playing with toy guns for generations. There are some toy guns that shoot darts, some that shoot BB’s, and some that make a loud blast or noise. Some toy guns look very cartoonish and are bright colored, but some look very much like real guns, and are hard to tell that they are toys. Lately there has been so much gun violence affecting our world there has begun a heated debate of whether or not children should be allowed to own and play with toy guns at all. Toy guns are so controversial that children have been expelled from school for bringing them; parents have kept their children home from play dates because they would be there, and children have even been shot for playing with toy guns. With so much controversy surrounding toy guns, parents, researchers and activists are wondering, should children be allowed to play with toy guns? Toy guns date back all the way to the 1860’s. According to Marzena Kmiecik, in her article, “History of the Toy Gun,” after the Civil War, gun factories used to supply guns to the soldiers were no longer needed, so to stay in business they began to create toy guns. The first toy guns created looked very much like the real thing, and usually contained a small amount of gun powder in a cap to pop and sound like a real gun as well. They have evolved a lot through the years, and become many different versions of this original cap gun. When they were first introduced it seemed toy guns were a great way to keep companies in business and children loved playing with the little toy guns that resembled their father’s real guns; however, in the present day it has become more and more dangerous for children to play with these controversial toys.
There have been many incidents, in which children have been expelled and suspended from school for using and carrying toy guns with them. In 2008, in Southaven