Toy Guns: Childhood’s Friend or Foe?

What comes to mind when one thinks of a toy gun? Usually, a brightly colored gun-shaped plastic device that’s small enough for a child to hold comfortably, but large enough that it could be regarded as fun for the entire family. Toy guns are generally designed to look like classic machine guns but marketed to children by painting them in fun colors and having foam artillery. In today’s cultural climate, the attitude most people have toward guns, even fake ones, has radically shifted as a result of mass shootings that so often dominate the news. Toy guns have been a staple of the modern all American childhood, and this has been widely regarded as a response to a child’s need “to resolve competitiveness and form friendships,” (New York Times). Conversely, in Michelle Ruiz’s article, “Should We Still Let Children Play With Toy Guns?” centers around the reasonably new argument that toy guns can create behavioral patterns that incite violence in children from a young age by encouraging them to use friends and families as a sort of “target.” Toy guns have not gone out of style regardless of the fact that the culture surrounding these toys has shifted dramatically as a result of mass gun violence.

Children using toy guns as an outlet to explore their outside world, while also crafting a world of their own, is deeply rooted in American culture. According to Wayne Charness, the vice president of Hasbro, “the reality is that children have played fantasy games involving the triumph of good over evil for centuries” (New York Times). Allowing children the room to grow up and feel as though they have control over their space has been one of the main arguments for the allowance of toy guns. Most feel as though children need to have the autonomy to play out fantasy situations where they can protect their space. (New York Times) Additionally, toy guns have undergone remodeling in recent years to make them more recognizable as children’s toys so that there is less of a chance for them to be mistaken as real weaponry. 

As America has experienced a resurgence of mass-shootings and gun violence, many parents have understandably become warier of allowing their children to play with toys that have any violent connotations. Anna Davies explains, “My daughter is just three, but I don’t think a gun can be an innocent toy in this day and age,” (Ruiz). The reputation of toy guns has been tainted by the immensely dark consumer culture of easy access to weapons in America. Ruiz argues that though there may be claims that these toys are not detrimental to children’s development, there is a strong correlation that toys like Barbie contribute to the negative body image issues; therefore it is not hard to see why some people suggest that toy guns can also become dangerous to the mental health of children. 

The question of whether American society should become more conscious of the effects of toy guns on children has remained widely debated. As toys have evolved to become more realistic and interactive, they have been evaluated for their impact on the psyche of a child. Nevertheless, toy guns remain a staple within most children’s childhoods. As more fatal gun-related tragedies occur across America, it becomes more evident that there is a need for reform regarding the attitude and acceptance of children playing with toy guns. 

In CNN’s “Why Boys Love Guns, and What to do About It,” Elissa Strauss explains the long and tumultuous history of toy guns and their effect on children and their childhoods — especially that of young boys. Strauss states that there must be a line between reality versus playtime, and as long as children are brought up knowing this difference, toy gunplay will not lead to aggressive behavior in the future. According to the CNN article, psychologist Michael Thompson, suggests, “boys are drawn to the notion of the heroic and that such play allows them to see themselves as the guy — and, yes, for most of history, they have mostly been guys — who combats evil and saves the day” (Strauss). Childhood represents a time for children to explore the world around them through playtime and imagination. Toy guns, in some instances, allow children to freely express their natural need for protecting themselves and their space, and they can be a helpful tool for children when doing this exploration.

Toy guns are generally marketed as expressing masculinity and have existed in the toy stores for centuries. Still, recently, researchers have given their impact on children (especially boys) more thought as a result of America’s escalating problem with gun violence (Strauss). In an NPR podcast entitled, “The Problem With Toy Guns and Princesses,” the hosts explore how toys influence the future behavior of children. They describe how a recent study suggests, “if they were playing with aggressive toys when they were little, they were more aggressive when they were teenagers” (Dinella). Obviously, there is a need to evaluate the influence of playing with guns in childhood on the possibility of violent behavior in adulthood. Throughout the podcast, the NPR guests discuss how the gendering of toys can consequently hinder the development of children. NPR explains how gender roles assign specific attributes to inanimate objects that can impact the child’s behavior. Toy guns, mainly marketed toward boys, suggest that the children that play with them are strong and powerful. What does this say about girls-who do not usually play with toy guns — are they weak and in need of protecting? It is then not hard to see why these underlying stereotypes can be influencing children, especially boys, with traits of toxic and unnecessary violence.

The question of how playing with toy guns influences children generates divergent opinions. Some researchers believe that their influence is negative and increases violent behavior, yet some psychologists and specialists suggest otherwise. Thompson insists, “but it is play, and play does not lead to lethal aggression. Play … is consensual. Aggression is hurtful and produces injury in the person. Play doesn’t produce any of that”. According to this logic, toy guns allow children to freely express their natural need for protecting themselves and their space. When playing with toy guns, children are independent and can explore the world on their own by crafting worlds and scenarios where they get to “work through their emotions, and help them to forge their own identities and develop moral values” (The Toy Association). Toy guns make it possible for children to have the space to have fun exploring and being autonomous in their imagination. Additionally, playing with toy guns could be a healthy way for children to manage their emotions. According to The Toy Association, “military and other role-play items may help kids work through or cope with what is happening in the world around them through play rather than through outwardly aggressive behavior” (The Toy Association). However, in this day and age, where violence and militaristic weaponry remain sensationalized in media, it makes sense to begin reevaluating what types of playtime that we want our children to be partaking in? 

Toy guns and role-play involving fake weaponry has been a part of the quintessential all American childhood. We see it in the media and on the store shelves brimming with inventive toy gun models, which encourage children’s desire to own them and play with them. The current events happening in our society should be forcing all of us, the children, the parents, psychologists, and the toy industry to reevaluate the influence of playing with toy guns on the behavioral tendencies of children as they develop. How can we determine if their play is teaching imagination and provides a safe way of expressing themselves or if it trivializes and incites violence? 

Although the issue of gun control and the regulation of real weaponry remains a debate that will no doubt continue to be argued about for years to come, we as a society must realize the potential ramifications of violent childhoods. Children who become comfortable with using violence to express their emotions can grow up to become aggressive and combative during adulthood. There are other ways for children to reclaim their space and work through their feelings. As suggested by the Center for Domestic Peace, an excellent alternative to toy guns are toys that “can be used in many ways like blocks, playdough and dress-up clothes, rather than highly realistic, media-linked toys that tell children what and how to play.” Children who get to learn and engage in problem-solving situations with toys that can be used in different ways, develop more sophisticated and thought-out play experiences (Center for Domestic Peace). Parents who take active participatory roles in their children’s playtime and make sure that their children can explore their surroundings separately can help create a less violent childhood culture. 

Ultimately, it is not the fault of children who just want to explore and communicate their emotions through the use of toys that are available to them, that these toys have negative or violent connotations. It is up to not only the general public, but legislatures, too, to make sure that children can be raised in a culture where they can play with toys without parents having to worry that their children could one day have access to real guns or in some unfortunate cases be hurt by other people with real weapons. A toy gun is fundamentally just colored plastic and maybe one day it can be viewed as a tool for innovative imagination, but until the world we live in changes, it may just be safer to teach children a new way to play.

 

Works Cited

Center for Domestic Peace “Encouraging Non-Violence in Young Children’s Play.” Center for Domestic Peace, 2 Nov. 2018, https://centerfordomesticpeace.org/encouraging-non-violence-young-children-s-play/. Accessed 16 Oct. 2019

Dinella, Kamenetz, Anya and Cory Turner. “The Problem with Toy Guns and Princesses.” Parenting: Difficult Conversations from NPR, 26 April 2019, https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=716703093. Accessed 30 Sept. 2019.

Ruiz, Michelle. “Should We Still Let Children Play With Toy Guns?” Vogue, Vogue, 11 June 2018, https://www.vogue.com/article/are-toy-guns-okay-for-kids-in-2018. Accessed 11 September 2019

Strauss, Elissa. “Why Boys Love Guns, and What to Do about It.” CNN, Cable News Network, 13 Mar. 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/07/health/boys-guns-parenting-strauss/index.html. Accessed 29 Sept. 2019.

The New York Times. “Toy Guns: Do They Fan Aggression?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 June 1988, https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/16/garden/toy-guns-do-they-fan-aggression.html.Accessed 11 September 2019

Toy Industry Association, Inc. “Inspiring Generations of Play.” The Toy Association, https://www.toyassociation.org/PressRoom2/IndustryStatements/statement-on-toy-guns-and-violence.aspx?WebsiteKey=9627b778-d394-4eb1-93ca-b0ecde8e3359.  Accessed 28 Sept. 2019.