TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey, sometimes called “New Germany” for its strict rules enacted against its own citizens, has done it again. That’s right, New Jersey now bans thousands of toys for sale on Amazon. If you want to get these toys for your kids to put under the Christmas tree, you’re going to have to travel across the border to a ‘free’ state to make the purchase.
These harmless toys are toys most of us had growing up as kids, but only in New Jersey; they are now banned. They’re not bad because they’re dangerous in any way. They are banned simply because the state government has ruled children should not have such toys.
The rules are pretty vague, meaning that some toys are banned, but others that act or look the same are not. It’s not surprising because the law was written to be intentionally vague. While you can get some water pistols on Amazon, don’t try to buy a battery-powered automatic water pistol. They are banned. Their intense rate of fire is too much to handle during a summer NJ backyard BBQ.
The days of kids playing cowboys and Indians are also a distant memory in New Jersey because the Indians now have the advantage. You can buy Nerf bows and arrows on Amazon, but cap guns are now banned in New Jersey. No, you heard that right: the childhood favorite toy for boys, cap guns, are banned for sale and ownership in New Jersey. A loaded cap gun can get your kid put in a juvenile detention center these days.
That’s why Amazon won’t sell cap guns to anyone in New Jersey, even adults. Don’t worry, though. If you want your little cowboy to have the tactical advantage on the neighbor’s little Indian, you can always buy these New Jersey legal toy hand grenades. You can even buy your little darlings a replica M67 fragmentation grenade that looks like the real thing.
But don’t even think about buying them a semi-automatic Nerf gun. Nope, those are explicitly banned in New Jersey.
For instance, this automatic water pistol is specifically banned for sale by Amazon if you live in New Jersey.
Splat guns or gel ball guns are all the rage with kids. These guns shoot Orbeez like gel balls, but if you live in New Jersey, they are now classified as illegal firearms and Amazon won’t sell or deliver them to you.
The most absurd ban in New Jersey is certain water pistols. You can’t buy certain water pistols in New Jersey through Amazon because the company fears a civil lawsuit from the state Attorney General’s Office if they sell them. That’s right, many water pistols are banned in New Jersey because, according to the government, they are not safe to own.
So why are these harmless toy guns illegal in New Jersey? Because Governor Phil Murphy and the Democrat lawmakers in the state say so. No real other reason.
The reality in New Jersey is that real illegal guns are easier to get in New Jersey than toy guns.,
New Jersey has implemented strict regulations on the sale and appearance of toy guns, which has impacted online retailers like Amazon. The state’s law, aimed at enhancing public safety, requires toy guns to be distinctly different in appearance from real firearms. This law mandates that toy guns must be manufactured in colors other than black, blue, silver, or aluminum. Additionally, these toys are required to have a one-inch wide orange stripe running down the sides of the barrel.
The purpose of these regulations is to reduce the likelihood of confusion between toy and real firearms, which can lead to dangerous situations.
The law in New Jersey aligns with broader concerns about the use of realistic-looking toy guns in crimes and their potential to be mistaken for real weapons by law enforcement and the public. A study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics highlighted incidents where officers used force, believing a toy gun was real. In response to these concerns, New Jersey’s approach is more stringent than federal law, which already requires imitation guns to have orange plugs in the barrel, though these can sometimes be removed or painted over.
Given these strict requirements, online retailers like Amazon are likely avoiding the sale of toy guns in New Jersey to ensure compliance with the state’s regulations. This pverly-cautious approach helps these retailers avoid legal issues and aligns with the state’s intent to clearly distinguish toy guns from real firearms.
In other words, Amazon is denying the sale of these guns because they know the sue-happy state will come after them if they do.
These measures reflect New Jersey’s commitment to gun safety and its position as one of the states with stringent gun control laws. The regulation of toy guns is part of a broader effort to enhance public safety and reduce gun-related incidents, but is a ban on toy guns for children going too far?