New York is demanding giant retailers like Amazon, Wal-mart and K-mart to pay up to $300,000 after confirming that these stores are guilty of selling toy guns that look like the real thing.
According to the Associated Press, from 2012 to 2014, 6,400 realistic looking toy guns have been sold by five retailers and third-party sellers. There is a strict law against this in the state of New York, which has only been implemented this year after an incident in Cleveland.
Back in November, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot by Cleveland police officers after they saw him holding a realistic looking airsoft gun that he was pointing towards people in the park, the Washington Post reported. Tamir died, and the police officers were faced with criminal charges. The incident has raised a lot of issues to the public.
"When toy guns are mistaken for real guns, there can be tragic consequences," said Eric T. Schneiderman, New York's attorney general in a statement. "New York State law is clear: retailers cannot put children and law enforcement at risk by selling toy guns that are virtually indistinguishable from the real thing."
In conducting its investigations, the law enforcement agency found out that some toy guns were even advertised as "realistic looking" and "full size."
"Police officers can't tell in a split second if it's a real gun or toy gun," Schneiderman said during an interview with Today. "We've had 63 people shot in New York because law enforcement officers thought the toy gun was a real gun - that's not acceptable."
Under New York's legislation, toy guns can still be sold provided that they are brightly colored and distinguishable from the real thing, as Schneiderman clarified with Today.
The attorney general has also sent letters to "cease and desist" to over 65 sellers of toy guns in New York, the Associated Press further reports. Some retailers have already taken action.
Wal-Mart said that the sale of toy guns was blocked on their website since 2003. But they also admitted that there were some slip-ups, especially since third-party sellers use their online marketplace to unload items.
Toy Arsenal, on the other hand, immediately placed a disclaimer on their website, saying "New York Residents, Your State Now Prohibits The Sale of Toy Guns. Any NY Toy Gun Order will be cancelled."
Schneiderman hopes that other states will soon follow New York's initiative.
