Boston Bans Guns… Toy Guns, That is

2nd Amendment – R2KBA Authors Current Events Police State S.H. Blannelberry This Week
Look at them, so proud of themselves for "making a difference."  Ugh.  (Photo: Mayor Walsh)

Look at them, so proud of themselves for “making a difference.” Ugh. (Photo: Mayor Walsh)

The city of Boston has decided to ban replica guns in public spaces. Apparently, city leaders believe toy guns pose a risk to public safety, even when they’re in the hands of children.

“It is up to us to work together as a community on every angle of the gun issue to keep our neighborhoods safe,” said Boston Mayor Martin Walsh in a press release.

“The safety of Boston’s residents and visitors is a top priority, and I am proud to sign this ordinance banning replica handguns in public spaces which will help us in our larger mission of raising community awareness and engagement to remove replica firearms from the hands of our youth,” continued Walsh.

The ordinance will allow police to confiscate any toy gun they see in public. Individuals caught with the prohibited toy may be able to get their property back by picking it up at the district station. Minors caught with toy guns will have to have a parent or guardian pick it up at the station.

“Replica guns have become a big issue for us. We all too often encounter young people who are carrying these fake guns and even though they are fake, the public and police don’t know they are,” said Commissioner William B. Evans. “Our goal is to make the city the safest place it can be and this ordinance will help remind the public and residents of the dangers these replica guns present.”

Over the years, the Boston Police Department claims that it has recovered more than 150 replica handguns used in connection with crimes. Authorities did not delineate the details of the crimes committed with the toy guns.

“They call these gun toys, but they are not toys when put in the wrong hands and used to commit crimes,” said District 3 City Councilor Frank Baker. “I see very few reasons for anyone to buy a replica handgun. We have seen too many violent incidents this year and this ordinance is one step toward ensuring the safety of our communities.”

Ah, there it is. Another nanny-state politician telling citizens what they need or don’t need based on his personal views. We’ve heard that same illogical claptrap when talking about modern sporting rifles as well, e.g. “I see very few reasons for anyone to buy an AR-15.”

Essentially, what Baker and Mayor Walsh and Commissioner Evans are doing is trampling personal freedom in the name of public safety. This type of thinking amongst those in power is not only contagious but extremely dangerous because it leads to the proverbial slippery slope. It starts with, I see very few reasons for anyone to buy: a “replica gun” or an “AR-15”; then soon it will be a “handgun,” and inevitably “any firearm.”

I guess I say this a lot, but public safety as defined and curated by a government is a myth. One’s safety is one’s responsibility — not the government’s. A public is safe when individuals are prepared to deal with and confront threats.

However, public safety has been perverted to mean a government’s relative control over citizens. The more control and power the government has, the more “safe” it claims citizens are, which is absurd, as every government initiative to increase public safety, i.e. restrict liberties and personal choices, indubitably makes individuals less free and more vulnerable as they are more dependent on government for their protection. As we all know, when seconds count, police are minutes away.

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  • John Swenson January 28, 2016, 3:42 pm

    Police Commissioner Evens whats to protect his officers from accidentally shooting a person with a replica gun.

    The only way to 100% Guarantee the police won’t shoot anyone with a replica gun is to take all guns away from the police. People have been shot pointing a finger, holding a wallet, holding a cell phone, holding toy guns, holding replica guns… How about some education for the public… maybe some TV safety ads sponsored by The Boston Police Dept letting people know that a Gun is a Gun is a Gun and is always treated as if it is real and loaded at all times. If you play with a gun of any kind in public, you are at risk of getting shot if you don’t show respect to authorities.

  • Larry Koehn November 18, 2015, 3:35 pm

    DemoRATZ busy being DemoRATZ passing stupid legislation that changes nothing.

  • James M. November 17, 2015, 6:34 pm

    Growing up I had a few friends that owned .22 rifles and a 20 ga shot gun. We trekked the mountain side hunting and shooting. Only once did we get in trouble. Apparently we speckled a neighbor’s house and he called my friends dad. We got our asses busted. And never did it again. Now days it’s ridiculous.

  • Roger November 17, 2015, 5:17 am

    Guess Nerf guns are ban too….

  • OldClockguy November 14, 2015, 4:32 pm

    Man, I can’t BELIEVE I made it through puberty!! I owned not one but a whole bevvy of illegal (by Beantown’s standards anyway) wannabe firearms including a very dangerous almost “assault” quality Daisy lever action BB gun, which incidentally had a very VERY highly illegal ammo capacity!! I also owned and operated an assortmnt of water pistols, 2 matching sets of cap pistols with open carry holsters, and a clandestine slingshot that was illegally manufactured by my dad without a permit nor a FOID card or any other type of special permit to have such a “special use” weapon in my possession! ………….. Whew, am I glad that those days were controlled by a group of silly politicians who had some level of common sense when it came time to look out for the entire country’s population and protect them from such as the secret cult I belonged to or other gun toting radicals such as my dad who probably was a domestic terrorist operating under the deep cover of a United States Postal Employee, aka, “The Mailman”! Ha! Those crazy politico’s simply stuck their heads in the sand and ignored those of us who conceivably would do “grave harm” to those around us at the drop of a hat, I’ll bet that my mom never realized what a war zone it was out there on the sunlit quiet streets of our little hometown, but they were too busy cooking and cleaning the house and making ready for my underling brother “in arms” and my “terrorist” dad to come back from God knows what we were mixed up in when we were out there somewhere unsupervised and running wild in the fields and streams that bordered the mountains behind our bastion of terror called “home”.

    Now everything seems to be heading in the right direction since those politicos pulled their heads up and saw what our clandestine operatives were up to and decided to take matters into their own sticky dirty hands for the “good of the people”, no less. And y’all are trying to make these saviors of modern man (and woman) look like some kind of ogres set on taking away all of our rights?? Hey, they see the light! They hear for whom the bell tolls! They see the fork in the road and are fully prepared to take it! It ain’t over ’till it’s …….. but I digress.

    OK, before some idiot comes down on me for being a short sighted, narrow minded, liberal, let me get to a few glaring points that jumped out at me when I read the poingnant document at the top of this page.

    [” Apparently, city leaders believe toy guns pose a risk to public safety, even when they’re in the hands of children.”] OK, that is a stretch but I can see where a LEO, from a half block away could mistake a paint ball pistol for a real handgun. I have seen pellet and CO2 pistols that really do look like the real McCoy. I will come back to this later.

    [“It is up to us to work together as a community on every angle of the gun issue to keep our neighborhoods safe,”] Again, a valid point ……. maybe, when taken in context of the wording.

    [“The safety of Boston’s residents and visitors is a top priority, and I am proud to sign this ordinance banning replica handguns in public spaces which will help us in our larger mission of raising community awareness and engagement to remove replica firearms from the hands of our youth,” ]

    NOW, I may have missed something here but suddenly we have jumped from trying to remove those dangerous weapons of “Less Destruction” from the hands of our “children” to validating that statement with creating a “gun issue” which now includes water pistols, those very dangerous single shot spring guns which shoot little plastic sticks with suction cups on the ends of them, and all manners of other “firearms” aka, “guns” which may or may not even go “CLICK” but resemble a Lone Ranger single action or a 007 pocket gun. But the real telling statement and one I see as sinking the entire argument is just half a sentence long: to wit, “remove replica firearms from the hands of our youth”. Read that half sentence closely, it is indicative of all the hype that surrounds our 2nd Amendment rights in the first place and the very solution that these boneheads are trying to foist on us in a roundabout way to make it appear to be the “right thing to do” when it has absolutely nothing to do with our youth!

    It is TRUE, if we remove the sic., “firearms from the hands of (insert which kind of “bad guy” you desire)”, everything will fall in place?!? Isn’t that the same as saying “it isn’t the gun that kills, it’s the person controlling the gun”? Remove the firearms from the bad guy’s hands, ………… why? Is that the secret to the gun not firing at another human being? Is this concept something that requires an advanced college degree to understand?? They just as much admitted that taking the gun away from anyone, ….. ANYONE ….. will NOT STOP the KILLING unless it is the BAD GUY’S hands that they are removing the firearm from!! ….. Why?? Because the GOOD GUYS aren’t the ones doing the KILLING!!!

    I rest my case.

  • NamphongMarine November 14, 2015, 9:26 am

    It’s OK. This will get kids used ro the idea that you must distrust government and keep your firearms hidden.

  • Mark from Bristol, IN. November 13, 2015, 10:17 pm

    Hey, I heard on the news just tonight that today the government of Cook County, IL. just imposed a 1 cent per round on rim fire and 5 cents per round on center fire ammo. They tried and failed a couple of years ago when they announced that they were going to do it, so this time they just did it quietly, and passed it. Being from Indiana, I invite everyone in not just Cook County, IL, but the whole state of Illinois to cross the border into Indiana where we will gladly sell you ammo for less, and far less tax. Keep in mind that like Illinois, we in Indiana do not have to have FOID (Firearm Owner ID) cards like folks from Illinois need to purchase not only firearms, but ammo. In Indiana, you have to be 18 years old. However, the officials of both the City of Chicago and Cook County both have put pressure on the Lake County, IN gun shops like Cabelas in Hammond and Bass Pro in Portage to check for Illinois residents purchasing ammo in Indiana, which they can do legally, so to do so, when you get to the cash register to pay for your ammo, the persons at the registers ask for your home phone numbers, and as soon as you start out with an area code from Illinois like 312, 773, 630, 815, etc, they stop you and ask for your Illinois FOID card, which legally isn’t needed to purchase ammo in Indiana because we have no such thing, and laws do not prohibit anyone from out of state from purchasing ammo…you just have to be 18 years old. But, under pressure from Illinois, they’re doing it. And now with a new tax per round on ammo in Cook County, I expect ammo sales in Indiana to go up even more. So when asked your telephone number at the register, Lake County telephone numbers begin with 219…219 with seven following digits, 574 outside of Lake County, no FOID card needed.

  • Dan C November 13, 2015, 6:17 pm

    To Slingblade, yes I saw the video of the kid in the park and you are right that the 911 operator said that they thought it was a toy gun. The problem I saw in the video was that the officer drove up way to close to the kid. There was nobody near him. They could have stopped the car 20 feet or more away and told the kid over their loudspeaker to put the gun down. Obviously the kid could not have shot at them with a toy gun. I think the Officiers getting so close took away their ability to make good decisions with some “room to breath”. Poor training on the police department.

  • sam November 13, 2015, 5:12 pm

    ”’The ordinance will allow police to confiscate any toy gun they see in ..” oh dear. I see cops shooting kids in the future just because they had toy guns.

  • jimonthebeach November 13, 2015, 4:52 pm

    Of all the problems facing the City of Boston, the city chooses to ban toy guns. I guess banning real guns wasn’t sufficient and banning the toys will make all of the liberals feel good about how noble they are. Next to be banned gum balls and balloons…

  • Leonard S. Feinman November 13, 2015, 1:57 pm

    They would arrest a 6 year old with a cap gun? Jail time? Hardened criminal before he turns 8?

    Are they selling “stupid pills” there?

  • Paul November 13, 2015, 1:56 pm

    Instead of banning, why not just teach people?

    • Slingblade November 13, 2015, 2:59 pm

      Nah…they would rather just do both!!

  • James Summers November 13, 2015, 1:35 pm

    Massachusetts have a recall law. Put it into motion and get rid of politicians who think they RULE instead of serving the public.
    Put the fear of the people back into the politicos.
    They are the hired, temporary help and do not rule.

  • Earl33 November 13, 2015, 1:09 pm

    How about using that thing called “parenting” to help insure public safety? If you as a parent want to buy little Johnny a toy gun so he and his friends can run around the yard and play war, so be it. You as a parent also have to set ground rules pertaining to that gun and make little Johnny pay the piper when set rules are broken.

    The incident that happened (I believe in Phillidelpia) where the little boy was shot by police after not just one but several calls to 911, saying a young boy was running around with a gun pointing it at people in a local park. Turned out to be a toy gun. Remember that story? I believe the City settled out of court for $6.5 million. Not one time did I hear anyone ask where the parents or guardian of the boy were at during the time all this took place? And why they let the little boy run around the park pointing a gun (toy or real) at people? Where were the patients when the police pulled up on scene and the little boy lost his life due to piss poor parenting?
    Again,if you as a parent want to but Little Johnny a gun that’s your buisiness. But you as a parent must teach right from wrong along with real from fake.

    • Slingblade November 13, 2015, 1:55 pm

      WOW…obviously you have never seen the video or studied much about that one! Even the the 911 caller warned the police that the gun was probably a fake….but because “you just never know” our “hero” had to race to the rescue in his car and quickly waste the kid before anyone else was made to feel “uncomfortable”…yeah, we should just chalk that up to “piss poor parenting” for sure…LOL…Ridiculous x10!!!

  • Davey November 13, 2015, 12:10 pm

    I think what Boston has in mind here is preventing incidents like the Tamir Rice police shooting, or at least giving them a better legal and public defense. The problem is not law-abiding parents either, but the parents of inner-city kids who often have access to real guns, both legal and stolen and little supervision. When police or an armed citizen see them, are might be worried for their own safety and shoot the “unarmed” kid. When that happens Benjamin Crump, Al Sharpton, and a crowd of parasites and poverty pimps rush to the scene along with the Department of Justice, to find someone to sacrifice. If carrying replicas becomes illegal, the city can point out that the deceased was not supposed to have what looks like a gun, therefore their demise is their (or their parent(s)) responsibility.

    • Luke November 13, 2015, 1:13 pm

      Ya. That sounds about right, Davey. Too bad though that parenting has hit the skids and laws like this even have to be considered. ‘Problem is the gun control zealots rejoice in this because it reinforces the idea that every gun is bad among another generation of young kids. . . .like that’ll make a difference at this point, eh?

      Steve T. hit on something apparently pandemic among kids: gamers compete to see who can out-kill opponents. And, I can see where it would encourage a homicidal tendencies just like television subliminally did some years ago. But, that genie has been out of the bottle many years.

      If I was a cop facing a kid pointing a gun at me I really don’t know how I’d react. But, I don’t think I’d wait for the kid to pull the trigger.

      • Slingblade November 13, 2015, 1:47 pm

        Sounds like you have what it takes for a promising future in LE….”because you just never know”!

  • Dan C November 13, 2015, 10:49 am

    There are good arguments for both sides. But taking away any freedom to justify an expected end result does not solve the problem to begin with. It starts with educating our children and the general public. I am a huge 2nd amendment supporter. I personally think that the toy industry should not make toy guns that are exact duplicates as real firearms. It is irresponsible of them but it is still their right to do so. It is the parents responsibility to teach their children good common sense, that any and all decisions and actions have consequences, some that can be very bad. I have 4 children and raised 3 of them alone. I taught all of them from an early age about firearm safety, even had a firearm safety set of rules that we all signed and kept on the refrigerator.
    I can’t stop other people from being stupid nor stop the consequences of their stupid decisions or mistakes. It is not the governments right ( I did not say responsibility, because I meant right) to take away the general publics rights because of a few people’s ignorance and poor decision making ability regardless of the tragedy. Do we take away all cars because some people drive drunk and kill people? Do we ban all alcohol because some people drink too much, get in a car and kill people? No, we punish the person, not the tool. AND we educate the public and our children that ALL decisions have consequences.
    Here is a suggestion: Create a firearm safety rules pamphlet and give it to everyone you know including people that are avid hunters and gun enthusiasts and not assume they know how to teach others. Teach your children these rules and review them on a weekly or monthly basis. This is how we protect our freedoms, our rights, our communities and our children.

    • James M. November 18, 2015, 8:07 pm

      Dan C. For president.

  • Sam Bones November 13, 2015, 10:38 am

    What’s next? Fingers in pockets? I thought the orange-tip thing was the epitome of stupidity. That was supposed to help police differentiate between a real gun and a toy until someone painted a real gun with an orange tip. Then there was the other Boston incident where a little kid was shot by a man with a real gun because the child squirted him with a water gun. Boston’s response? They banned squirt-guns inside the city limits. Signed by Mayor Ray Flynn (D) 1992. Seriously, look it up. You just can’t make up stuff like this. Welcome to the People’s Republic of Massachusetts. (Where I, unfortunately live.)

    • Slingblade November 13, 2015, 2:53 pm

      Well stay where you are at and please don’t move…they need as much common sense there as they can get and you may be one of the last remaining holdouts.

  • Dave November 13, 2015, 10:14 am

    I was at first alarmed by this article, but after reflecting on it for a moment, I think it a tempest in a teapot. All the ordinance does is allow a law enforcement officer to take away a toy gun that looks real and is being flashed around in public. Once it is taken away, it can be returned to the parent of a child, or to an adult owner. I see no penalty here, not even permanent confiscation; rather, it provides an opportunity for law enforcement officers to first diffuse a situation, and then educate a person who may not realize the serious consequences that could occur from using one of these real-appearing toys inappropriately. Again, it does not outlaw the toys, or confiscate them permanently, or penalize anyone for their possession. It just allows cops to take them away and make someone responsible pick them up, and probably on that occasion listen to a warning. There was a time when that sort of action was considered good policing and did not require a specific ordinance to authorize it.

    • Slingblade November 13, 2015, 1:43 pm

      Yeah well that was back in a time before the “heroes” blew kids away on the streets because the kids made them feel unsafe…because “you just never know”…..LOL

  • Pete147258 November 13, 2015, 10:13 am

    Aside from all of the good points made about how moronic this ban is, I have to ask: These are our taxpayer dollars. There’s endless rampant drugs in the streets, thousand of financial scams, at least 30% of city contracts are openly defrauded and this is what these people find important? WHY do we need police or government “officials” if this is what they find important? They have become content in being addlepated parasites not servants of the people. Exactly how do we benefit by legislating municipal theft predicated on government convince and the stupidity of factional public ideology. WHOM are they serving with this other than their own specious and cowardly interests?

  • Derf November 13, 2015, 10:00 am

    This ordinance does NOT ban toy guns. What it does is to give the police the power to remove them from pulbic places when they see them. According to the article they will be returned to the owner at the owner’s request at a police station. It does not ban their sale or possession of them on private property just allows the poilce to remove them from public places if they see them. In my opinion the ordnance is superfluous but it does address a legitimate concern in a semi-rational fashion. I am against ANY gun control laws but this is not an ordnance about guns – it is about toys of a type that they really don’t belong in public.

    • Slingblade November 13, 2015, 2:45 pm

      This ain’t about the “problem” of having toy guns on the streets. Do you really think a person who has intent to use a toy replica fireman to commit a crime is going to simply abandon that idea because NOW the police will confiscate them if they see them on the streets? LOL…When is the last time you saw a kid or anyone for that matter brandishing a toy replica firearm in a genuine threatening or otherwise “uncomfortable” way? (Which BTW is already a crime in and of itself whether it is with a toy replica firearm or not) The answer is probably not a single time in your life for the overwhelming majority of people, but that is not the perception they want to paint for this “issue.” So why don’t you just ask yourself what is the REAL reasons for this????

  • Steve T November 13, 2015, 9:55 am

    I totally agree for many reasons. There is no need for toy guns. First back off on the real ones. We have a 2nd Amendment protecting us from your, REAL gun, laws. Toy guns should be confiscated and destroyed if found anywhere in public. Stop the manufacture too. Video games showing killings and shootings should be off the shelf next. What do they teach, killing is a game?
    I worked with a guy whose kids sit in the house playing military type video games all the time. They are always in trouble at school, have set fire to the residence, and are sociopaths in training. They have few if any friends. Can you see where I’m going with this?

    • Slingblade November 13, 2015, 1:39 pm

      Yes I do see where you are going with this…..Protect the easily offended, just ban everything!!! IGNORANCE by the bucket full once again!!!

      • James M. November 15, 2015, 1:00 am

        This country is producing people afraid of their own shadow, and unable to take care of themselves. Which is like a virus running rampant through our communities. People can no longer do or handle anything. And in turn teach their children nothing. Pathetic. Weakest citizens in the world. Hurt feelings, chapped asses, and being offended used to be temporary. Now days it’s a way of life. If I were president right now there definitely would be F.E.M.A reeducation camps. That way there would be a place for the constant moaners, whiners, criers, weak to go and learn how to deal with it. How to take care of themselves. How to grow a spine and be a worthy member of this society.

  • david November 13, 2015, 9:25 am

    Sounds to me like a way to get the public – and kids especially – accustomed to having their guns confiscated on sight.

    • Slingblade November 13, 2015, 1:36 pm

      Damn right it is!!!!

      • James M. November 17, 2015, 6:28 pm

        I second that!

  • Ram6 November 13, 2015, 8:47 am

    I am totally opposed to the government “banning” any legal object in the name of “public safety”. Public Safety is a catch all phrase used primarily by the left in order to justify unconstitutional actions.

    As to the “banning ” of toy guns, while on one hand I think it’s much ado about nothing, on the other hand I am reminded of the children who have been shot (one or two, but any is too many) for simply refusing to relinquish one of these toys which are very difficult to tell from the actual weapon. However to me that’s the parent’s responsibility not the governments. If the child doesn’t respect law enforcement and comply when requested then the parent is to blame not the child and not a LEO. The better approach in my view is to attack the problem at the source, manufacturing. A regulation which prevents the manufacture and sale of something which is total knock off of a real gun is sensible. A ban on toys is nibbling at the edges, makes the leftist banner feel good about his power and accomplishes nothing.

  • Theresa November 13, 2015, 7:47 am

    If people would read the article carefully they would see the reason here. At first I read the headline and thought how ridiculous, but then I read the whole article and basically they are saying keep the pretend guns off the streets. When a 12 year old is shot because he would not put down a gun that looks real, that is what happens. Are children not taught to respect what law enforcement says. If you had a child on a playground pointing a gun that looked real at your child, and the police asked him repeatedly to put it down and they didn’t, would you want them to take the chance and not shoot, just so if it wasn’t real they wouldn’t get into trouble. Of coarse, in this kind of case you would hope they would just injure them and not kill them, but why would they not drop the gun. I do not believe in gun control, taking away our weapons, but I do believe in respecting law enforcement, and a child out playing with a gun that looks real is not a safe toy to play with, because you never know!

    • Slingblade November 13, 2015, 1:35 pm

      That is just a totally absurd scenario…is that really the best excuse you can come up with to just sit back and ignore the ongoing indoctrination of Americans?

      • Jonathan November 18, 2015, 5:57 pm

        It’s not an absurd scenario at all, in fact it’s almost exactly what happened to Tamir Rice. Removed the orange thingy from a toy guy, was flashing it around in a public park, someone thought it was real and he was threatening people with it, and called the police. Police get told “kid brandishing gun in public park,” arrive on scene, kid points real-looking toy gun at them, police shoot.

  • OK November 13, 2015, 7:40 am

    While there is some partial truth in what these “leaders” are saying their corrective measures are all wrong.
    The “youth” inclined to use these toys for other than play are most likely to ignore a ban.
    As for their “parents” you would be shocked how certain people can blame anything and everything but their miscreant childrens for their behavior.

  • Jeremy November 13, 2015, 4:07 am

    I am so tired of politicians taking my choices away as a United States citizen and parent because they think they know better.. Mark my words some all the way left cop with a chip is gonna beat some kids ass who has a toy gun over this ban and give the other 85% of the good cops a bad name.. I do not need anymore politicians making a decision for me regardless what it is, rather that’s a toy gun or telling me my state of Kentucky who voted no to gay marriage will like it and honor it, WHY ASK US TO VOTE, if when the people speak the supreme beings just tell us what we are gonna do anyhow.. Why not just put a hitter in office and start wackin all of us who don’t believe in the far left way this country is seeming to adopt more and more..

  • James M. November 11, 2015, 11:57 pm

    This is ridiculous. This country is no longer a democracy. Personally I don’t allow toy guns in my house, nor are my kids allowed to play with them. Not even squirt guns. But they do have a choice on it. My nine yr old daughter has been shooting for five years. She has three rifles. One a .22 chipmunk, .410 shotgun, and she and I built her an ar-15 .556 for her birthday. But this is her choice. If she wants a capgun or toy, she can have them. But the real firearms will be put up. Unfortunately today real firearms look like toys, and vice versa. Both of my daughter shoot and shoot regularly. They know how to respect firearms, and know the rules. But unfortunately this comes down to education, or lack thereof. A lot of kids are not taught of the dangers when firearms are present. Just recently a little girl up the road was shot in the neck with a shotgun. By a little boy next door who happened to see it on his father’s table. He picked it up and said BAM! Unfortunately it was loaded (what adult in their right mind leaves a loaded firearm unattended), and she died on the way to Mission hospital. Sick. This country is dying because of stupidity. And personally the woman watching the kids and her husband should both be looking at charges. But back to the subject, first toy guns, then Ken dolls, then freedom. Our politicians are backstabbing power hungry oafs.

    • Fake Samuel Colt November 13, 2015, 8:17 am

      I am not sure about your understanding of firearms.

      .410 is a shotgun, not a rifle. It’s 5.56mm, not .556 It must be interesting to see your 9 year old trying to hold and aim a full sized AR. (Or even an M4 clone.)

      Why do I think you are not being honest here?

      • Sam Bones November 13, 2015, 8:50 am

        Did you actually read his comment???? He clearly states that the .410 is a shotgun. Many people use the term “rifle” these days to refer to any long arm. Incorrect, but in the same way some use the word Xerox when referring to any copy even if it was produced in a Canon copier. (Get it?) Lastly, any 9 year old who’s not a direct descendent of anyone from munchkin-land could easily handle an AR-15, especially if it had a collapsible stock. The “.556” thing is a common type-o. Give the guy (and the rest of us) a break. Questioning a guy’s honestly over a few common mistakes? Really? SMH

        • J Phelps November 18, 2015, 4:58 am

          A few common mistakes? Yes, for anyone who knows not of what they speak…. maybe. I too would like to see how a 9-year old handles a full size “.556” And “NO”, many people do NOT use the term rifle to refer to any long arm….unless they don’t know any better. I would also question the sanity and/or intelligence of ANYONE placing a firearm in the hands of a 4-year old! Did YOU actually read his comment???? Then later he changes his “facts”….and sounds even more unlikely. Troll, would be my guess.

      • James M. November 14, 2015, 11:44 pm

        Buddy, you can nit pick all you want. My daughter can out shoot most men. Sorry about the .556 instead of 5.56. Honestly I get a little worked up over these issues. But for you to call me a liar, you don’t know me. And that’s a good thing. Besides teaching my kids how to safely clean, handle, and shoot firearms. I teach them integrity. To be honest. And to work hard. my daughter has been shooting since she was 5. Started on a single shot .22, then a .410, then a 5.56/.223. She has shot my Sig p220 .45, s&w model 66 .357, which she doesn’t like because she gets speckled in the face from barrel/cylinder gap. Don’t feel threatened by a little girl knee deep in brass. With some serious trigger control. Oh yeah, should have mentioned how pissed she was last time I shot a hog. Pissed because she had the shot, and I didn’t let her take another. Think twice next time before you go nitpicking something someone said. That you don’t even know. Hell she probly not only could out shoot you, but I promise she could kick your ass.

    • roger November 17, 2015, 5:14 am

      First the USA is a Republic not a Democracy. One should train their children abut firearms. Like they learn to tie their shoe. Intercity kids need parents. My kids learned at 4 years old to shoot and never point guns including toy guns at people.

  • jobob November 11, 2015, 8:34 pm

    I’m a big 2nd Amendment supporter, and I completely agree with this! Whenever I walk into one of the big box sporting goods stores, I can’t believe how closely these “toys” resemble the real thing. Back when I was a kid, we had cap guns that sorta looked like the real thing, but nothing like they do now. And unfortunately, with both parents working, there are kids on the streets unattended and they think it’s cool to waive around these “toys.”

    • James M. November 12, 2015, 12:03 am

      But anyone that can’t see our government going for everything they can is blind. Our government is too involved. Has taken too many freedoms. It is sad. It’s horrible. But it doesn’t give them the right to ban anything that is a possible threat. He’ll, everything is a possible threat. As a kid I sucked a butterscotch candy down my throat, could have killed me. Let’s write legislation to ban candy, then food, where does the line stop? When will people open their eyes and see we are all ready being enslaved?

    • SammysDad November 13, 2015, 8:52 am

      OMG, can’t you see this is one step from confiscation of the real thing? You really are not a supporter of the 2nd Amendment. These Boston bozos are pulling the wool over people such as you in order to eventually lure in others like you to agree with them when they confiscate all guns. Wake up, Jobob, and don’t be duped every time some conniving politician pulls a stunt like this.

    • ldbmrupp November 15, 2015, 12:09 pm

      I am with you on this one jobob. I am huge on the 2nd amendment and every law abiding American’s right to own firearms. I completely agree with you that these toys have no place in public. If it’s airsoft of paintball, they should only go from home to the range or field where playing. If kids are having these things out in public, I think that even these guys commenting against you can’t argue that they’re not being used for the wrong thing. The kids are up to no good if they have these out in public. And that’s exactly what got that boy killed in Cleveland. Aside from the police mishandling the situation, the boy acting like it was a real pistol got him killed. And that’s exactly what everyone should think. You should treat something that looks just like a firearm like a loaded gun until you KNOW otherwise. As other James M. mentioned, it is a problem with how these kids are raised with no gun safety and education on firearms and how they should be treated. These look alike toys are just asking for trouble in public. I think it’s a great idea. And heck, they’re even giving them back! These don’t belong in public. And I agree that you have to watch what freedoms that they are slowly trying to take away since they can’t go straight to gun confiscation, but I agree with what they’re doing here. Have some sense people.

  • SuperG November 11, 2015, 11:50 am

    Add another straw to the back of the camel named Revolution. Boston no less. My, my, how things have changed there since 1776, eh?

    • chuck November 13, 2015, 10:01 am

      Just training the next generation they can’t have guns – communist manifesto

      • Slingblade November 13, 2015, 1:24 pm

        CHUCK you are EXACTLY RIGHT!!!
        Here’s a thought…How about we just start training the police to stop shooting children who are playing with realistic looking toys, because that my friends is the real danger of having them in public!

    • justis dogooder November 14, 2015, 6:15 pm

      good, guns are not toys,
      kids should all learn on the real thing!

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