In the latest efforts aimed at gun reform, top New York state and federal officials are making rules and calling for crackdowns.
The push to regulate toy guns has multiplied since last November
when a Cleveland police officer fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice as the boy held a realistic airsoft gun.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has agreements-in-hand with five major retailers, Amazon.com, Kmart, Sears, Walmart and California-based ACTA, for violating a state law that prohibits the sale of “imitation weapons,” which are toy guns that look like real guns. "New York's laws impose clear requirements to distinguish toy guns from real guns. Toy guns sold in New York State must have orange stripes down the sides and a closed barrel with an orange cap. In New York City, where the risk is even higher, toy weapons must meet even stricter criteria. Toy weapons must be either white, brightly colored, or made of a translucent plastic. They also must bear a visible company logo or name."
Schneiderman's investigation found that, from 2012 through 2014, these retailers – and third-party sellers operating through Amazon.com and Sears.com – sold more than 6,400 prohibited toy guns in New York without the legally-required distinguishing color markings. Most of the toys were sold online.
Leah Gunn Barrett with the group New Yorkers Against Gun Violence says in her opinion, it's the height of irony that toy guns are subject to federal consumer safety regulations, while real guns are not. "The Consumer Products Safety Commission regulates household and recreational products such as toasters, lawnmowers and toys... in fact, teddy bears and toy guns have more regulations than real guns."
New York's Senior U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer and his comedian and distant cousin Amy Schumer, for whom the issue of gun violence has become "extremely personal," aim to change that. The Schumers have teamed up to call for passage of legislation that would try to improve a flawed background check system, by creating monetary incentives for states that submit a "robust amount" of information to the federal database used to block sales to people with criminal records or a history of serious mental illness.
Movie theater gunman John Russell Houser shot 11 people during a screening of Schumer's film Trainwreck last month in Lafayette, Louisiana, before then killing himself. "I'm not sure why this man chose my movie to end these two beautiful lives and injure nine others, but it was very personal for me. When I heard about this news I was completely devastated. I wanted to just go down to Louisiana - and then I was angry."
She referred to proposals that Senator Schumer is putting forward in Congress as "sensible" measures. "Critics often say 'well, there's no way to stop crazy people from doing crazy things,' but they're wrong. There is a way to stop them."
The Democrat described a three-pronged plan. "First, close -uh- require the states to send the information they have about felons, spousal abusers, those adjudicated mentally ill, to the federal government, and if not face a penalty, but if you do you'll be compensated for it. Second, we are urging the Department of Justice to survey all 50 states and find the best standards and put out best practices for involuntary commitment. And third, we are urging Congress to fund the substance abuse and mental health service administration."
Schumer expressed confidence that his proposals will find support in Washington. He noted that his bill is all about improving the background check system, not putting new restrictions on buyers.
