However, he said he didn't criticise the Education Department for banning the activity, saying if children wished to participate in it then parents could take them themselves.

The department has come under fire from laser tag businesses, for its decision to include laser tag as one of a number of activities it deems unsuitable for school excursions.

The policy, published on the department's website and effective from January, lists "shooting and any use of firearms (including combat sport, paintball, laser tag and other weapons-based real-life action games) as one of nine activities unsuitable for school excursions.

Other activities it deems unsuitable under the policy include bungee jumping, canyoning, caving (for primary and secondary students), hang gliding, parachuting or skydiving, flying ultralight aircraft, quad bike riding and flyboarding (air and water).

The document states a review of unsuitable activities is carried out "as circumstances warrant."

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Mr Kearney said while he understood the department needed to be clear on the issue, consultation with the wider community may have got the message across more clearly.

"There are real concerns about guns...that's going back years," he said.

While he hadn't thought about laser tag specifically, Mr Kearney said there was a case to say that maybe it wasn't necessary for a school context.

He said children gravitated towards imaginary gunplay, but it was something that didn't need to be encouraged.

"If you give a boy a stick, he will more often than not pretend its a weapon, or a gun," he said.

The policy has been criticised by North-West laser tag operator Sandra Fordham, who said while she understood the department's desire to meet community expectations but did not agree with the classification.

She said for laser tag to be classified as an activity that promoted violence suggested a lack of research.

"It is not a gun and we certainly don't promote violence or aggression," she said.

Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff defended the department's decision on Monday but said parents and carers could ultimately decide what they do outside of school hours.

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