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Sep 9, 2009 10:40 pm US/Central Air Rifles And BB Guns: Toys Or Weapons? SEND A TIP TO THE 2 INVESTIGATORS Reporting Dave Savini CHICAGO (CBS) ― Just a few hours ago a Naperville high school student was arrested for shooting a BB gun at students from Chrone middle school. Fortunately no one was hurt. Not the same can be said for one Glen Ellyn woman who had a BB pellet pulled out of her heart. That's why there is a growing call to have BB guns and air rifles regulated like handguns. CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini takes a...

Despite years of enforcement stings, many New York stores still aren't complying with state rules banning the sale of toy guns that could be confused with the real thing, state officials said Tuesday. (NOT PHOTOSHOP)

They not only go after the 2nd amendment, they wanna ban those toy guns too, no word on if the supersoaker 300 is on the list....

TEHRAN, IRAN - A Mousavi supporter holds a toy gun in his hand to intimidate police and militia during a demonstration on June 20, 2009 in Tehran, Iran.

Authorities said a 15-year-old boy playing "cops and robbers" with a toy gun was shot and wounded by a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who mistook it for the real thing.

A 12-year-old boy had to surrender his toy rifle to police amid tight security around the Queen's visit to church at Sandringham. Jacob Young said he handed in the wooden weapon so he could see the Queen without giving her or her bodyguards any cause for concern. He said: "When I got to the park gates I handed my gun to the policeman and he hung it on the fence. "I didn't want anybody to think I wanted to shoot the Queen. I didn't mind handing in my gun. I knew it would be safe with the police."

Concerns that realistic-looking toy weapons are confusing police and threatening safety have led 15 states to try going beyond gun control and cracking down on fake firearms. ... Lawmakers across the country are coming to a different conclusion, deciding that it is so hard to differentiate the toys from the fakes that public safety demands they take action. ...from prohibiting imitation firearms in vehicles to banning the toys from convenience stores.

In Orange County, Florida a third grader has been suspended for taking a toy gun to school. http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080130/BREAKINGNEWS/80130022/1086/BREAKING The Sunset Park Elementary School student has been suspended for three days after the teacher found a gun in his backpack. The teacher apparently heard the student bragging about the gun to a classmate. The toy gun is described as having an orange tip that "is similar to a real pellet gun." >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> And for those of you who missed the Information Overload hour yesterday, a government high school in Fayette County, Georgia has one bathroom for 1,300 students. http://www.thecitizen.com/~citizen0/node/24943 School officials...

Boys' learning 'helped by toy guns' 31 December 2007 Boys' learning is aided by playing with toy weapons and should not be discouraged at nursery schools, the government has claimed. In new guidance on the issue of boys' education, the government has claimed that development in boys is improved when they are allowed to play and act out their games. The guidance says that staff should resist the 'natural instinct' to stop boys from playing with weapons, although this has been criticised by a number of groups, which have claimed that toy guns and weapons are a symbol of aggression....

  Experts say toy guns are 'good'   'Learning aid' ... boy with toy gun By ALEX WEST Published: Today   TEACHERS yesterday blasted experts who say encouraging kids to play with toy guns fires their interest in learning. Nursery staff have been advised to resist their “natural instinct” to stop boys playing with weapons in games with other toddlers. Government guidance says: “Creating situations so that boys’ interests in these forms of play can be fostered through healthy and safe risk-taking will enhance every aspect of their learning and development.” But teachers have slammed the Department for Children,...

Boys should be allowed to play with toy weapons at nursery, according to government advice that contradicts guidance from police and teachers. Ministers do not mention toy guns specifically but they claim that some form of “weapons play” could help to engage boys in education. However, teachers said that the guidance, published today, had no basis in educational practice, could encourage aggression among pupils and would anger and confuse parents. Children have been suspended from school previously, or even arrested, when caught playing with toy guns. The advice, from the Department for Children, Schools and Families, says that nursery staff...

Legos — they're not just for good kids anymore. A book written by two former employees of the Danish plastic-brick giant is burning up the Amazon.com sales charts — and raising eyebrows on the other side of the Atlantic. "Forbidden LEGO: Build the Models Your Parents Warned You Against" was published in August by No Starch Press, a small independent publishing house based in San Francisco. Its authors, Ulrik Pilegaard and Mike Dooley, both worked at the Lego Mindstorms robotics division before leaving to join an independent robotics firm. "You'll learn to create working models that LEGO would never endorse,"...

City Wide Youth Leadership Agency's William Mackey spends a lot of time talking about toys, but he isn't playing around. He and other anti-violence advocates believe children playing with fake guns can potentially turn into a game of life or death, and Mackey's group is dedicated to boycotting stores who carry them. "This is very, very important," Mackey said. "Philadelphia's streets are a bloodbath." With the holiday season right around the corner -- and people already shopping for presents -- Mackey and his friends want stores that carry toy guns to hear their message. He and others promise to not...

A policeman was criticised yesterday after he ordered an eight-year-old boy to smash up his toy gun – because it was an "imitation firearm". The officer confronted Samuel England, of Pinehurst, Swindon, Wilts, as he played with the black and orange plastic toy outside his home. He told the boy to destroy the "weapon" or he would be arrested. Samuel's stepfather, John Standen, 34, came to his aid but was warned it was an offence to have an imitation firearm in public. The officer only left when Mr Standen had snapped the toy in half – leaving Samuel in tears....

Mattel Tommy Burst TV commercial 1960s!When Guns Were Fun (starring Billy Mumy of Lost In Space)INDIAN RIFLE GUNS by MATTEL TOYSFanner 50 cap gun commercial ( Mattel )

A New Jersey senator wants to make it illegal to sell or give to anyone under age 18 toy guns that look so realistic they can be mistaken for a real firearm. "The margin between a child's stupid mistake and a tragic ending is far too thin," said Sen. Nicholas Scutari. Scutari, D-Union, introduced the proposal in late June and plans to push it when the Legislature reconvenes late this year. He said the bill stems from an incident in a Union Township where four students were suspended after bringing a cap gun to school. "We need to stress to...

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's family Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have banned their children from watching their violent movies. The lovers, who met playing weapon-wielding assassins in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith', have also banned their brood from playing with toy guns because they don't want them exposed to violence. A source told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "Angelina is protecting them from seeing her make violence look good."Most of her successful roles have had her waving weapons and getting violent. "Brad, 43, and Angelina, 31, are currently in Prague, where Angelina is filming 'Wanted', alongside Morgan Freeman and James McAvoy.'Wanted'...

Dallas may drop the hammer on toy guns Safety panel vote puts city closer to adopting strict ordinance 11:10 PM CDT on Monday, August 7, 2006 By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News They're Americana slipped into the holsters of little boys in cowboy hats. But after a 7-1 vote by the City Council's public safety committee, Dallas is closer than ever to passing one of the nation's strictest ordinances regulating the sale and possession of toy guns. The committee directed City Attorney Tom Perkins to craft an ordinance that would ban all toy guns except those painted a...

LONDONERS began a citywide role playing game where people roam the capital to shoot each other with water pistols - and police warned that contestants might be committing criminal offences. "StreetWars" have already taken place in New York, Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Vienna - described on their website by tournament organisers as "A three week long, 24/7, watergun assassination tournament". As part of the game, participants are handed a manila envelope containing the details of their "target", including their name, home and work addresses, along with a picture, and are assigned with the task of "assassinating" them with...

Israel, Palestinians Must Outlaw Children Toy GunsBy Joel Leyden Israel News AgencyJerusalem----February 18.....Nothing can be more tragic than to witness a child die. Whether from cancer or a car accident, a young son or daughter should naturally live out their lives for many decades. But for children living in a war zone, death has become a way of live - and it shouldn't. For 12-year-old Mujahed Al Samadi, life ended quickly with a bullet to his chest from an Israel Defense Forces sniper who mistook his toy gun for the real thing. Was the IDF soldier wrong in pressing the...

Rep. Linda Chapa Lavia Seeks Statewide Ban on Water Pistols, Says ISRA 1/25/2006 11:00:00 AM To: State Desk Contact: Richard Pearson of the Illinois State Rifle Association, 815-635-3198, Website: http://www.isra.org SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Jan. 25 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA): "What kind of nut would want to ban squirt guns?" That's the question that tens of thousands of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners are asking today after it was revealed that Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia (D-Aurora) has co-sponsored a measure that would ban the possession of everything from water pistols to hunting...

For kids, Christmas means toys. For boys in particular, the hottest toys often have a martial theme — BB guns, army men, light sabers and the like. But this Christmas season, some parents trudging to the malls for G.I. Joes have had to meet the politically correct platoons now infiltrating the local Toys R' Us. Code Pink, a leftist women's outfit that's a fixture at antiwar rallies, is taking a break from protesting real conflict in Iraq to campaign against so-called "war toys." As the Pink website warns: "Every holiday season manufactures prey on our children with pro-war propaganda disguised...

A seven year old Suffolk student is in big trouble for brandishing a toy gun while on his school bus. According to Suffolk police, the seven year old was riding bus 194 down Shoulders Hill Road, on his way to Florence Bowser Elementary, when the other students noticed he had a gun. The bus driver pulled the bus over and took the first graders backpack which had the gun inside. Police identified it as a toy gun, but the penalties for having a toy weapon, can be as severe as having the real thing. Like most schools, Suffolk has a...

They're going to be destroying guns in Providence today -- toy guns, that is. The Attorney General's Office is holding another "Toy Gun Bash" at one p-m. Kids will get free toys in exchange for destroying their toy guns in a machine called the "Bash-O-Matic." And they'll also be able to challenge Attorney General Patrick Lynch in a three-point shooting contest. The Bash-o-Matic was designed and built by students at the Rhode Island School of Design. The Attorney General's Criminal Prosecution Unit organized the event along with the U-S Attorney's Office, the city of Providence and other departments and agencies.

I must confess that it's probably been two decades since I've done any Christmas shopping for kids. So I was a bit taken aback when I visited ShopKo last week - searching for an action toy for my 4-year-old grandson - and happened upon a black soft air rifle that fires plastic BBs and bears a striking resemblance to an assault weapon. Yes, the same kind of assault weapon that gangs have used to gun down police. (Actually, it wasn't a total surprise: Several weeks earlier, a reader had called and suggested I check out some of the sophisticated fake...

I want to buy my five year old grandson a western outfit and a real cap gun for Christmas. I can't find a cap gun. I was politely told in ToysrUs that they didn't carry anything that dangerous. For heaven's sake, what is dangerous about caps? My brothers used them at an early age. When I do a google search, I am offered 'clickable' guns, but not the real thing. Anyone have any information on this gun control?

SA official in toy gun stand-off A South Africa government official was held at gunpoint for over four hours on Wednesday by a man frustrated at waiting for an identity document. Police admitted later that the gun used in the hold-up was in fact a toy. The employee was taken hostage at the Johannesburg Home Affairs office about 1500 local time (1300 GMT). A large police contingent arrived at the scene. A man was arrested at the scene and is due to appear in court on Thursday. But he got his document in the end. The drama started when the...

YOUR SAY: Why I believe in toy rifles Last weekend a call was made by the Chief Constable of Manchester for a complete ban to be imposed upon all toy guns being sold in the shops during the run-up to Christmas, writes Mick Cole of The Square, Kenilworth. Though this was immediately echoed by the doom-and-gloom brigade, it has also been viewed as an imposition of the 'nanny state' by consumer groups. Little boys have been playing at cowboys and indians, cops and robbers and soldiers for centuries and in the absence of toy guns have fashioned imitations from tree...

Oh, I am enraged.I went to Target (TARGET, of all places!) to purchase the last few things I needed to finish off my toddler son's Halloween costume. He's going to be a cowboy -- jeans, boots, flannel shirt, leather vest, sherrif's star, hat...and little gunbelts, if I can actually ever GET them.Because Target doesn't carry "gun-based toys." According to the employee (and manager) I asked, it's "socially irresponsible" to expose kids to guns.MEANWHILE, they have about eighty damn copies of "Grand Theft Auto.""Socially irresponsible."Anyone have any ideas where I can get cowboy accessories?

Boy, 10, held for firing a toy weapon Sep 29 2005 By Stephanie Turner A YOUNG boy was arrested and put in a police cell for six hours after brandishing a £5 plastic toy gun in the playground of his Smallfield school. Elaine Hampson, headteacher at Burstow School, in Wheelers Lane, contacted the police after the youngster fired the imitation weapon during a break. He was later arrested because the pellet had hit another pupil. Owen Smith has now been temporarily excluded from the school and a letter has been sent to all parents explaining the situation. The boy's father,...

Program teaches dangers of firearms David Casey 04/01/2005 CENTRAL FALLS -- It’s been in the pipeline for awhile but the city’s first-ever Toy Gun Bash, an anti-gun violence event sponsored by Attorney General Patrick Lynch, will go off without a bang on Saturday, April 2. Channel One Director Angelo Garcia, who spent months coordinating the event with the Attorney General’s office, local police and various anti-violence organizations, said the program is an opportunity to teach children and parents about the dangers of real firearms, while showing them fun and practical alternatives to "violent" and "competitive" play -- nipping the problem...

My daughter orders some baby clothes from this company in Florida. Although she did NOT order the t-shirt in question, she received the following email: From: "Johnnie Boden" To: Subject: Apology Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2005 16:32:15 -0000 Dear Customer I am writing to apologise. We feature a T shirt in our new Mini Boden catalogue with an image of a toy gun (Sheriff T Shirt). Many of you have contacted us about this. I don't want you to think we are an irresponsible organisation. I founded this company to create clothing ranges that captured a spirit of fun, honesty,...

GLADSTONE, Mo. -- A fifth-grader learned a lesson the hard way, and he said he was trying to do a good deed. Frasier McCart said he was waiting for the bus when he discovered what looked like a handgun. It was bent open. The 10-year-old put it in his bag, bent open, and rode the bus to school. He then went straight to the principal's office and turned the gun in. He got a day of detention for bringing it onto school property. "I'm a citizen trying to do a good deed," Frasier said. "I'm a Scout who knows that...

Toy Guns Pulled From Costume Shop Shelves Thousands of toy guns that were for sale in costume and novelty shops in New York state have been removed as part of a settlement between the state attorney general's office and two national wholesalers, the New York Times reported Dec. 20.Attorney General Eliot Spitzer had accused the wholesalers of distributing 12,000 toy guns in 2001 in violation of a state law which previously had applied only to retailers. New York State bans the sale of toy guns in stores unless they have a permanent orange stripe running down both sides of...

December 23, 2004 Christmas Armaments My Christmas quest was simple enough: buy toy cowboy guns for my boys. Caleb and Eli have boots and hats, bandanas and sheriff's badges. But they don't have holsters and guns. Without those critical components, however, you've really just got yourself a Village People costume. We've made do until now with two wooden pistols that were originally designed to shoot rubber bands. But I wanted to get them shiny cowboy guns, the kind that make a little boy's heart race, that turn a bad guy's legs to jelly, and that give a damsel that funny...

ALBANY — A settlement with major national wholesalers has pulled thousands of toy guns that violate New York state law from shelves, many of them from a new target — costume shops. The wholesalers were estimated to have distributed more than 12,000 toy guns in 2001 alone in violation of a state law that previously had been applied only to retailers. The settlement with New York state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's office is different from past actions in that it targets wholesalers and companies that specialize not in toys, but costume props and novelties. Spitzer said the distributors sold toy...

NOVEMBER 30--A New York woman who briefly worked as a nanny for Don Imus has sued the radio host for wrongful termination, claiming she was canned for bringing a harmless cap gun and pocketknife with her during a trip last Thanksgiving to the family's sprawling New Mexico ranch. Nichole Mallette, 24, also claimed in her New York State Supreme Court lawsuit, a copy of which you'll find below, that she was defamed when Imus later announced on his program that he had been forced to "disarm" his nanny, whom he labeled as dangerous and a "terrorist." In her complaint, filed...

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Just in time for the holidays, a consumer group announced its pick for the 10 worst toys of 2004 Wednesday, including the Pocket Rocket Miniature Motorcycle and the Megabuster Battle Weapon. The toy industry responded by saying that products on such lists almost always end up meeting U.S. safety standards, and companies reiterated that their toys passed numerous safety tests. The list also included Imaginarium Police Car Building Blocks, Dress Me Paz, Fun Slides Carpet Skates, Air Burst Rockets, the 38" Playtime Trampoline, Happy Birthday Bear, Parents Magazine Mirror Pound-A-Ball and the 3 Gun Squad Set...

Two-year-old twins from the UK had their plastic toy swords seized at a French airport, say their parents. Olivia and Eva Ryan, from Luton, Beds, were waiting with their parents to check in at Charles de Gaulle Airport after a trip to EuroDisney. The children's father, Peter Ryan, said French officials classed the swords as replica weapons. He said the family tried to stress they went with Peter Pan outfits and would be difficult to replace. Mr Ryan told the BBC: "When the swords were taken away the children burst into tears. "She (my partner) was absolutely furious. "But I...

An Arkansas school teacher who gave her students a fish-shaped water gun is under fire from a parent who says she disapproves of weapons in her house, reports KPOM-TV in Ft. Smith, Ark. The teacher at an elementary school in Rogers, Ark., gave her students the squirter following a lesson about animals in the rain forest. School officials say she feels horrible about the entire situation and didn't mean to offend anyone. The parent who complained, Karen Young, doesn't want fish-shaped toy guns in her house because she accidentally shot an ex-boyfriend one time when the gun she was beating...

An Arkansas school teacher who gave her students a fish-shaped water gun is under fire from a parent who says she disapproves of weapons in her house, reports KPOM-TV in Ft. Smith, Ark. The teacher at an elementary school in Rogers, Ark., gave her students the squirter following a lesson about animals in the rain forest. School officials say she feels horrible about the entire situation and didn't mean to offend anyone. The parent who complained, Karen Young, doesn't want fish-shaped toy guns in her house because she accidentally shot an ex-boyfriend one time when the gun she was beating...

Inbreeding Proves StupidityMonday, May 31 @ 09:24:35 Teacher Gives Students Toys - Mother Calls Them Toy GunsArkansas NBC A Rogers mother says she's upset after her first grader came home with a toy gun. Karen Young says her 7 year old came home with what she called a water gun on the last day of school. Young asked her child where it came from. He told her that his teacher gave it to him. Young says she considers the teacher an excellent educator but says this was a really bad decision on the teacher' part. Assistant school superintendent Dr....

I've got a question for all the shootists and 2A guys out there...I've got a young (8 month old) son, and I want "Short Cut" to grow up right as regards firearms. The way I started, and as many of us did, was with toy guns. Many hours of my childhood were spent playing Soldier, Cops-n-robbers, and other games with my friends. My dad never, however, hesitsted to teach me NEVER to point my toys at other people (well, him and mom, anyway.) So, what I want to know is, are ANY companies still making toy guns that at least...

<p>Five-year-old Martin Patiño threw his toy machine gun into a trashcan marked "armas no," Spanish for "no guns," and he promptly picked up a coloring book to replace it.</p> <p>Martin was one of about 30 Alisal Community School kindergartners from four classes Wednesday who traded in their fake guns for gentle toys such as stuffed animals and Play-Doh.</p>

Three boys were suspended for bringing to school miniature toy guns from G.I. Joe action figures. The toys are about one to three inches – about half the size of a pencil – but Bemiss Elementary School in Spokane, Wash., says it stands by its zero-tolerance policy on weapons, which does not specify the type or size, the Spokane Spokesman-Review reported. "We've been very clear with our students and parents that you don't bring anything that resembles a gun to school," Bemiss Principal Lorna Spear told the paper. The mother of one of the boys, Terry Wilson-Spence, called their suspension...

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Three third-grade boys who brought tiny action figure toy guns to school received one-day suspensions for violating the Spokane School District's zero-tolerance weapons policy. District officials said the suspensions Tuesday also were given because the 2-inch-long GI Joe toys violated a policy against bringing toys to school. "They don't need toys during the school day. If kids are playing with toys, they are not attending to school," Bemiss Elementary School Principal Lorna Spear said. Spear called two of the boys' parents Tuesday and met with another and agreed on the disciplinary actions. Two boys, who allegedly used...

Those of us who remember life in America after World War II, and before the 60's cultural revolution, fondly reminisce over how different life was then. Doors were often left unlocked; women and children were generally safe on the streets day or night; you knew your neighbors' names for blocks around; public language and customs were much kinder; and the prevalence of violence we know today was completely unthinkable. To be sure, there were some significant cultural negatives such as blatant racism, etc., but the world here in America generally wore a much, much kinder face. And, of course, virtually...

(12/03/03) WALL - Police in Wall Township say fake guns are creating a serious problem for law enforcement officers in the community. In the past few months, police say they have seen an increase in the number of people carrying toy guns that appear real. Officers are afraid the fake guns may cause them to discharge their weapon on a suspect that is actually unarmed. Wall police have already confiscated five imitation guns including two that belonged to children. In nearby Barnegat, two teenage girls recently robbed a bank after painting the tip of a fake gun so that it...

Rochester, New York-AP -- A costume shop in Rochester, New York, will pay three-thousand dollars in penalties and costs to the state after selling toy guns that violated state law. Officials say the toy guns looked too much like the real thing. The annual toy safety check by the Empire State Consumers Association found several realistic-looking toy guns for sale at Arlene's Costume Shop and reported it to the attorney general's office. Officials say a check showed the toy guns didn't have the required markings that clearly show them to be toys. State law says any toy gun with a...

Iraqi children play with toy guns at a Baghdad market. Iraq's Sunnis and Libyans became the first Muslim communities to kick off the Eid al-Fitr holiday which marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.(AFP/Karim Sahib)