Ways to discourage/redirect a new special interest

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I don't really see the problem. When I was younger they still sold toy guns at KMart.

But there is something far more interesting than guns, and joy of joys, he and his father can build one, and that's called, a trebuchet.

I disagree. Getting shot with a paintball does hurt; it even leaves little bruises, called weals or welts. You can minimize that by playing in cold weather, when you're wearing a sweatshirt, a jacket, and thick pants. (And for males, a protective cup eliminates a lot of worries.) But yes, paintballing is fun. It's like CounterStrike in played in real life, in a very realistic combat setting. You run around, hiding behind trees, fake buildings, and/or barricades, while shooting at other players and avoiding getting shot yourself. I played it as an adult, and it was so much fun. I was so into the game, that I barely felt any pain from getting hit, other than a momentary "ow, I just shot", with all the adrenaline surging. It's very good for people who work a stressful job, since an hour of realistic combat reduces built-up stress dramatically.

At the same time, I disagree with "killing" the other team. Paintball organizations always emphasize the exercise and excitement aspects, rather than violence; they even refer to paintball weapons as "markers", rather than "guns". So the violence aspect is a non-issue, and workers at paintball ranges are very strict about enforcing safety rules.

Look painting balling is not a bad idea but it dose so hurt you get welts all over you by the end of the day.

Boys and guns, oh my!

I learned early on with my son that this was not going to go away, so the focus became context, and not redirection or suppression. I am VERY anti-gun, so this wasn't a shift I made lightly. Turns out he wasn't all that keen about full size toys ones, however; his interest is more conceptual.

It is actually my daughter who owns a toy gun. Nerf. A birthday gift from a friend that is a boy (by then I had loosened up).

Our rules are that the toy gun is only played inside or in our backyard. If it gets taken somewhere, it has to be disassembled and packed into a box. I've told the kids about the accidental shootings, and made it clear I consider these rules sufficiently life and death that breaking them means getting rid of the toy.

It actually makes a really cool self-calming device for our son. Something about focusing to shoot a target that clears his head.

I like the way MomSparky connected the toy to her son's behavior. This is very real world: people who are violent will find their ability to own guns cut off.

Context.