Toy guns are still on the shelves...

[Archae]

I was at the local "Big Lots" this afternoon, and saw they still have toy guns for sale.

One of the bigger sellers they have is this "Cabela" videogame, the player goes on an imaginary hunt for big game, and shoots at the game with a plastic gun.

Added to this "big game hunt" is another game with a plastic shotgun, only instead of shooting big game, the player shoots zombies.

I didn't have anything like that when I was growing up, but we played "War."

And when we had plastic guns, we always had arguments.
"I shot you!" "No you missed!"

One of the guys in our group found a bunch of those BB guns like Ralphie in "A Christmas Story" wanted.
They were old and so the springs were getting bad, but the arguments stopped!
"OW!"
"Got ya!"

Not one of the guys in our neighborhood ever went on to be a mass killer, or such.

It looks like this CT shooter was really messed up, from day one.

[Travis_0004]

1. Am I messed up if I played duck hunt as a kid?

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. I loved that game!!!

[Archae]

4. I used to shoot at that damn dog!

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Before you get distracted by the toy guns

Video games...and movies

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022033343

Suffice it to say, we all played war...yes, even we girls in another country.

[Speck Tater]

5. Back in the 40's and 50's I played with toy guns

Every kid on the block had his caps guns and tin rifles. We played cops and robbers. We played cowboys and Indians. We played war. We shot each other with our guns and lobbed pine cone hand grenades, and just generally simulated slaughter and mayhem all day every day.

And like every normal kid in the world, we knew the difference between make believe and real violence.

I want to see sensible gun control.

I want to see guns taken out of the hands of dangerous psychopaths.

I'm not going to push for it, but I would certainly not object to seeing all guns banned.

But it just makes me sick to see people moaning and crying over toy guns and video games!

Get real. Even little kids know the difference between play and real.

I am a pacifist. I take spiders outside and release them rather than squish them. I could never bring myself to harm a defenseless animal by hunting.

And I get a big kick out of blowing up aliens and monsters in video games.

I don't own a real gun and I never will. But I love first-person shooter games. My son (who has college age kids of his own) and I enjoy running around and blowing the crap out of each other in video games. It's good, clean, healthy fun.

People who blame toys and games need to find another scape goat.