yeah it is kinda weird that they use explosives instead of guns, but i think they probably did it so it be less like reality and more like fantasy. crazy explosions and explosive weapons are not something you see everyday, they are the stuff of action movies. and so explosions and explosive weapons are associated with fantasy, while guns have a more prominent (and dangerous) role in everyday life. and i suppose nintendo doesnt want to give the message that playing with guns is fun or cool or anything like that, so not having snake with guns doesnt associate guns with smash, and therefore guns with fun.
yeah, nintendo does not want to be a bad influence to teens. When a teen holds a gun, the results could be destructive. It could lead to suicide or murder. The teen stage is a time full of angst and Nintendo would not want teens to become engrossed in them. That's why most FPS games are M. Secondly, explosives couldn't be obtained by teens in normal conditions. Explosives however look fun to look at. Pyrotechnics is actually fun to learn. However dangerous, it does not give the immediate bad influence a gun has.
