Double-barrelled toys

Now that it's summer, I'm on the lookout for nonviolent
water toys. They're a lot harder to find than one might think.  If you
look past the brightly colored plastic, all you're left with is mock
weapons: rapid-firing automatics, pistols, double-barreled rifles, AK-47s
and M-16s.

The mixing of fun and violence makes my head hurt. In the
aisle of the toy store, I hear Jesus' soft (or was it harsh?) voice saying,
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God."

I know: they're just toys.  Playing with guns as a
child doesn't necessarily lead to violent behavior as an adult. Still, it
breaks my heart to think about putting a "double-barreled stream-soaking
machine" into my son's hands at the tender age of five, or nine--or 19.