We encourage you to read this article, "Dangerous Play: Toy Guns and Police Don't Mix" by Thomas Gnau and Chris Stewart. The article states that
- "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 32,351 people are annually killed in the United States either by gun violence or mishaps."
- "At least 18 other people nationwide have been killed by police and another 13 injured during the past 15 years in situations where police confronted suspects armed with realistic-looking weapons found later to be toys, BB or pellet guns — and even cigarette lighters — according to cases compiled by the International Health & Epidemiology Research Center and research by the newspaper."
- "Dr. Farideh Kioumehr, an epidemiologist and founder of the Sherman
Oaks, Calif.-based International Health & Epidemiology Research
Center, has studied the tragic outcomes of gun misidentification and
violence for 20 years. She puts some of the blame on manufacturers.
“The manufacturers are making them look like the real ones and that’s
big trouble,” she said. “Even when you see both of them together it’s
very hard to realize which one is real, especially for police officers.
In a split second they have to decide whether to be killed or kill.”"
