Juvenile court official cracks down on toy gun sales

WBAL-TV 11 NEWS AT 5:00 P.M. CONTINUES NOW. A BATTLE OVER A TOY GUN. IN THE MIDST OF A SURGEON GUN VIOLENCE IN BALTIMORE CITY, A JUVENILE COURT OFFICIAL IS PUSHING FOR A CRACKDOWN ON THE SALE OF TOY GUNS. BUT SHE HAS THE EXAMPLE THAT SHE SAYS ILLUSTRATES OUR CASE. JAYNE MILLER IS LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM WITH THAT STORY. THESE ARE TOY GUNS WITHOUT BULLETS, BUT DO THEY LOOK TOO MUCH LIKE THE REAL THING? A MAGAZINE THAT DROPS OUT , IT PULLS BACK, I MEAN, WHO IS GOING TO QUESTION THAT? A MASTER IN THE CITY'S JUVENILE COURT, SHE IS HOLDING A TOY GUN SHE SAYS A DEPUTY SHERIFF RECENTLY TOOK FROM TWO YOUNG BOYS IN A WEST BALTIMORE NEIGHBORHOOD. HE PULLED OUT A PISTOL AND POINTED IT AT ANOTHER LITTLE BOY, AND THE OTHER LITTLE BOYS STARTED RUNNING. IT LOOKED LIKE A GUN. THE GUN IS PLASTIC, FAKE, BUT SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH THE REAL PISTOL, IT IS HARD TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE. THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE THE BOYS WERE PLAYING WITH IT HAS BEEN RIDDLED WITH GUN VIOLENCE. POLICE PUT A MOBILE COMMAND CENTER AT THE SCENE OF ANOTHER FATAL SHOOTING YESTERDAY. IT IS NOT A QUESTION OF IF, BUT WHEN SOMEONE ELSE IS GOING TO DIE. SOMEONE'S CHILD IS GOING TO DIE, OR SOMEBODY IS GOING TO USE THAT IN THE COMMISSION OF A ROBBERY, I BELIEVE. AND MUST BE POPULAR, THE DAY WE WERE THERE, TWO MT PACKAGES HAVE BEEN LEFT IN FRONT OF THE STORE, AS IF WHOEVER BOUGHT THEM COULD NOT PRETEND TO WAIT AT -- COULD NOT WAIT TO PRETEND THEY WERE ARMED. FROM BEHIND THE PLEXIGLASS WALL, THE STORE OPERATOR SHOWED US THE SILVER BEAR ALL TOY GUN HE HAD ON THE SHELF THAT DAY AND DESCRIBED THE CHILDREN WHO BOUGHT THE GUNS EARLIER IN THE DAY. YOU KNOW YOU HAVE HAD A LOT OF SHOOTINGS AROUND HERE. THE STOREKEEPER SAW NOTHING WRONG. THEY ARE JUST BOYS, HE SAID. THE PRESIDENT SEES IT DIFFERENTLY. IF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SELLING THEM DON'T CARE NOTHING ABOUT OUR KIDS TO NOT SELL THEM, I THINK WE AS A COMMUNITY SHOULD FORCE THEM TO NOT SELL THEM. FEDERAL ALL REQUIRES THAT HAVE AN ORANGE TIPS ON THE BARREL. NEW YORK CITY REQUIRES TOY GUNS TO BE A DIFFERENT COLOR ALTOGETHER, A BRIGHT BLUE, RED, OR GREEN. MARYLAND HAS NO SUCH RESTRICTION.