With the tragedy at Sandy Hook (the Connecticut elementary school where a gunman shot and killed 20 children) still fresh on the minds of many, a number of parents are struggling with whether to allow their own children to play with toy guns. Many anti-gun activists argue toy guns can teach the wrong sorts of lessons, and some have gone so far as to launch toy gun exchanges, where kids can turn in their Nerf and water guns for something less provocative such as a hula hoop. “No one is saying that if you play with a toy gun, you’re going to grow up to be a violent killer,” said Jerry Rubin, coordinator for the activist group Allliance for Survival, “but the game is still the same: pretend to kill your friends, pretend to kill your classmates.” If toy sales are any indication, most kids would rather play with toy guns than a hula hoop. Toy gun manufacturers argue their guns aren’t really guns at all. Moreover, they’re promoting active play, and thus are literally more healthy for kids than just sitting around playing video games. Still, none of the buzz seems to help some parents caught in the middle. “I have no idea what I’m going to do when he asks for one,” said New York resident Brooke Berman, who has a 2-year-old son. “My initial impulse is to say: ‘No. We don’t play with guns. They’re not toys; but then, the fact is, they are toys.” (New York Times)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and two children. Follow him on Twitter.