TOY guns that significantly resemble real firearms should not be available to the public, Police Minister Mike Gallacher said Thursday.
Mr Gallacher's comment came after he inspected a "toy" gun bought by the Newcastle Herald at a Newcastle tobacconist.
"You wouldn't like that pointed at you," he said. "To the uninitiated, that is a real gun."
The cap gun in question cost $39.95 and was made in Spain. Its box displays a disclaimer stating the item is a toy.
While Mr Gallacher said laws were strict in relation to replica firearms, guns marketed as toys were exempt.
Mr Gallacher took his own photographs of the "toy" provided by the Herald, promising to take them to federal Minister for Home Affairs Jason Clare.
"Outlawing them in NSW is one thing," Mr Gallacher said.
"The question is whether or not there is a need to look at it nationally.’’
Mr Gallacher said despite their political differences the federal and state government would work to find a solution to the problem.
‘‘The issue is for governments to figure out how to work with industry to ensure that these things aren’t being used in hold-ups.’’
Replica guns have been used in at least five serious crimes in the Hunter so far this year, including a robbery this week at a Newcastle CBD convenience store.
‘‘Shops should stop selling dummy guns because they’re really very bad,’’ said the store employee who had one pointed at him during the robbery.
‘‘When people have one of those guns held to their heads, they lose it.’’
Top-ranking Newcastle police have pointed out how a loophole in legislation makes it difficult to take action against retailers selling replicas.
Objects produced and identified as a children’s toy are not regarded as imitation firearms under the NSW Firearms Act of 1996.
Mr Gallacher also outlined concerns yesterday that, after seeing replicas, even children wouldn’t be content with old-style silver cowboy cap guns.
In a Herald survey more than 55per cent of readers believed replicas should be banned if they closely resembled guns.
The nanny state hard at work. Apparently nothing more productive to do than ban toys...