There was a time when children played cowboys and Indians or cops and robbers and no one got killed. Kids would crook their fingers in the shape of guns and shout out “Pow! Pow! Pow!” as other youngsters would pretend to fall dead … then get right back up and play again. If any of the children had toy guns, they were just that — unmistakably toys.

But during the past several years, it seems, manufacturers have been designing and marketing the toy guns for the mistaken sake of realism and, of course, money. They’ve done their job too well.

Now those toys sometimes look too much like the real thing for anyone’s comfort.

It’s a trend that concerns police departments. Their worry — and we think it’s justified — is that people with fake guns risk getting shot by someone with an actual weapon. A law officer, for example, cannot afford to pause long enough to ensure another person pointing a weapon is not holding the real thing.

In that situation, he who hesitates can truly be lost.

We question the wisdom of any parent buying their son or daughter such realistic-looking guns. The teen or young adult who carries and points fake guns might well appear and feel powerful, especially if they’re pointing them at another human. But those props are no match for the firearm that shoots real bullets that leave real holes behind that really kill.

We urge anyone carrying fake guns for any reason to refrain from treating them as toys because, simply put, your life could be at stake.