# Guns in the toys... how sick can these individuals be? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 5, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145 "2014-06-05T18:41:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/61 "2014-06-07T08:03:52Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > In your case ( your, you, anyone that does not know or use something. Your statement just gives a very good case of why I think as I do on how much weight I will give your opinions on what is the correct thing to do , like safety deviceses, personal recognition etc. ) , you should never touch or make a judgement call about any gun in a real situation by your own admission. > > But any comments about facts on gun handling, level of danger while not knowing what weapon it is nor the level of concern if some one is actually carrying one should be left off in a thread like this. IMO. Wither he should or not is an open debate but making statements is like never having driven a car but telling an trucker how to operate his 18 wheeler. But it’s relevant to this thread. We’re talking about a gun that was left in a store. There’s no reason to assume that the person who found it would have any knowledge of guns. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/62 "2014-06-07T09:22:36Z")
And this particular gun is a cheap polymer 9mm that isn’t expensive or particularly heavy. With an MSRP of $150.00, it weighs less than 2 pounds and has a cheap plastic look and feel. In the context of finding it sitting casually in a toy aisle, even someone a little more familiar with guns could mistake it for a toy. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/63 "2014-06-07T13:14:40Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Please re-read what I said, which was that _in your hand_ it’s fairly easy to distinguish a real gun from a toy because the real gun is heavier. You can not determine that from a picture. Also, anyone might be mistaken _at a distance_ which would also apply to photographs. > > Let’s play this game another way: if you have a picture of a wax fruit and a picture of a real fruit you may not be able to tell the difference but if you could pick both of them up and handle them you could probably figure out which is which pretty quickly. > > Finally - a BB gun should still be treated _as a gun_. It’s less likely to be lethal but it still fires a projectile and can cause injuries, potentially even serious ones. Like the proverbial “you’ll put someone’s eye out with that!”. When I used to fire off BB guns I was told the same basic rules that apply to all guns: never point it at anyone or anything you don’t want to be shot and always assume it’s loaded. Screwing up with a BB gun isn’t as bad as screwing up with a Colt .45 but that’s no excuse for being careless. My sister’s mother in law decorates with wax fruit. Her first visit involved biting into a wax apple. Her husband to be laughed and said she wasn’t the first. My kids at seven wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a toy gun and a real gun - the guns we had in the house were brightly colored nerf guns - but they’d seen - but not played with - the more realistic toy guns - and paintball guns (which are pretty heavy). And my son is not exactly a high level critical thinker. My daughter is, but is also a ditz. Either one of them at seven could have picked up a real gun from a toy shelf at seven and fired it, not being aware it was a real gun - my son because he really wasn’t capable of the thought process of “this feels wrong for a toy” my daughter because she wouldn’t have bothered to thing “this feels wrong for a toy.” I think you are giving kids way too much credit. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/64 "2014-06-07T13:29:23Z")
Given statements by **Grean Bean** and others apparently I have given _adults_ too much credit in this area. Well, OK, if you really can’t tell the difference between the real thing and a toy then don’t touch and get a responsible adult to handle the situation for you. If it looks like a gun to you assume it’s the real thing until someone who can determine the difference confirms whether it is or isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/65 "2014-06-07T14:28:07Z")
Sounds good, **Broomstick**. Although to go with that, gun owners/those knowledgeable about guns\* shouldn’t then roll their eyes or mock said people for not knowing it’s not a real gun. - I’m sure you didn’t intend this, but “responsible adult” sounds REALLY bitchy and snarky. Yes, people who aren’t knowledgeable/experienced with guns are not “responsible adults”. ¬\_¬ ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/66 "2014-06-07T17:46:22Z")
If I see something potentially dangerous I don’t know much about I don’t start poking at it, I go find someone who is knowledgeable to take care of it. I don’t understand why this is such a foreign concept to people. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/67 "2014-06-07T18:18:32Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > If I see something potentially dangerous I don’t know much about I don’t start poking at it, I go find someone who is knowledgeable to take care of it. I don’t understand why this is such a foreign concept to people. It’s hard to understand why it would be a such foreign concept to you that in the toy section of a department store a plastic gun isn’t necessarily understood to be “potentially dangerous”. That is kind of the point. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/68 "2014-06-07T18:35:47Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Well, OK, if you really can’t tell the difference between the real thing and a toy then don’t touch and get a responsible adult to handle the situation for you. Maybe you have some similar advice for the gun owner who left his loaded gun behind? Perhaps you could suggest to him that he shouldn’t touch any guns and he should let a responsible adult carry his weapon in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/69 "2014-06-07T19:34:13Z")
Absolutely. If you can’t responsibly handle a gun you shouldn’t own one. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/70 "2014-06-07T19:48:02Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > If I see something potentially dangerous I don’t know much about I don’t start poking at it, I go find someone who is knowledgeable to take care of it. I don’t understand why this is such a foreign concept to people. And I don’t see how this is related to my post at all. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/71 "2014-06-07T19:53:07Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Absolutely. If you can’t responsibly handle a gun you shouldn’t own one. Agreed. Left on purpose or left accidentally, that person has no business owning one. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/72 "2014-06-07T20:34:15Z")
Well, if enough people read this thread, there should be a lot less of a chance of a child hurting someone because they will got through stores on the lookout for just this sort of thing. Woe to those cleaning people who only leave a ‘wet floor’ sign in the toy aisle because little kids can’t read. Was this an accident or did they mean to get a kid hurt? With what has been reported & seen by me, a bad guy ditching a gun in a place it is not likely to be found quick so he can get out is 103 times more likely than any other idea floated in this thread so far. I am also once again amazed at how many people brag on the fact that they know so little about a tool so common in this country. Not knowing about something they feel is so dangerous in their opinion but yet they do not try to find out about them. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/73 "2014-06-09T11:54:54Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > I am also once again amazed at how many people brag on the fact that they know so little about a tool so common in this country. Not knowing about something they feel is so dangerous in their opinion but yet they do not try to find out about them. It sounds rather disingenuous calling guns ‘tools’ to normalise them. It’s too general, putting guns in the same bracket as toothpicks and pickaxes. ‘Finding Nemo’ and ‘Jaws’ both involve fish, but aren’t very similar. Try ‘Death-tool’, to be clear. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/74 "2014-06-09T20:27:51Z")
Actually, I’d put guns into a tool category along with things like chainsaws and woodchippers - tools that are FAR more likely to be lethal than some other types of tools like…well…toothpicks. Some tools are more dangerous than others, but they’re still tools. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/75 "2014-06-10T01:45:01Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Actually, I’d put guns into a tool category along with things like chainsaws and woodchippers - tools that are FAR more likely to be lethal than some other types of tools like…well…toothpicks. > > Some tools are more dangerous than others, but they’re still tools. Guns are weapons. A weapon is a tool for causing injury so I guess in some game of stupid semantics they are tools. But unless you use your gun to hammer nails it isn’t a tool in the normal sense. It is a weapon. Chainsaws and woodchippers and almost every other inanimate object on earth can be used as weapons but they have other, primary intended uses. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/76 "2014-06-10T02:35:39Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Given statements by **Grean Bean** and others apparently I have given _adults_ too much credit in this area. > > Well, OK, if you really can’t tell the difference between the real thing and a toy then don’t touch and get a responsible adult to handle the situation for you. If it looks like a gun to you assume it’s the real thing until someone who can determine the difference confirms whether it is or isn’t. If you don’t know enough to know the difference then you won’t know enough to know that you don’t know enough to know the difference - And these are KIDS we are talking about. My god - even for myself, as a 40 year old, if I found a real gun in the toy section, my first thought would be “what a realistic toy” not - who the fuck left this gun behind… ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/77 "2014-06-10T03:04:22Z")
> [@Crazyhorse](#): > > Guns are weapons. A weapon is a tool for causing injury so I guess in some game of stupid semantics they are tools. But unless you use your gun to hammer nails it isn’t a tool in the normal sense. It is a weapon. Actually, something like a hunting rifle is not a tool for causing injury, it’s a tool for causing _death_ while obtaining dinner. One could also use a bow and arrow, a pit trap, a snare, a knife, or one’s bare hands to do the job as well, but guns are efficient, effective, and reduce the likelihood of injury to the hunter which makes them well suited to their intended purpose. There are also guns used for target shooting, which to my mind is a legitimate as someone studying karate or tai kwon do with the intent of winning tournaments as opposed to attacking/defending against other people. > [@](#): > > Chainsaws and woodchippers and almost every other inanimate object on earth can be used as weapons but they have other, primary intended uses. Well, sure - but the primary purpose of guns isn’t always to harm other people. A pistol purchased for target shooting has a primary intended use as target shooting, not killing people even through it could be used as a weapon. Nonetheless, they’re tools. Weapons are just as much tools as screwdrivers or hammers. I don’t understand why people are so resistant to that notion. Certainly, they need to be carefully handled and reasonable restrictions are appropriate, just as we regulate explosives and certain types of chemicals that are hazardous if mishandled. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/78 "2014-06-10T03:25:32Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Actually, something like a hunting rifle is not a tool for causing injury, it’s a tool for causing _death_ Death in this case is the result of injury isn’t it? > [@](#): > > There are also guns used for target shooting, which to my mind is a legitimate as someone studying karate or tai kwon do with the intent of winning tournaments as opposed to attacking/defending against other people. Target shooting is practice for using a weapon. If not, then what you are describing is a recreational device - e.g. a toy, but still not a tool. That is like saying a bowling ball or a pool cue are tools. Again you can make a stupid game of semantics arguing that almost anything is a tool or anything is a weapon, but a gun is a weapon by design. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/79 "2014-06-10T06:19:34Z")
> [@Crazyhorse](#): > > Death in this case is the result of injury isn’t it? > > Target shooting is practice for using a weapon. If not, then what you are describing is a recreational device - e.g. a toy, but still not a tool. > > ::: snip :::: OK, lets go with that. My target gun is a toy. Why do you object to my having it? I don’t care what you call it, why do you care what I call it? Why do you care if I have one? It is in the toy aisle & in a locked case. Any problem with that? No one has really said that a firearm lose in the toy aisle is OK. Do we know how it got there from the security cameras, who owns it from serial numbers? ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145/80 "2014-06-10T06:41:38Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > OK, lets go with that. My target gun is a toy. Why do you object to my having it? I don’t. Why do you think that my pointing out that a gun isn’t a tool but rather a weapon means I object to you having one? > [@GusNSpot](#): > > I don’t care what you call it, why do you care what I call it? Because you called it a tool on a public discussion board and I disagree. > [@GusNSpot](#): > > Why do you care if I have one? I don’t. > [@GusNSpot](#): > > It is in the toy aisle & in a locked case. Any problem with that? Not especially. > [@GusNSpot](#): > > No one has really said that a firearm lose in the toy aisle is OK. Agreed. But several comments here have said that anyone could tell the difference, despite it being a plastic gun in a toy aisle, and you and others have indicated that anyone who couldn’t tell the difference is woefully uneducated and/or inexperienced with firearms when that is most certainly not the case. Even the guard who found it stated that he had no idea it was a real gun until he popped the clip and found real ammo inside. > [@GusNSpot](#): > > Do we know how it got there from the security cameras, who owns it from serial numbers? Yes, the last known registered owner of the gun has been identified and security camera footage of the person who left it in the store has been published. The gun is a hi-point 9mm plastic handgun. A true, monumental, piece of crap. No serious gun enthusiast or concealed weapon permit holder would use one even as a backup to their backup. It is a cheap, $150 killing machine with no value to any sportsman, target shooter, hunter, law enforcement or otherwise. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guns-in-the-toys-how-sick-can-these-individuals-be/690145.md?page=5)