We didn’t give them any toy guns for a while. Feeding my two boys (2yo) and my wife turns around and they had each taken a slice of cheese, bit a piece out in the shape of a pistol and where gesturing at each other yelling pee-eww.
No realistic looking toy guns ever. They learned from when they could talk that they could not touch a gun unless I gave it to them. It became a privilege when they passed a written test showing the parts of a gun and the safety rules. They all respect but do not fear them.
We started with a BB gun in the back yard shooting water bottles. You saw the light come on when the first one to empty his water bottle was the winner. One shot the same hole in the middle and the other shifted his point of aim to the bottom of the bottle. We upgraded to a cut down 22LR on iron sights. We would put a golf ball on the ground and use a 25rd clip and see whose ball got the farthest. More lights come on. Sight picture, adjustment for increasing range, watching the impact, and choosing where to aim(top=fwd spin, bottom=backspin). Graduated from there to the fixed power scope. They liked the 44 special pistol but never the auto. My bride on the other hand... makes one hole targets with the 1911.
️LAY PIG
