New York Attorney General Ask Retailers to Stop Selling Realistic Toy Guns

New York's attorney general wants retailers to stop selling toy guns that are nearly indistinguishable from real firearms.

Eric Schneiderman's office announced Thursday that letters were sent to Walmart, Amazon, K-Mart, Sears and ToyArsenal.com telling them to follow a state law intended to ensure that toy guns aren't mistaken for the real thing.

“When toy guns are mistaken for real guns, there can be tragic consequences,” Schneiderman said in a press release.

The law says toy guns cannot be sold in realistic colors unless they bear an orange stripe on the barrel.

Schneiderman's office says the toys were sold online, and in one case, at a Rochester-area K-Mart.

A Walmart spokesman says the company will work with Schneiderman to ensure compliance. Messages left with K-Mart, Sears and Amazon Wednesday were not immediately returned.

Schneiderman's move comes after a 12-year-old Ohio boy with a pellet gun was fatally shot by police.

The attorney general’s office says at least four people have been killed since 1997, and one child was seriously wounded, when officers mistook toy guns for real guns.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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