Cleats by Bill Hinds for October 16, 2024

Bubble gum cigars were popular in our neighborhood in ’52

There are huge airsoft tournaments around here. Google Berget Events

I’d hate to see how Deena would react to Jack possessing a squirt gun or a Nerf gun.

I have an air soft gun that looks like a submachine gun. It has a rotary magazine. It fires 200 rounds in full auto mode.

Never heard of airsoft guns. Played with toy six-shooters all the time as a kid, and with bean guns in middle school. Never owned or was tempted by actual firearms. So toy guns don’t seem foreboding in themselves to me, but I don’t know, maybe they should.

You would prefer violent video games or movies instead? What about television-“Game of Thrones”, “The Soprano’s”, or currently “The Penguin”?

What I’m hearing is: she doesn’t trust her son.

We had both playbguns and candy cigarettes and yet somehow I grew up to be a non smoker and non gun owner.

Yep and some of that shredded bubble gum that mimics chewing tobacco.

Stop neutering our boys and men. Peanuts cartoons today showed them playing cowboys and using cap guns. We grew up with this stuff and turned out fine. We had gun clubs in school and I remember all the boys bringing their BBguns and rifles. Boys need outlets like range shooting, martial arts, etc.. This teaches respect and discipline. Schools cut back on recesses, playground use, certain sports like dodgeball, etc.. Then drug them up with Ritalin stating that the kids are ADHD. No, they need to burn that energy off.