[redleggedfrog]

As a North American (Portland, OR) I can tell you me and all my friends and family kids of the 1970's had swords, shields, and guns. My uncle even made me, out of wood, a very authentic WW II M1 rifle and a .50 cal machine gun with tripod so we could play war more accurately in our numerous foxholes we'd dug around the farm. I loved those toys. I still have my childhood plywood shield. It's barely holding together.

None of those friends and family own guns (or swords, heh) as adults. I've never even fired a pistol in real life. We all skew fairly left and would favor a lot more gun control. I'm a supporter of the military and our troops, but I worry about us sending them all over the place for who knows what end. It takes a heavy toll on us and them.

I honestly don't think having weapons as toys has much affect on you as an adult. It's all fun and games until you're old enough to learn some history and actually comprehend the horrors of war, and then you can only look back fondly on those innocent days.