The war on toy guns

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s latest gun control legislation would restrict the sale and trading of many handguns. But it also does something else: it includes a substantial ban on toy guns and other functioning replicas, such as airsoft guns. This is an ignorant display of power, and far more petty than it is precautionary. If the government can control pseudo-guns, then what is safe from its interference?

The actual text of the law itself states under the criminal code that (emphasis added):

For the purposes of sections 99 to 101, 103 to 107 and 117.‍03, a firearm is deemed to be a prohibited device if…the firearm is designed or intended to exactly resemble, or to resemble with near precision, a firearm…that is designed or adapted to discharge a shot, bullet or other projectile…

Confusing pellet guns with firearms is not new. Just last month, a BBC journalist on Twitter complained that he could buy a rifle and ammunition at an American Walmart…and then used as evidence a picture of a pellet gun. This ignorance is troubling precisely because it’s led certain nations — such as Australia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom — to register these toy guns under the same laws as regular guns. Some American states also have restrictions on airsoft guns, but few ban them outright.

In truth, airsoft guns are the equivalent of wooden swords: they hurt, but they are primarily meant as learning tools. Pellet guns aid in facilitating responsible gun handling and proper gun safety. Besides that, they are distinctly meant to be nonlethal, although they can cause injury if used improperly.

This crackdown on toy guns is ridiculous and should not be treated as any kind of sensible gun control legislation. Critics may cite different scenarios that pellet guns have been used in, such as robbing a store or accidental police shootings due to pellet gun misidentification. But with airsoft guns, which are meant for training and recreation, there is always the potential for harm. And unlike with guns, there has been no rising fatality rate with pellet guns. Besides that, injuries from airsoft guns can be prevented by using equipment to protect the eyes, face, and neck.

The point is, if all the airsoft guns were taken away, it wouldn’t stop the deaths caused by real guns. While none of this should be read as an attack on real gun control, it’s still worth asking why exactly this was included in Trudeau’s recent legislation, especially given that it was announced hot on the heels of a very real tragedy. It seems more like an empty virtue signal disguised as a meaningful change.