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<p>NEW YORK (AP) — Retailers including Wal-Mart, Sears and Amazon have agreed to halt the sales of realistic-looking toy guns in New York and pay over $300,000 in penalties, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced Monday.</p> <p>Schneiderman's office found that five retailers and their third-party sellers sold over 6,400 toy guns from 2012 to 2014 that violated New York laws. Most of the toys were sold online.</p>

The attorney general is slated to announce today settlements with five retailers, including some industry giants, for selling toy guns that don’t fit state appearance requirements. Walmart, which sold 149 illegal toy guns throughout the state, including 20 in New York City, also agreed to pay a $225,000 penalty. Eric Schneiderman says Walmart, Amazon, Kmart, Sears, and online retailer ACTA agreed to the settlement. Rice was shot and killed by patrol officers who said they thought the boy’s toy gun, which did not have the brightly colored markings indicating it was a toy, was real. All told, the attorney general...

Two cops rush to the scene. “This sounds like a gun battle — over there!” one calls to his partner. They see the suspects: two little boys, wielding rifles. The police officers do not shoot. Rather, they examine the boys’ weapons and break into big smiles: “Hey, is it real?” one officer asks. “Looks like real,” his partner marvels. “And it sounds like real,” the first officer confirms. “Right — every shot!” says the announcer, because this is on television. It’s an ad, from 1967, for the Sound-O-Power M-16 military rifle, a big hit for Marx Toys at Christmas that...

Strobridge Elementary Principal Charles Hill has a brilliant idea: he’s holding a toy gun exchange next Saturday in which students of the Hayward, CA school can turn in a toy gun to receive a book and a raffle ticket to win one of four bicycles. Really. Hill believes that children who play with toy guns may not think real guns are dangerous. “Playing with toy guns, saying ‘I’m going to shoot you,’ desensitizes them, so as they get older, it’s easier for them to use a real gun,” he claims. Hill was inspired by a school photographer, Horace Gibson, who...

A 9-year-old boy’s birthday cupcakes sparked a school controversy that just keeps growing, with scores of people lining up against a school principal who found the cupcake’s topping “inappropriate.” The boy was chided, and so were his parents, for cupcakes featuring little green Army men on the top.

With Christmas only days away, and shopping malls packed, many Americans are scrambling for last minute gift ideas for kids, especially those older children, nephews, and nieces on your list. Here’s one idea: Give the gift of freedom and responsibility – a gun. Most states allow teenagers to own and possess long guns, and those 18 years of age and older to own, possess, and open carry handguns . . .

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Rhode Island boy whose school banned a hat he made because the toy soldiers on it carried tiny guns was awarded a medal on Friday for his patriotic efforts. Lt. Gen. Reginald Centracchio, the retired head of the Rhode Island National Guard, gave 8-year-old David Morales a medal called a challenge coin during an appearance on WPRO-AM's John DePetro show. Centracchio said the second-grader should be thanked for recognizing veterans and soldiers."You did nothing wrong, and you did an outstanding job," he said. "We can only hope that kids of your caliber will continue to...

A Rhode Island mother says her 8-year-old son's school would not let him wear a patriotic hat she says he designed for a project to honor Army troops because the school thought it was inappropriate. --- SNIP --- Morales said the principal at David's school called her to say the hat wasn't appropriate because it had guns, which violated a school ban on weapons and toy weapons.

Christan Morales says her son just wanted to honor American troops when he made a hat decorated with an American flag and small plastic Army figures. But the hat ran afoul of the district's no-weapons policy because the toy soldiers were carrying tiny weapons. "His teacher called and said it wasn't appropriate because it had guns," Morales said.

Sep 9, 2009 10:40 pm US/Central Air Rifles And BB Guns: Toys Or Weapons? SEND A TIP TO THE 2 INVESTIGATORS Reporting Dave Savini CHICAGO (CBS) ― Just a few hours ago a Naperville high school student was arrested for shooting a BB gun at students from Chrone middle school. Fortunately no one was hurt. Not the same can be said for one Glen Ellyn woman who had a BB pellet pulled out of her heart. That's why there is a growing call to have BB guns and air rifles regulated like handguns. CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini takes a...

They were supposed to be realistic toy versions of our brave soldiers, complete with authentic replica uniforms and scale model weapons and equipment. But it turns out they are, apparently, a little less representative than had been hoped. A range of action figures launched by the Ministry of Defence has come under fire for being too white and too male. All of the 25 images included in publicity material showed white men, despite 9 per cent of Armed Forces personnel being women and 6 per cent being from ethnic minorities. Senior commanders hoped that the 'HM Armed Forces' range would...

A Star Wars lightsaber has been banned by troubled retailer Woolworths because barmy shop bosses fear it could be mistaken for a gun. Despite being in the midst of their bleakest and possibly last Christmas ever, bosses at the Midlands branch are restricting the sale of the £24.99 Christmas favourite to anyone under the age of 18. Firearms experts said the company was “going over the top” by banning the toy. Brandon Cook, who specialises in restricted sales issues with the Trading Standards Institute, said: “Some companies are going the whole hog and are banning the sale of any weapon-style...

Now, why is Ramadhan Foundation assuming that the terrorist figurine is a Muslim??? ;)

For the last several months, G.I. Joe fans have been voicing their concerns and outrage online over rumors that Paramount may make drastic changes to the franchise when they bring it to the silver screen as a live-action tentpole release. A new report recounting the political and marketing challenges facing a G.I. Joe movie will likely do little to quell their fears. AdAge.com spoke with Hasbro and Paramount execs about the challenges of marketing a film about the U.S. military at a time when the current U.S. administration and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are at a low-point in...

Exploring power, ownership, and equity in an early childhood classroom ___ Carl and Oliver,* both 8-year-olds in our after-school program, huddled over piles of Legos. They carefully assembled them to add to a sprawling collection of Lego houses, grocery stores, fish-and-chips stands, fire stations, and coffee shops. They were particularly keen to find and use "cool pieces," the translucent bricks and specialty pieces that complement the standard-issue red, yellow, blue, and green Lego bricks. "I'm making an airport and landing strip for my guy's house. He has his own airplane," said Oliver. "That's not fair!" said Carl. "That takes too...

Lego has upset fans by giving some of its play figures realistic-looking guns and pistols. For generations its products have been seen as providing harmless fun - it was even said that for years it refused to supply green bricks in case boys used them to make tanks. But critics accuse it of changing its stance, partly because of tie-ins with big-budget films and partly to counter the challenge of action-packed computer games. The new versions of its Star Wars Stormtroopers now carry guns so large they can hardly hold them, despite the previous ones having nothing more alarming...

For kids, Christmas means toys. For boys in particular, the hottest toys often have a martial theme — BB guns, army men, light sabers and the like. But this Christmas season, some parents trudging to the malls for G.I. Joes have had to meet the politically correct platoons now infiltrating the local Toys R' Us. Code Pink, a leftist women's outfit that's a fixture at antiwar rallies, is taking a break from protesting real conflict in Iraq to campaign against so-called "war toys." As the Pink website warns: "Every holiday season manufactures prey on our children with pro-war propaganda disguised...

I want to buy my five year old grandson a western outfit and a real cap gun for Christmas. I can't find a cap gun. I was politely told in ToysrUs that they didn't carry anything that dangerous. For heaven's sake, what is dangerous about caps? My brothers used them at an early age. When I do a google search, I am offered 'clickable' guns, but not the real thing. Anyone have any information on this gun control?

Oh, I am enraged.I went to Target (TARGET, of all places!) to purchase the last few things I needed to finish off my toddler son's Halloween costume. He's going to be a cowboy -- jeans, boots, flannel shirt, leather vest, sherrif's star, hat...and little gunbelts, if I can actually ever GET them.Because Target doesn't carry "gun-based toys." According to the employee (and manager) I asked, it's "socially irresponsible" to expose kids to guns.MEANWHILE, they have about eighty damn copies of "Grand Theft Auto.""Socially irresponsible."Anyone have any ideas where I can get cowboy accessories?

(CNSNews.com) - It's no surprise that in the aftermath of Sept. 11, America's young boys are turning to a decorated war veteran to help them combat evil. Yet, G.I. Joe, the world's first action figure for boys, is taking heavy artillery from groups that claim the toy promotes violent behavior.Toy maker Hasbro first debuted G.I. Joe in 1964 and named the action figure after the movie, "The Story Of G.I. JOE." Dubbed the "Real American Hero," he is representative of the brave soldiers that defend our nation's freedom at home and abroad. Most recently, Hasbro introduced into the G.I. Joe ...