Kids need to play with guns. They need to handle them, learn to point them, and learn to shoot with them. Parents need to show them their gun (you do know it's a federal law that all males under 45 years old own one, right?) and show them the difference between the toy, and the real thing.
When they are about 7 or 8 for boys and 10-12 for girls, they need to go to the range with their parents and see and hear people shooting. A water balloon example is great, where the balloon explodes when hit, makes a really good impression on what a gun really does. A safety calss should follow on firearms safety in the home and safe shooting with a chance to fire a weapon afterwards. .22's are good for this... light weight, easy to shoot, not so scary.
THIS is how you keep kids from getting hurt with guns. Education, experience, and common sense.
