Right you are, meself. I grew up watching heroes such as Marshal Dillon go after the bad guys and get them, but he did his best not to have to shoot them and to bring them in for "justice" in court. It seems today's heroes are all about how spectacular the use of violence can be portrayed so that is the main element that little kids take away with them. My grandson knows about the Force and the Light in the Star Wars movies, but he much more enamoured with the light sabres and obliterating the bad guys. I was really happy the other day when he drew me a "nice" robot instead of some vicious automaton; maybe his pacifist grandma will prevail.:-)

A better title for this thread, or subject, might be "Are the kids really safe."

ids and Guns: Key Facts

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      For every child killed with a gun, four are wounded.[2]
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      According to the Centers for Disease Control, the rate of firearm death of children 0-14 years old is nearly twelve times higher in the U.S. than in 25 other industrialized nations combined. The firearm-related homicide rate is nearly 16 times higher for children in the U.S. than in 25 other industrialized countries combined. The suicide rate of children 0-14 years old is twice as high in the U.S. as it is in those same 25 other industrialized countries combined. Interestingly, there is no difference in the non-firearm suicide rate between the U.S. and these other countries. Virtually all the difference is attributable to suicides committed with guns in the U.S.[3]
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      Over 3,500 students were expelled in 1998-99 for bringing guns to school. Of these, 43% were in elementary or junior high school. This means that, in a 40-week school year, an average of 88 children per week nationwide are expelled for bringing a gun in school. And these figures include only the children who get caught.[4]
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      During 1999, 52% of all murder victims under 18 in the U.S. were killed by guns. In 1986, guns were used in 38% of such murders. In 1999, 82% of murder victims aged 13 to 19 years old were killed with a firearm.[5]
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      In 1998, more than 1200 children aged 10-19 committed suicide with firearms. Unlike suicide attempts using other methods, suicide attempts with guns are nearly always fatal, meaning a temporarily depressed teenager will never get a second chance at life. Nearly two-thirds of all completed teenage suicides involve a firearm.[6]
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      In 1998, 3,792 American children and teens (19 and under) died by gunfire in murders, suicides and unintentional shootings.[7] That's more than 10 young people a day.