As a nonparent, am I overreacting?

[spindle92]

So this little 6 yr old boy in the neighborhood received a toy machine gun last week.

This thing looks real and sounds real. He has been running up and down the neighborhood all morning "shooting" at things. It is fucking loud as hell and annoying. My windows are closed and I can hear this thing clear as day.

Would I be overstepping my bounds into crazy neighbor lady if I walk over to his house and ask his parents to keep this obnoxious gun inside?

and for the record, the entire neighborhood is annoyed by this gun. Last week he left it in another neighbors yard and that neighbor grabbed it and hid it in his garage. Not sure how the kid got the gun back but he does.

[ECB]

As a parent, I'd be annoyed by this too. So - not overreacting.

[doriswe]

Yes...sort of! I'd be annoyed as fuck if my neighbor came to me and complained about a noisy toy my kid was using. I'm not saying you can't be annoyed, but there's no neighborhood rule that says kids need to only use quiet toys, kwim? The batteries will die eventually!

ETA: As a parent, there's no way I'd let my kid run wild with a loud, obnoxious, gun.

[tiramisu]

To me it's not just annoying, it's not safe for him. Kids have been shot before when they've had toy guns that looked real. I can't imagine why someone would think it's a good idea to even make a toy gun that looks AND sounds real.

[spindle92]

Sept 11, 2014 12:07:50 GMT -5 tiramisu said:

To me it's not just annoying, it's not safe for him. Kids have been shot before when they've had toy guns that looked real. I can't imagine why someone would think it's a good idea to even make a toy gun that looks AND sounds real.

That is kind of where I was getting at too with the overreacting but didn't write it out.

It has been quiet for about 30 minutes now so maybe it broke.....I can only hope.

[gault]

Not overreacting at all, but I'm not sure I would go over there to confront.

I'd probably just stew on the porch, staring him down.

[SwimDeep]

I don't think you're overreacting. My brothers got BB guns for their birthdays (and then car windows started getting mysteriously blown out...). Certain things wound up on the roof, if you know what I mean

No Regrets Chicken HERE

[awick14]

Non parent here, that would piss me off.

[Deleted]

spindle92
certainly not. one neighbor does not have the right to disturb the neighborhood for any other no matter what the age. its not like they are playing ball, giggling, laughing etc. its a fucking toy machine gun.

having said that i doubt the asshole parents who thought this was a good gift would be reasonable.

[MixedBerryJam]

Not overreacting. Also, when I have seen kids (even kids I do not know) pointing toy guns at living things I have been known to lecture them about never pointing guns at people or animals. I don't know what kind of effect this has on them, but I feel obligation to make sure at least one person tells them this is dangerous, even when it's "only" a toy.

[spindle92]

Update: so last night the neighbor that put the gun in his garage the first time was over last night and I guess the kid left it in his yard again so neighbor put it back in his garage and has no plans on returning it.
So we shall see.

[Deleted]

Sept 15, 2014 9:13:16 GMT -5 spindle92 said:

Update: so last night the neighbor that put the gun in his garage the first time was over last night and I guess the kid left it in his yard again so neighbor put it back in his garage and has no plans on returning it.
So we shall see.

Does he have a basement?
I'd put it where no one would ever see it again! Like my fireplace