I know this issue is not novel, but I am beyond sick of cartoon characters toting guns.

Today my kids were watching the Jetix channel, which airs superhero shows like Spiderman, Batman and Superman. All three shows are rated TV-Y7. According to TV Guidelines.org, a TV-Y7 is “Directed to Older Children. This program is designed for children age 7 and above. It may be more appropriate for children who have acquired the developmental skills needed to distinguish between make-believe and reality. Themes and elements in this program may include mild fantasy violence or comedic violence, or may frighten children under the age of 7. Therefore, parents may wish to consider the suitability of this program for their very young children.”

I am more hardcore about cartoon content and do not let my kids, ages 6 and 3, watch Jetix. But my husband beat me to it and had it on for them when I came down for breakfast. He’s of the opinion that kids are going to see violence anyway; let’s let them see it in the home and talk about it there and they’ll be fine. I’m okay with that opinion, but in my house, three-year-olds do not watch violence. Period. So I usually win.

Anyway, as I reached for the remote to turn the channel to the never-offensive Noggin, two bad guys in the Batman show the kids were watching busted out machine guns — MACHINE GUNS! — and starting shooting all over like mad. I couldn’t get the channel off fast enough and then huffed and puffed for twenty minutes about the state of the world today. Then I called my friend and we both bemoaned the state of the world today, while my boys watched “Peep” instead.

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