Nothing is stopping them from doing it, which is why when the cops get a report of someone pointing a gun at people they have no choice but to assume it’s real (unless it’s obviously shaped like a super soaker). If the person training their gun-shaped object on passersby points the gun at the cops they usually get shot because the cops aren’t willing to bet their life that it’s not some asshole who put orange acrylic paint on the tip of a real gun.

There are some hobbyists that paint their guns to look like a Nerf gun or a Nintendo gun controller. The general consensus is “it would be stupid to take this out anywhere other than the range”. This is much less common than the opposite: toy or pellet guns that look very realistic.

Proof that if a system or technology exists, nerds will try to run Doom on it.

The ones in their imagination.

Most municipalities have a non-emergency line to handle things like this. Road obstructions, noise complaints, and the like may well be handled by 911 operators, but calls to the non-emergency line are handled as the lowest priority.

I am outraged that - let me check my notes - the EIC of The Verge has published an article partially generated by AI.

And then everyone clapped

Relatively new parent here. I regret to inform you that your hypothesis is incorrect, at least for my kid. He’s still an infant, though and I don’t know if you include kids under 1 in “small children”.

My wife and I only use our phones to track his nap times, take a picture of him occasionally (once a week or so), and make phone calls. He is still magnetically attracted to them. If you leave one sitting on a surface he can reach he will go for it and start trying to get it to light up on the lock screen. This is especially frustrating for my wife and I as we intend to restrict screen time as much as possible through early childhood.

Even removing social pressures and constructs around phones they are little boxes with moving lights on one side that respond to your touch. That’s inherently interesting to children even before they can meaningfully interpret writing or abstract images.

You wouldn’t download a car computer.

It seems like you’re implying that only American children are mean to each other.

The Apple corporation are dicks, so America bad?

Lemmy sure is a trip sometimes.