Having been a kid during that era, I can attest that virtually no one lost eye or limb from the use of these BB and pellet guns. In fact, fear of possibly inflicting such damage was a core part of our training in the use of these devices. It was a rite of passage that young people were taught proper use of, and respect for the dangers of mishandling, firearms and these beginner-level ersatz firearms. While I agree that Korea and Vietnam were unjustified aggressions, I believe we would have lost far more of our young Americans had they not had the firearms-handling training that was so common back then.