Toy guns such as BB guns and Nerf guns have been showing up on Christmas gift wish lists for decades. But in an era of school and police shootings, how should parents be thinking about kids and toy guns? Following the 2014 death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was shot and killed in Cleveland, Ohio, by police officers who mistook his Airsoft toy gun for a real weapon, there’ve been renewed calls for restrictions on the appearance and sale of toy guns. But while some experts insist it’s not a good idea to allow kids to play with toy guns, others suggest this type of play may even be helpful in their development.
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