When kids pretend to kill

Banning play shoot-outs can be counterproductive, according to psychologists, even if some parents think this behaviour can be dangerous. — Rik Rey/Westend61/dpa

They pull the trigger on a toy gun, or maybe it’s just a stick they pretend is a gun, and shout “Bang, bang!”

Their playmate, and make-believe victim, is then supposed to fall down and play dead.