Sure I can take toy guns away from my three year old child - but then he picks up a coat hanger and goes "Bang Bang" with that. God forbid that I ever try to censor his play - which incidentally includes dressing and undressing dolls. How much influence is this likely to have on his future? I can only guess by by own experience. As a kid I loved playing shooting games with my best friend. We both later went to a school run by the Royal Navy, where we handled real guns and shot at least three times a year. I have not handled a gun since then - over thirty years ago - and neither has my friend. We do not wish to either. Most of us know the difference between pretended and real violence. My kids' favourite song is "Froggy Went A Courting". Why? I don't know. Maybe it's because it features an unnatural marriage, a revolting meal and a violent ending...