I used to play Cowboys and Indians and we used real looking and real sounding toy guns. The cap guns sounded like .22 shorts with the great cap rolls we had in the ‘50s and ‘60s.
The rifle I owned had a barrel like a shotgun and had a ¾-inch steel ball inside that slapped against the steel bar near the muzzle. When you stuck it in the dirt, cocked the lever, and pulled the trigger, that piece of grassroots dirt flew for 20 to 30 feet with a loud crack and I had no trouble hitting the cowboys.
We spend hours shooting each other and dramatically dying. I remember one time falling from the top sunroof of our garage when I was shot and landing on some cardboard boxes. I had some bruises, but it was a memorable death that was talked about for two or three days.
When a neighbor fell out of a tall tree after getting ‘killed’ and broke a wrist, that eclipsed my daring death. Some eyebrows were raised when the doctor asked what happened and he replied, “I was in an apple tree and Harold shot me with his shotgun.”
After this playtime, we had no problem getting our pellet guns (and they could penetrate ¼” plywood back then) and .22 pistols and rifles and going to shoot rats, tin cans and toy models of army trucks. We knew how to handle both the toys and the real firearms and knew when to use and not use them.
Today, every child should be given the Eddie Eagle Course to keep them safe. As soon as they are capable of holding a .22 rifle, pistol or revolver, they should be taken to the rang, taught gun safety and respect for a tool that can kill you if used improperly.
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