Boston bans realistic-looking toy guns in public spaces

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh on Monday signed an ordinance banning realistic-looking toy guys in public, saying that replica firearms were increasingly being used in real crimes and raised the risks of police officers firing on an unarmed person.

The goal is to make residents, particularly young people, aware of the dangers of replica handguns – which can be mistaken for real guns. The owners will be able to retrieve them at a later time at local police stations.

“Theres too many of these so-called toys out there that can really put our children’s life in danger”, said Police Commissioner William B. Evans said as Walsh signed the ordinance at Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury.

The Boston City Council approved the ordinance on October 28.

“It is up to us to work together as a community on every angle of the gun issue to keep our neighborhoods safe”, said Mayor Walsh. Offenders under 18 will have their parents contacted.

The ban will let police confiscate any authentic-looking replica handgun not clearly marked as a fake by a federally mandated orange or red tip on the muzzle.
Police also will be required to notify the parent of any juvenile caught with a replica gun. BPD will not release a replica handgun directly to the minor.

Cleveland saw a wave of protests a year ago after a police officer fatally shot a 12-year-old boy who was carrying a toy gun, though an outside review last month found the shooting was a reasonable response to a perceived threat. “It just takes one incident.
Obviously, we’ve been lucky”.