Play and the modern boy

This week apart from nursing an achy hip and sorting out they when  and at point my footie magazines subscription kicks in as it wasn't clear, I have been thinking a bit about  play.
At one time, perhaps when you were younger generally play specifically play for boys was something that you didn't think much over and responsible adults would step in if things were getting out of hand with risk of injury or actual fighting breaking out.
The accept thing was children came up with ideas for playing together perhaps using purpose built play things and adults oversaw it.
In more recent years some adults have started to see things within play that do not fit in with their personal and political with a small 'p' agendas these things from what we'd call play fighting seeing it as encourage aggression rather than as some of us would argue teaching kids to learn self control and the need to hold back. 

One area that unites pacifists, left liberals and feminists is objecting to playing with toy guns- guns that do not fire bullets-and are intended for use in say role playing such as cops and robbers or reenacting things from Westerns such as Cowboys and Indians.
They seem to feel it encourages the idea of using a gun to settle arguments, play at war and see at as not being gender inclusive (although is leaving things boys alone out like actually inclusive?).
Thus it is not uncommon in playgroups, nurseries and schools to find bans on using toy guns and campaigns to persuade stores not to stock them plus celebratory child rearing sorts preaching against.
The thing actually there is plenty of evidence that shows boys do gain a lot from such play and are no more violent than their peers that do not.
What actually matters is how you play because play is social activity that has a few rules in so we all feel good and are safe while doing so.
Thus good parents and educators put more store on teaching responsibility through play so they know what not to do (and why) and as you get a bit older to judge where it is okay to play with toy guns out of doors so you don't alarm and bring unwarranted attention upon yourself.
This was all stuff I and my generation learnt while having fun with our toy guns playing in the garden and in suburban streets.
Let's have childhood back and let boys be boys.