Kindergartner Goes on McDonald’s Shooting Spree

It was a busy lunch time at the McDonald’s PlayPlace when a young boy fired his first shot toward the play structure where a crowd of children ranging from 3-6 years old were playing. He then opened fire on the dining room patrons before bringing his reign of terror up into the play structure, where he fired up the bottom of the slide, hoping to take other children by surprise as they came down the slide.

His mother shouted, “Good job” after a particularly well-aimed shot.

You didn’t hear about this on the national news because the kindergartner was firing a dart gun, not a lethal weapon. But that still doesn’t show a great deal of responsibility from the mother.

I may get a lot of flak for this, but I’m calling foul on the irresponsibility of letting your child bring a dart gun to McDonald’s, or any other such public place.

Other kids can get hurt. Sure, they’re foam darts. But seriously, cheering on your child while he fires indiscriminantly into a crowded room where preschoolers are running around is a recipe for disaster. Not to mention the pending short-range disaster when you ignore the fact that your child is firing darts up the slide. You’ll shoot someone’s eye out, kid!

Irresponsible gun use. Obviously this kid is not being taught a healthy respect for guns. I understand that not every child is forbidden to play with toy guns, but those who are should be taught not to point guns – even toy guns – at any living thing. Especially into a crowd of children.

Bad precedent. I don’t want a kid thinking it’s okay to shoot at other kids. What happens when the kid gets his own bebe gun? Or his father takes him hunting with a real gun? Will he understand the difference? And what about the other kids? I don’t want my son to think it’s okay for another kid to walk around pointing a gun and shooting at other kids like it’s no big deal. When kids kill kids in school shooting sprees, I want my son’s first instinct to be to run and tell an adult when he sees a kid with a gun. I don’t want him thinking, “Oh, maybe it’s just a toy. It’ll be okay.”

Since the mom seemed to think that her kid was fine shooting at other kids up in the play structure, I didn’t let my son play up there until he came down. He only came down because we had a McDonald’s employee tell the mother he couldn’t have the gun up there. (Toys of any kind are not supposed to be in the play structure.)

The kid sat at the table with a scowl on his face, brandishing the weapon as if ready to shoot anyone who walked by. He decided to sit at the table and hold the gun instead of going up to play without it. What was most disturbing was that he seemed to be holding it like a real gun, the way they hold automatic weapons in realistic video games and movies.

The mom glared at my mother; she figured out it was my mom who “told” on her kid.

I really hope the kid doesn’t grow up to be a disgruntled, angry child who doesn’t get enough attention from his mom, so he goes on a shooting rampage like Columbine or Virginia Tech.

If you let your child play with toy weapons at home, that’s your decision. But be responsible about it. Teach your child to respect guns, not to point them at other people (or animals), and that there is a time and a place to play with toy guns… a crowded fast food restaurant is not one of those places.

Agree or disagree? Leave a comment.

Christina Gleason (976 Posts)

That’s me: Christina Gleason. I’m a writer, editor, and disability advocate. I'm a multiply disabled autistic lady doing my best in this world built for abled people. I’m a geek for grammar, fantasy, and casual gaming. I hate vegetables. I cannot reliably speak, so I’ll happily conduct business over email or messaging instead.