Should Kids Still Play “Cops And Robbers”?

In Chicago on Saturday a 6 year old boy accidentally shot and killed a 3 year old boy during a game of "Cops & Robbers" with a handgun. Allegedly his 25 year old father had purchased the gun illegally and had it wrapped in a pair of pajamas that were sitting on top of a refrigerator.

When I was a kid we played "Cops & Robbers" and "Cowboys & Indians" with toy guns and no one had a problem with it but times have changed. While violent crime rates nationally have been consistently dropping for the last 3 decades the 24 hour news cycle has brought every accidental shooting, questionable (and not so questionable) police shootings of unarmed citizens and mass murders front and center. The gun control debate has never been as acrimonious as it is in this day and age. Given this context would you still be okay with your kids playing these types of games?

Luckily for me, I have a daughter and this has never been something I've had to think about as a parent. If I had a son though, I think I wouldn't let him play these games and I certainly wouldn't allow toy guns in my home. Not so much as a political statement but because it only takes one trigger happy individual to ruin someone's life. Some will call this the continued pussification of America... I call it common sense.