Toy Weapons

I know that some may argue that giving children toys that are weapons that shoot, is okay because it is harmless, and furthermore, they used to play with weapons when they were a child. They say that they fashioned them from sticks or used their fingers as such and that it is a natural and safe thing that will do no harm. Children evidently don't see it that way.  No, it is not natural to shoot.You join the army to learn how to defend or the police force who use the real thing presumably only when absolutely necessary.  The difference today is that these kinds of kid's toys simulate the real thing far too well and are often mistaken as such.The result is, as we all know and all too often, there are police actions that end up tragically. Some of the toys that use bee bees or other forms of so-called harmless ammo, are in fact, a form of the real things. They are meant to harm and end lives however tiny. What kid with a bee bee gun doesn't try to shoot at a bird? Let's get real here. What I would like to know, is why are parents shocked when the authorities make "mistakes" and deem these toys to be real? Why give a child that kind of toy? It represents something that ends lives. What on earth can a parent be thinking of giving such symbols to a mere child? There are so many, hundreds, thousands of other choices. And why are adults so dulled to the idea of what they are truly doing in sending the wrong message to their children? It is not fun to shoot things, even targets which are only practise for what shooting weapons are ultimately designed for. Of course some of these "mistakes" end up tragically but let's look around and see where they originated. The he-man parent who stores a locked cabinet of weaponry gives a message that bespeaks how precious this sort of weapon is and how much adults enjoy them. What about film that makes criminals appealing and "cool"? What about parents who dress their little kids in bad biker style outfits that send only one message? How many times does it take to see on TV a weeping adult grieving over a child who mistakenly was thought to have a real weapon? Who gave the child the toy weapon? If a parent who loves weapons wants his or her child to understand weapons and their dangers, why don't they enroll them at the proper age in a club that espouses to teach the subject well. I don't mean these ridiculous places where it is cute to shoot paint at other people and pretend it's fun or give them computer games that shoot down other humans in pictures. Hey, it's all the same thing. It still gives the message that it's okay to end the lives of other human beings. Strange that it is the same kind of person who gives these kids reality toys like this who go on television and blame the police for mistaking them for the real thing. We are losing a lot of our police who are there to protect us as well.  There are too many guns, real and pretend, out there. When are we going to wake up and be more responsible?