There’s something to be said for a gun that looks and handles like the real thing, but isn’t. For example, many are proponents of airsoft weapons for additional training. Especially for stuff inside the house where you don’t want to accidentally fire a real weapon.

However, there’s also reason to be a little cautious with these things as well. See, it’s not just adults getting these realistic weapons. It’s also kids.

Now, that’s fine. I had them as a kid and so did a lot of my peers. Most of us never had an issue with them. Unfortunately, that’s no universally true.

An Ohio police department is now trying to warn parents about them.

Euclid police issued a plea to parents after officers recovered a “replica” gun from a 13-year-old boy.

“PLEASE teach your children that ALL guns are dangerous and they should NOT be played with in our streets!”

According to Euclid police, the seemingly-real firearm and other illegal items were seized from a 13-year-old boy on Wednesday.

The department posted a side-by-side photo on their Facebook page.

This is, of course, why parents need to be careful with these guns. Restrict where your kid carries one of these. Now, I’m not going to say kids shouldn’t play with them at all, but let’s also remember that Tamir Rice was killed while handling a realistic looking toy.

See, when police see something that looks like a gun pointing at them, they’re not going to play around. Neither will an armed citizen. The standard is whether a reasonable person would fear for their life in that moment, and if it looks like a real gun, you will.

The thing is, no one wants to see children be shot. No one at all.

I’m an advocate for toy guns for our kids. I bought them for both my son and my daughter. I used them to teach the basics of gun safety well before it was time to put their hands on an actual firearm.

However, I also make sure they understood not to even remotely point it at a police officer as well as to follow any police instructions.

Look, I’m not saying that every kids gets killed with a gun like this. I’m not even saying that Tamir Rice necessarily deserved to be shot. I’m simply saying that when armed individuals see a gun-shaped object pointing at them, they’re not going to example the fine details to determine if it’s real or not. They’re going to act as if it’s real.

If you don’t want that to be your kid, don’t let them run around town with a toy that looks that realistic.

That said, I need to address this bit as well:

PLEASE teach your children that ALL guns are dangerous and they should NOT be played with in our streets!

On this, I’m curious if they’re calling this a gun because it’s airsoft or whether they mean for this to apply to any toy gun.

If it’s because it’s airsoft and thus fires a projectile, I can understand their point. To some extent, anyway.

If not, then they need to step the hell off. Children need to play, and yeah, that includes with toy guns.