by Charlie Brooks posted in Parenting

Research indicates that there are more guns than people in the United States, so your kids are likely to come across them eventually. How do your kids learn about guns" Something with such potential danger requires careful and intelligent handling. Unfortunately, a lot of folks seem to get their gun safety ideas from action movies.
How much is media to blame"
A recent study from JAMA Pediatrics suggests that kids who watch movies with gun violence in them are more likely to imitate that behavior. The study has its limitations, but it's still pretty easy to recognize that guns are ubiquitous in our entertainment, from TV and movies to games and toys.
Despite this information, I have difficulty blaming media for irresponsible gun use. I don't expect people to become costume vigilantes or to drink as much vodka as James Bond. People should be able to distinguish between escapist fantasy and real-life safety. Maybe we need to make sure our kids are learning about gun safety. Basic firearm safety
With so many toy guns out there, it's very easy to teach some safety basics without having them touch an actual firearm. Three bare essentials are: always treat the gun like it's loaded, don't aim at something you don't plan to shoot, and don't deactivate the safety/pull the trigger until you're ready to fire.

Those tenets work well even with toys. A water gun isn't going to hurt somebody, but a BB gun can cause an injury. In both cases...