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Annapolis lawmaker puts toy guns in
cross hairs
By Judith
Person
THE WASHINGTON
TIMES
An Annapolis lawmaker wants to enact
a law that would ban most toy guns in the city and fine parents
whose children are caught playing with the toys outdoors.
Alderwoman Cynthia A. Carter, Democrat,
said the law would ban all toy guns except for clear, brightly
colored plastic guns. Mrs. Carter said the law also would give
prosecutors more leverage against defendants who use toy guns to
hold up banks or other establishments.
"If someone commits a felony with one,
they will not only be charged with the crime but also with using a
toy gun," said Mrs. Carter, who has been a member on the Annapolis
City Council since 1997.
Mrs. Carter
said she doesn't know how much of a fine she will propose. She said
she hopes her legislation, which she plans to introduce next month,
will set a precedent for other cities to follow. Four of the nine
city council members have come out in support of Mrs. Carter's
proposal.
"Anything that can be done to
deglamorize guns is a plus," said Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer,
Democrat. The mayor said she would withhold further comment
until the bill has been introduced and a public hearing is held.
Yesterday, officials with the Annapolis
Police Department said if such a law is enacted they would not pull
officers off their regular beats to catch children playing with
water pistols and cap guns in schoolyards or on neighborhood
streets.
"We wouldn't do that," said
Officer Hal Dalton, a spokesman for the city police department.
Mrs. Carter decided to draft her
proposal after a 7-year-old boy in April used a silver toy revolver
and announced to several employees at a Hollywood Video store in
Annapolis that he would hold up the store. The plastic orange tip
typically found on the muzzles of toy guns had been removed,
preventing two store employees from realizing it was fake.
"Children have got to be alerted that
this is a dangerous thing," Mrs. Carter said. "Guns are not a toy,
no matter how you look at it."
Mrs.
Carter's legislation is based on a similar New York City proposal,
which bans anyone from selling or possessing a "toy or imitation
firearm" that can be mistaken for a real weapon. The ban excludes
brightly colored or clear plastic guns. Police, however, could
impose a $50 fine if the toy gun is altered to look like a real
weapon.
New York City police would
enforce the law only if a child causes a disruption in public with a
toy gun. But Lupe Todd, a spokeswoman for the New York City Council,
said she does not expect officers to seek out children playing with
toy guns.
Mrs. Carter said she wants the
toy companies to take more responsibility when creating guns.
"Toy companies think that they can put
the little reflective tip on the end and they will be OK," Mrs.
Carter said. "But it is not enough."
Shannon Eis, spokeswoman for the Toy
Industry Association, said the group already complies with national
standards that regulate the production of realistic toy weapons.
"Toy guns are just a small component of the violent medium that kids
nowadays are exposed to," she said.
Mrs.
Eis said the association will comply with Annapolis regulations if
they are approved and will try to appease parents who think the toys
are a serious contributing factor to violence. "I don't agree that
it is," she said.
Karalyn Mulligan,
executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Maryland, said there is
always a concern about children's safety when it comes to guns. But
she said the idea of restricting toy guns deserves further
investigation.
Mrs. Carter is known for
her efforts on toy guns. In 2000, Mrs. Carter organized a toy-gun
buyback that yielded 12 toy guns.
Mrs.
Carter said she anticipates full support from all council members.
The council is made up of two Republicans and seven Democrats. She
speculates that her greatest obstacle will be fathers, who she
believes encourage their sons to play with guns and take them to
target practice.
Despite her stance on
toy guns, Mrs. Carter said she supports her son, Richard Perry, 38,
who is an avid hunter and a member of the National Rifle
Association. "He is a grown man. That was his decision," she said.
Mrs. Carter said she would eventually
like to see a ban imposed on the possession of all real-looking toy
guns. "Anything that looks like or resembles a weapon of any kind or
was altered to look like, even the cigarette lighters, they are not
going to be acceptable," she said.
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