| If you grew up in the early to late 60s you | | | | let their kids play war games. They're afraid that if |
| remember watching Vic Morrow in the great series | | | | their kids play with guns they will grow up to play |
| Combat. You were so taken by the his performance | | | | with real guns. We have become so politically correct |
| that if you were a normal kid, you wanted to be | | | | that it has gotten to the point where you can't even |
| Sergeant Saunders. And you got the chance to do it | | | | find guns in a toy store anymore. Those days are |
| too. The toy stores were stocked to the rafters | | | | long gone. So if a kid wants to play army, he better |
| with Saunders trademarked camouflaged helmet, | | | | have a very good imagination.The question is, is this |
| Thompson Sub Machine Gun and hand grenades. The | | | | right? Certainly not every kid who played with guns |
| gun had a pull back knob that was quite realistic and | | | | grew up to become a killer. An associate of mine had |
| the gun made quite a racket when it was shot. The | | | | not only a Saunders Tommy Gun, but also a German |
| grenades were equipped with the old style cap | | | | Luger, an M1 rifle, a Colt 45 and quite a few hand |
| explosives that also made quite a bang when the | | | | grenades. He says he had to have several when |
| grenade hit the ground correctly.Taking your | | | | attacking those German bunkers. Today, this kid who |
| equipment, you and your friends made off for the | | | | lived to play army, is a successful Internet marketer |
| nearest woods or mazed area. You took turns | | | | and has never held a real gun a day in his life.The |
| hunting each other down. Because nobody really got | | | | truth is, it doesn't take a toy gun to turn a kid bad. If |
| shot, you were pretty much on the honor system | | | | somebody is destined to turn to a life of crime, he's |
| when someone snuck up behind you, started | | | | going to do it with or without having played with toy |
| shooting and said, "you're dead". You were always | | | | guns. So the question of whether or not kids should |
| tempted to say, "I'm just wounded" and walk off to | | | | be allowed to play war games is one that has to be |
| the aid station for a brief timeout until you were | | | | answered by each individual parent. Parents should |
| "healed" and ready to get back in the game. Nobody | | | | make informed decisions about everything they allow |
| really died and the games went on forever until you | | | | or don't allow their children to do. There is an old |
| simply got tired of playing or your mother called you | | | | saying that says guns don't kill, people kill. That was |
| in for dinner. It was all pretty harmless fun.But, it's 40 | | | | true in the 1960s and it is true today as well.Certainly |
| years later and parents are wondering if they should | | | | toy guns don't kill anybody. |