Essay on Police Ban on Toy Guns
In 2014, a police officer fatally shot and killed Andy Lopez a 13 year old boy who at the time was carrying an airsoft gun. The police said that the gun the boy was holding resembled that of an AK-47 assault rifle. The shooting led to a debate whether to ban access to toy guns among children. The issue, however, is contentious and neither side could agree on the proper solution to prevent similar situation from happening in the future. The local government and police seeks to ban access to toy guns because it gives authorities the chance to protect the people. Toy makers and some parents oppose the idea because toy guns in themselves do not kill people. This essay seeks to argue that banning toy guns does not solve the problem rather the proper solution is to empower the parents so that they can become responsible for educating their children on the use of these toy guns.
There are some who support the ban on toy guns because there is a perception that access to goy guns influence bad behavior among children. According to Dr. Todd Huffman, “for some years a debate has been ranging among parents, educators, and child experts as to whether playing with toy guns and other fantasy weaponry encourages present or future violent behavior among children, or whether such play provides healthy outlets to their natural aggression, and otherwise inures them against the horrors of a sometimes violent world” (1). For this reason, some schools have actually imposed strict disciplinary measures against students who bring toy guns inside school campus. Based on their perception that use of toy guns promotes violence, they impose strict measures against it. For example, the article of Beth Bulik shows readers a specific case where schools try to apply their rules. She says that “school districts across the country are cracking down on toy-gun play with several recent suspensions of young boys who “shot” classmates with their fingers. One 5-year-old girl in Pennsylvania was recently suspended for talking about shooting classmates and herself with her pink Hello Kitty bubble gun” (1).
The police are also pushing for the ban on the use of toy guns. Their main argument is that it is extremely difficult for them to determine real and toy guns in the street even if officers have been trained to identify which ones are real or fake. The situation is made more difficult when the individual holding a gun is pointing the gun at the police officer. In these situations, the police officer often has to make split second decisions whether to open fire or not. Moreover, it is the role of the police to protect the safety of the community and their own safety against the individuals who carry guns. Katy Steinmetz says that “in a stressful situation where it’s a question of using deadly force, you are not going to be able to get close enough to give a detailed inspection. This emphasizes the different challenges that police officers have to deal with when they face individuals carrying guns. Banning toy guns or controlling their sale would mean better approach to responding to crimes on the streets.
On the other hand, the makers of the toy guns which stand to be prejudiced by the ban of toy guns are against it.They see it as a problem because it might put them out of business if they would have to stop making and selling toys to children. Their main argument is that toys do not make children violent. For them, they pass the responsibility to the parents whose role is to explain to their children how to use these toys. Beth Bulik’s argue that “Toys themselves do not promote aggressive behavior. There are no violent and nonviolent toys. Quite often, 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.” Psychologists and some teachers, in fact, think similarly” (1). This quote gives meaning to why toy guns are created. It gives children the experience of using guns and becoming responsible for purpose and use.
In conclusion, the issue of the ban on the access to toy guns is a difficult matter to deal with. For toy makers and some parents, it should not be the case because the child should be allowed to experience and learn to be responsible. The other group seeks banning or control of toy guns because it challenges police officers to apply their role and potential to promote violence. Using the different argument, the solution comes from careful control of how toy guns are sold to children. Also, parents need to help children understand their role and responsibility in handling toy guns. There must be an effort to allow children experience toy guns and influence them to make better choice and decision. Let children realize that there are other solutions to problem than using guns.
Works Cited
Benbow, Dana Hunsinger. ‘Are toy guns OK for kids? Parents are split.USA Today.22
Dec. 2012. 08 Dec. 2013 <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/22/toy-guns-good-bad-for-kids/1786595/>
Bulik, Beth Snyder. ‘Gun-Control Debate Hits $16 Billion Toy Industry’Advertising Age.28
Jan. 2013. 10 September 2014 <http://adage.com/article/news/gun-control-debate-hits-16-billion-toy-industry/239424/>
Fitzgerald, Dain. ‘Should Toy Guns be more strictly regulated?’Politix.27 November 2013. 11
September 2014 <http://politix.topix.com/homepage/9140-should-toy-guns-be-more-strictly-regulated>
Huffman, Todd. ‘Toy Guns and Gunplay: Should Parents Be Worried?’Register Guard.2008.
10 September 2014 <http://www.mckenzie-pediatrics.com/shop/images/ToyGuns.pdf>
Petula, Dvorak. “Why toy guns can be good for kids.”Washington Post. 10 September 2014. 08
Dec. 2013 <http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-01-07/local/36207472_1_toy-guns-children-and-guns-squirt-guns>
Steinmetz, Katy. ‘Toy Guns, Deadly Consequences’Time.11 September 2014. 8 Dec. 2013
<http://nation.time.com/2013/10/25/toy-guns-deadly-consequences/>