A new bill in the Ohio House would make it illegal to manufacture, sell, or display any realistic-looking toy guns—“realistic” being defined as anything a “reasonable person” might mistake for a gun.
Defying the ban could land offenders with 180 days in jail and a $1,000 penalty.
Democratic State Rep. Bill Patmon of Cleveland introduced the bill, which he says was prompted by the deaths of Tamir Rice and John Crawford III, both shot by Ohio police officers who mistakenly believed they were wielding actual weapons.
“This idea of imitations has gone a bit far, especially in this day and age,” Patmon told cleveland.com. “This is a bill that if it saves one child or one adult, then I think it’s done its job.”
Several other attempts have been made to target toy weapons recently. A separate bill proposed in Ohio late last year would require all toys to be clearly marked with fluorescent strips or bright colors. California has already passed a similar law, and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) has asked the Consumer Product Safety Commission to consider making it a national rule.
“Any modifications you can make to the existing toy gun standards that will help ensure that law enforcement officers are able to distinguish fake guns from real firearms are much appreciated,” Boxer wrote to the commission in December.
Also in December, a Cleveland sheriff’s office encouraged a toy gun “give-back,” where hundreds of families handed over their toy weapons to be melted down and turned into artwork.
“There is no way a law enforcement officer can visually inspect a toy gun and make that determination within seconds as to whether if that gun is real or a toy,” the sheriff’s department said.
