Washington, DC - Brooklyn Congressman Ed Towns (D-New York) knows all too well about the dangers of toy guns.  Just in the last four years, improperly marked toy guns have lead to the tragic deaths of two Brooklyn youngsters and a Brooklyn man who were mistakenly shot by police.  Also, in August 1998, a 16-year old Brooklyn boy waving a toy gun while riding a bicycle was shot by police and seriously wounded.

"When toy guns look real, in the eyes of law enforcement, they are real," said Towns.  "Police officers have to make split second decisions and often do not have time to distinguish a toy gun from a real one.  We must do everything we can to keep these potentially dangerous toys out of our children’s hands."

Congressman Towns, who has been fighting in Congress for several years to ban realistic looking toy guns, brought his message to East New York on December 20, 2003 as part of his 3rd annual toy gun exchange and Christmas tree lighting event.  More than 200 people showed up at Transit Tech H.S. to take part in the festivities.  As part of the holiday sprit, Towns provided food, fun and good cheer.  Several local musical acts performed, singing Christmas time classics such as "Silent Night".   

However, the highlight of the night was Towns’ message to the children in attendance about the dangers of toy guns.  While community members were urged to turn in a toy gun in exchange for another toy, all East New Yorkers who came to the Christmas event went home happy with a new toy.

"It is important during the Holiday season to remind parents that they should not leave toy guns under the Christmas tree," said Towns.

In addition to federal law which requires that all handguns be marked with bright orange at the muzzle or made of a bright or transport color, New York law also requires that the toy guns have non-removable orange stripes along the length of the barrel.  But Towns says such laws are not enough.  He notes that toy guns can be easily made to look real by spray-painting them black or covering them with tape.

"I strongly believe that toy guns serve no purpose in society and should be banned," Towns said.  "It seems that the only thing toy guns accomplish is to wet a kid’s appetite for a real gun when they get older or make it easier to commit a crime."

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, every year hundreds of crimes are committed using toy guns.  Towns has introduced a bill in Congress, H.R. 211, which would prohibit any toy gun from being manufactured that resembles a real gun in size, shape or appearance.  Towns says the only way to prevent another tragic shooting in Brooklyn over a mistaken toy gun is to completely get rid of such toys.  He says he will continue to push his bill until that happens.   

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