The recently adopted Violent Crimes Reduction Bill includes a number of measures intent on reducing the levels of violent crime. Included in the Bill is a section imposing restrictions on the manufacture, importation, distribution and sale of imitation firearms.

These restrictions apply to all imitation firearms with no recognised exclusion for toy guns. For example, the Bill, as written, bans the sale of any imitation guns to any person below the age of 18. This would effectively include the sale of all toy guns!

The next stage of the legal process is for the Home Secretary to introduce formal Regulations to implement the requirements of the Bill. Whilst the toy industry must recognise the important intent of this piece of legislation, steps do need to be taken to position the industry so as to continue to supply toy guns without causing disruption to the enforcement of the Bill.

To this end, Equitoy is working with the BTHA and TRA to develop a Code of Practice for Toy Guns. The purpose is to establish a code that the Home Office will recognise for the purposes of being able to circumvent the restrictions included in the Bill when the official regulations are drafted, which are expected to be introduced in the first quarter of 2007.

Clive Shelton, Equitoy's safety adviser, is actively working to put the case on behalf of the toy trade. A draft of the proposed Code of Practice will be presented to the Home Office for their due consideration.

What do importers and suppliers of toy guns need to do?

In particular, the current practice of including an orange or red blaze around the tip of the barrel may no longer be sufficient in itself to satisfy the law.

The proposed Code of Practice will include that a toy firearm must be clearly distinguishable as a toy. This shall be achieved through its general appearance, its shape, its size or its colour - or any combination of these attributes.

Members are strongly advised to use colour as the primary means of identifying their items as being toys. Colours should be bright such as red, orange, blue, green, yellow or purple and should be used for all or a significant part of the toy gun.

The Act does not impose requirements on imitations of guns such as blunderbusses or any other such firearms which were first made before 1870.

Click here to read the Toy Firearms code of practice