Detroit wants to outlaw toy guns.

They want to go after people who remove the red markings from their toy guns to make them look real.

Toy Guns Becoming A Criminal Offense?

State lawmakers are currently reviewing legislation that targets the use of certain toy guns. A planned proposal before the Senate would make it a crime to possess a toy gun that has its required markings removed or by having a real gun that is made up to look like a toy.

Supporters of the proposed legislation have also cited a recent case where a police officer was forced to shoot a gang member who was aiming a toy gun without its required markings. Jones believes this proposal will be vital in preventing incidents such as this from occurring in the future.

If the legislation is passed, people who possess these toy guns and use it to commit a felony, would be punishable for up to 18 months behind bars and be subject to fines.

CBS Local

Is this really necessary? It seems it only takes effect AFTER the toy gun has been used to commit a felony in which case, they would already be facing serious charges. Why tack on another charge for the TOY gun? They must have some prisons that are under-filled or something.

Legislation like this will be used by police to harass innocent kids playing cops and robbers and make kids afraid to handle anything that even looks like a gun for fear of being hassled by the cops. You know this will be used by anti-gun nuts to try to scare parents from buying toys for their kids.

I think any toy gun that looks like or is a replica of a real gun should be outlawed (even though I loved my toy guns from childhood).
This would prevent any silly child/teenager who points it at a cop etc from mistakenly getting shot.
It would also de-glamourise the ownership of weapons in the eyes of children and prevent the use of them in any illegal activity.
Peace

"and use it to commit a felony" Give them the death penalty. Nobody should use any gun to commit a felony. Toy gun or real gun. Fry baby, fry.

reply to post by FortAnthem


Thanks for bringing up this topic. I am surprised that there aren't more *pre-emptive* ideas on the table.

I had to deal with this issue a couple of months ago when I was driving my 10 yr old nephew around with his "toy gun" that my brother gave him. He started pointing it at other cars and people and in a metro area this is not a good thing--rest assured--I thought we were going to get whacked by others or LE so I forced him to hide it.

I don't think that they should be totally outlawed--but they should be banned from cars or any other settings other than the home, play areas etc. where they could possibly be misconstrued......Just too many children with the real deals these days to take chances.

Stuff like this pops up in response to things like out of control violence in places like Detroit.

20 years from now though, if Detroit becomes a quaint little place with low crime rates, people will forget why the law was created and just arrest kids or their parents for the "crime".

This is being done by the state legislature. The city of Detroit already has ordinances on the books concerning "facsimile firearms" Section 38-16 states in part:

Sec. 38-16-2. - Possession; sale; advertising; exceptions. (a) It is unlawful for any person to possess or transfer replica or facsimile firearms within the corporate limits of the City of Detroit. (b) It is unlawful for any person to display, market for sale, or sell replica or facsimile firearms within the corporate limits of the City of Detroit. (c) It is unlawful for any person to place an advertisement in any newspaper, magazine, handbill, sign, poster, other publications, or other advertising media with knowledge that the purpose of the advertisement, in whole or in part, is to promote within the corporate limits of the City of Detroit the possession, transfer, or sale of objects designed and manufactured as replica or facsimile firearms. (d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to replica or facsimile firearms which, because of their distinct color, exaggerated size or permanently affixed international blaze orange markings on the receiver portions of the product and blaze orange plug recessed no more than six (6) millimeters from the muzzle end of the barrel, cannot reasonably be perceived to be real firearms. (e) The possession, manufacture, marketing, distribution, and sale of replica or facsimile firearms are permitted if such devices are possessed, manufactured, marketed, distributed, or sold (1) solely for subsequent transportation in intrastate, interstate, or foreign commerce or (2) solely for lawful use in theatrical productions including motion picture, television, and stage productions. Such devices shall not be displayed to the general public or sold for other uses within the corporate limits of the City of Detroit regardless of where manufactured or purchased.

Originally posted by Lexx790
I think any toy gun that looks like or is a replica of a real gun should be outlawed (even though I loved my toy guns from childhood).
This would prevent any silly child/teenager who points it at a cop etc from mistakenly getting shot.
It would also de-glamourise the ownership of weapons in the eyes of children and prevent the use of them in any illegal activity.
Peace

Yeah that was my line of thought. Though when reading any story by any media I divide it by half due to sensationalism.

I think California has the same law pretty much. I think its a great law because if a cop shoots a kid because "s/he had a gun." they won't have that excuse. Orange tip and all that. Though we've put people in any type of authority(or even fame) above the law sadly.

Anyways even if this law passes, don't expect all the toy guns to disappear off the shelves in Detroit. Just the guns that don't have the orange tip or obvious indications that its a toy. Which is a very small market I would gather.

Originally posted by FortAnthem
Supporters of the proposed legislation have also cited a recent case where a police officer was forced to shoot a gang member who was aiming a toy gun without its required markings. Jones believes this proposal will be vital in preventing incidents such as this from occurring in the future.

If you point a gun, be it a toy or not, you know you're going down.
What cop with a family on thirty grand a year is gonna risk his life (or that of his partner) because some numb nut no brainer from the hood, who likes to play 'gangsta' with his 'homeys', has a toy gun and points it at cop 'being cool'.
From a distance, or in the dark, you cant tell the difference, and NOBODY, would take the chance.

You should'nt ban kids toys just because some stupid, dumb ass who left school at 12 was idiotic enough to commit suicide by pointing a toy gun at a cop.

What you should ban are hood rats, who watch too many movies and live in a fantasy world.
What you should ban are 'niggas' who dont work, have ten kid's to different mothers and rob liquer stores with said toy gun's, these people, not a piece of plastic made in China are the real threat to society.
And when i refer to 'niggas', i DO NOT refer to all african americans, just the minority who give the rest a bad name...you all know who i'm taking about, it's not about race..it's about people.
Society in these places, is just beyond repair.

Upon reading this thread, my neighbors two year old looked at me and shook his head in disgust and said:

"It's bad enough they've neutered Ken and Barbie, now this? They can have my toy gun when they pry it from my cold dead stubby little fingers."

Actually, it really sounded more like this:

"Agadoga me an so blan coo agolmoan broshin goes Ken and Barbie, sofya plashnt setsda toy coo dookie mastant so."

But I am pretty sure he meant it how I translated it. That kid is a real pistol.