Police detail dangers of toy guns often mistaken for real guns: 'These guns can be altered'

Yahoo

23-04-2025

The Brief
Chester police are sounding off on the dangers of toy guns like 'Orbeez' guns, which can be mistaken for real guns.
The city's mayor and other city leaders are also looking to get ahead of the problem and find possible solutions.
CHESTER, Pa. - Parents have probably seen the 'Orbeez' toy guns.
The problem is that sometimes these fake guns can look a little too real, and police in Chester just want to make sure no one gets hurt.
What we know
The Chester Police Department is looking at legal remedies for a growing potential danger to those playing with painted black Orbeez toy guns, which are selling big on Amazon and other store sites.
When painted black, the toy gun that shoots water beads or gel pellets can look like a real gun, the potential danger played out last week when a witness called 911 to report an armed carjacking and shooting in Chester.
What they're saying
"We're starting to see kids running around the streets with these guns, and these guns can also be altered. You take the orange front tip off, you paint it black, and it looks like a real gun," said Captain William Carey of the Chester City Police.
"It was brothers and friends having fun with these Orbeez guns, and it looked like they were carjacking somebody," Carey explained.
"You can see how this could turn out. You run into a store, you run into the college or up at the park. Somebody that has a concealed carry permit that is legally justified to carry a firearm could take this as a threat, and we could have a senseless tragedy, and we're trying to prevent that," Carey added.
One of those charged in the weekend violence on the Temple University campus had an Orbeez gun seized.
Temple Police say they've been seizing several lately.
"We've been seeing a good number of them recently. They're fake guns that shoot water pellets, but if they're shot at close range, it can cause injury. Also, there's the obvious concern of someone mistaking it for a real gun, whether it be a police officer or an armed citizen," said Captain Michael Henigan of Temple University Police.
"We're gonna start taking action on them. We're waiting for more legal guidance on what we can and what we can't do with them," Carey stated.
"We don't want a senseless tragedy. Check your children's rooms. Check their backpacks. If they have these and they're altered, please confiscate them," Carey urged.
The Source
The information in this story is from the Chester Police Department and Temple University Police.