It is illegal to sell toy guns in New York that look real. All told, the attorney general found that 6,429 of the realistic-looking toy guns were sold in New York by the five retailers from 2012 to 2014.
Advertisement
New York City law requires toy guns to be brightly colored or translucent.
Joel says, “There’s been a push for increased regulation of toy guns since a police officer in Cleveland fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice last November”.
New York State law prohibits the sale of black, blue, silver or aluminum toy guns.
The settlement requires these toymakers to adhere to much stricter requirements that New York City has in place.
A spokesperson from Walmart said the retailer revised company policy to comply with the New York City code.
In addition to the settlement, Schneiderman also announced that cease and desist letters were sent to 65 third-party toy gun retailers that sell products on Amazon.com and two more that sell through Sears.
Howard Riefs, director of Corporate Public Relations for Sears Holdings, which also owns Kmart, said the company was pleased to be able to resolve this matter in “a mutually satisfactory way”. The other retailers will pay smaller penalties as per the terms of the settlement. “They can’t gamble with the lives of our children by selling lifelike guns that make it impossible for anyone, including police officers, to tell the difference between a toy and the real thing”.
National Conference of State Legislatures records show that sales of imitation guns are restricted in at least 12 states, the Associated Press reported.
The office blames toy guns for four deaths in the past 18 years in New York, which has a population of 8 million people. “We remain committed to meeting the needs of our many customers and members in New York”. “That’s why we’re happy to celebrate this new effort to keep illegal toy guns out of the hands of children, and out of New York State”, said Fr.
Advertisement
This case is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Bruce, assisted by Senior Consumer Frauds Representative Emily Brightman, both of the Rochester Regional Office.
