Toy guns

**Mollymop** · 18-07-2010, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by Mouse

My parents were alive during the last war! Don't forget some of us are getting on a bit now

Wow! I never think about that either! That's great -were they very young children?
My grandmother worked on the fields in the war effort she died when I ws 14and grandfather worked on the ships as was even a prisoner of war he died when I was a tot. Wish they were both here to tell me all about it. I would be amazed.

**ourmadhouse** · 18-07-2010, 01:23 PM

its good to see everyones point of view and everybody has really got me thinking.

I played with my brothers potato gun whaen i was younger (not that often as i wasnt allowed to play with it, boys toys ect) and to me it was fantastic i can remember being fascinated at how i could shape the potato by digging the end in, not the fact i was able to shoot the potato gun and well it was something forbiden too.

iv also been lazer quest as a child and as an adult, can still remember my dad telling me the point of the game is to shoot eachother

he did have to explaine to me that nobody got hurt and it was just lights not lazers

now paintballing is not for me. I thought it was really good fun when i did manage to hit someone but then i got hit (one hit me on my arm!) and that was enough for me, i sat the rest of the day watching.

I dont understand why anyone would be willing to get hurt.

now with the armed forces I do think they are very brave and its a job that someone has to do they have my upmost respect and they do a job i know i could never do.
I feel a little uncomfortable calling them heros though, not sure why. . . ill have to have a think and get back to you

i dont think this debate would have gone down too well if we where all in a room together though, but seeing everyones replys after they (hopefuly) have taken time to think about what each wanted to say then typed it out has given ME plenty to think about. some have made me question myself and i see that as a good thing

**Hebs** · 18-07-2010, 01:30 PM

my son has a "tatie gun" as do most of his friends,

i'm also all up for bringing back national service for males AND females

**FussyElmo** · 18-07-2010, 01:31 PM

A potato gun haven't seen one of these for years.

Now I remember my brother having an Han Solo gun and I was gutted Princess Leia didnt have one

And he would never share it with me

**ourmadhouse** · 18-07-2010, 01:46 PM

I think i would have beneited from national service, i was not scally wag or a trouble maker but i think it would eased the transition from adolescence to adulthood and gave me life skills for standing on my own two feet.
I left school at 16 went on to college and dropped out due to pregnacy. (i take full responsibility for that, i was not stupid i was well educated in that department and had a very open relationship with my mother, i knew all the in's and out's of it all, i was lazy and irresponsible)
Its like you leave school and bang your out in the big wide world on your own. college is so different you have fredom, turn up and learn or dont and they drop you.
think it could improve the social skills for our adolescents of today and help them to have a bit of pride for themselves and respect others.

**Mollymop** · 18-07-2010, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by ourmadhouse

I think i would have beneited from national service, i was not scally wag or a trouble maker but i think it would eased the transition from adolescence to adulthood and gave me life skills for standing on my own two feet.
I left school at 16 went on to college and dropped out due to pregnacy. (i take full responsibility for that, i was not stupid i was well educated in that department and had a very open relationship with my mother, i knew all the in's and out's of it all, i was lazy and irresponsible)
Its like you leave school and bang your out in the big wide world on your own. college is so different you have fredom, turn up and learn or dont and they drop you.
think it could improve the social skills for our adolescents of today and help them to have a bit of pride for themselves and respect others.

Me too , I think I wuold have benefitted = I was WAS a scallywag, never bothered to turn up for school to do my GCSE's - how bad was I? My story is similar to yours. I would have hated to do NS at that age, but I would have had no choice

**ourmadhouse** · 18-07-2010, 01:56 PM

think i would have seen it as another steping stone, like going from jr school to high school and then on to national service.
it wouldnt sort all our problems with youth of today but it would be a willing helping hand on the jurney of growing up.

**wendywu** · 18-07-2010, 02:53 PM

[

QUOTE=Ripeberry;747372]This is where people are getting mixed up with the 'need' to keep kids away from guns.
They automatically think, that playing with guns will make their child a gangster thug who shoots other druggies

We are so lucky that our parents generation and our own have never known war on our own soil and that we should NEVER worry about being conscripted into the army.
Lots of people all around the world, even children don't have the choice.

I still think they should bring back national service for teenage boys, this will teach them rescpect for authority and most important of all self-discipline.

[/QUOTE]

Ripe Berry i think you have got me wrong.

My point was children nowadays ARE kept away from toy guns but the situation is 100 times worse than when they did play with guns.

I used to play with a spud gun and a cap gun when i was a child and i can still remember the smell of the caps when they went off

I bet you cannot even buy caps now

I think national service could be an answer to young tear aways.

**Hebs** · 18-07-2010, 03:00 PM

Originally Posted by wendywu

I bet you cannot even buy caps now

yes you can cos my son has them too

they still come on a little roll of paper

**wendywu** · 18-07-2010, 03:57 PM

Do they still have that lovely smell when they go off.

That takes me back a few years

**Hebs** · 18-07-2010, 04:29 PM

yes

**shelly2012** · 18-07-2010, 04:39 PM

The only guns i have are wee water pistols. Just my preference too nonw of the kids have asked for a gun either. Well done for speaking up

**Mookins** · 18-07-2010, 05:07 PM

Definition of hero

a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.

i can assure you that anyone who is in any force be it fire, army,lifegurad, TA or police are doing it with the best interests of others and are therefore a hero

My older brother is off to Afghan again on wednesday this will be his 6th time and i defy anyone who tells me he or his fellow servicemen and women are not heros

yes they have the choice to join but they do not have the choice in where they go

what they do go through and ive heard the stories when my brother has been brave enough to talk about, it is AWFUL and not one of us could handle it else we would have joined ourselves.

**wendywu** · 18-07-2010, 05:23 PM

I take my hat off to your brother, i have always had respect for the forces past and present.

My uncle died in a Japanese POW camp. I travelled half way across the world to pay respect to him and see his grave,the one thing that my poor nan and grandad could have never hoped to do all those years ago

It was the only time some one had visited his resting place and i am so glad i did that for my family.

I cannot imagine the worry of sending one of my own off to a war zone.

The last post will always bring a lump to my throat when i hear it played.

**kindredspirits** · 18-07-2010, 05:34 PM

how is fighting an illegal war (under the terms of the geneva convention) a heroic act?? i consider a hero to be someone who does something out of choice that puts themselves at risk in order to HELP people.

actually - thats beside the point, this thread was about the virtues of children playing with guns, not about the legality of the war or peoples opinions of soldiers - which is always going to be an emotive subject.

**Hebs** · 18-07-2010, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by kindredspirits

i consider a hero to be someone who does something out of choice that puts themselves at risk in order to HELP people.

thats EXACTLY what a member of the armed forces does

**Mookins** · 18-07-2010, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by kindredspirits

how is fighting an illegal war (under the terms of the geneva convention) a heroic act?? i consider a hero to be someone who does something out of choice that puts themselves at risk in order to HELP people.
actually - thats beside the point, this thread was about the virtues of children playing with guns, not about the legality of the war or peoples opinions of soldiers - which is always going to be an emotive subject.

Surely the young girls and boys who join the forces that have been sent straight out to these horrific areas are heros....they chose to go out there and help the innocent instead of sitting on the streets drinking and smoking

thats choice, risky and helpful...therefore heroic

and personally i dont have toy guns in my house do not like them never have...but thats me, my choice my opinion

**auntym** · 18-07-2010, 06:07 PM

just becuase you dont agree with why they were sent there dosnt mean they do to.
some dont agree with it but go anyway because they are true and loyal and would die to save anyone on here including the fact they dont know us!!!
HEROES

**mushpea** · 18-07-2010, 06:26 PM

I have just finished reading this whole thread and have found it very interesting to see everyones point of views on guns.
As a kid i had a toy gun and would dress up as a cowboy and be the sherif,, I remember going to a camping meet at dodge city once where i fired a real musket gun and nearly fell over backwards in doing so ,, my Grandad was a game keeper and i used to go on the shoots with my toy gun aiming at the squirels with my toy gun when the men aimed with their real guns,, I have to amit though i didnt like the killing of the animals but was taught why it was necasery and learnt how to be responsible around guns.
I dont let the children play with toy guns and always feel a bit 'Grrr" when my partner buys my son a toy gun but then he was in the army and sees no harm in it,, he fought in the falklands and the gulf and has been to northern ireland all before he met me but i have great respect for him for this.
any way i found this thread fascinating because i never know wether its ok for them to play toy guns or not,, i dont have any actual guns here but when we are out they pick up sticks and sword fight or shoot each other,, so now when they do it, insted of stopping them i will teach them about the saftey and responsibility involved in them.

**Dare4Distance** · 18-07-2010, 06:30 PM

I'd just like to point out that I didn't actually say there's aren't heroes in the British Army. I said that just being in the army does not make you a Hero. In the same was as just giving birth to a baby doesn't make you a mother. You have to do something to make yourself a hero, it's not something that's handed to you just for joining the Army, Police or Fire service. Yes, there are heroes in the army but not all army personnel are heroes.