Newly-signed NY law says toy weapons must be white, bright colors, or ‘translucent’
When it comes to toy guns, Gov. Kathy Hochul wants nothing like the real thing.
A new law enacted Tuesday bars New York retailers from selling replica firearms that are black, blue, silver or aluminum-colored.
“Restricting these realistic-looking devices will ensure misleading and potentially dangerous devices are off our streets, keeping kids, law enforcement and all New Yorkers safe,” Hochul said in a statement.
The new law, which passed the legislature with bipartisan support, clarifies that all toy weapons must be “white, bright red, bright orange, bright yellow, bright green, bright blue, bright pink, bright purple, or be made entirely of transparent or translucent materials.”
Exceptions to the ban on guns of other colors are allowed for situations like theatrical productions.
Federal law already requires all toy guns transported or imported in the US to have an orange tip or a stripe on both sides of the barrel — though exceptions are made for airsoft guns and paintball guns.
Toy guns have been involved in at least 63 shootings statewide – eight of which were fatal – since 1994, according to a legislative memo.
While realistic-looking guns are sometimes used by perpetrators who cannot pack real heat to commit crimes, they also have been connected to tragedies like the 1994 killing of 13-year-old Nicholas Heyward, Jr. by an NYPD officer who mistook the teen’s toy for for a lever-action carbine.
Retailers, including Amazon and Walmart, eventually paid over $300,000 in fines following a 2015 report by then-state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman detailing sales of 6,429 guns lacking legally required color markings.
The new law will take effect in 90 days.
