Unbelievable

[DCJenn]

Today at work we confiscated a toy gun. A toy gun that looks just like a 9mm weapon, down to the appropriately colored plastic.

and when we were looking at it- if you pull the trigger it SHOCKS you- my finger is wonky still- 5 hours after the fact. and oh, the second best part- if you cock back the hammer flame shoots out- it's a lighter.

and here's the best part- we confiscated it from three boys in the waiting room who were waiting for their mom to dose. and she was pissed and wanted it back. The youngest was probably five.

My solution is that we're going to bring her in and I downloaded story after story of kids being shot by cops and other people because of their toys. (This was no toy though.) She can have the gun back after she reads and initials every single one of those stories.

and I called the Consumer Product Safety Commission and made a complaint.

Ok- you don't come to my clinic because you're normal, I get that. However, we have off-duty (armed) cops for security guards. I'm betting that they would not have acted favorably to that being brandished about in the lobby. I'm everso annoyed. and seriously- my finger still feels weird.

Jenn

PS- and mom bought it at a Dollar Store or Dollar General or some such place.

[rainbabies]

Holy fawk, jenn.

[HouseofWool]

Holy fawk, jenn.

What she said.

Can't believe these people continue to contribute to the gene pool. Sorry - totally un-PC, but seriously...

Holy Monkey.

[alison]

The outcome could DEFINITELY have been much worse if it had been mistaken for a real gun. Oh man, I don't even want to think about what could have happened...

What a day!

[Momo]

dude... does that not have CPS written all over it??
I seriously doubt that came form a dollar store. She probably saw someone free basing w/it and traded/tricked for it. Sorry if that sounds harsh.

[SuzySunshine]

It constantly amazes me how more and more real looking play guns are.

How can any kind of toy like that be legal?

[McPants]

How can any kind of toy like that be legal?

[Europe]
I'd say the legality of the firearms these kinds of toys replicate would be a more acute issue to address. At least the toys don't fire real bullets that kill people.
[/Europe]

Well you are in Texas... Seriously, that is scary.

[GrayMatterWife]

There's nothing illegal about a non-firearm that is designed to look like a real firearm. Of course, if you use it in a stick-up, though, you could still be charged with armed robbery...

There is a huge problem with idiot parents who think that such an object is an appropriate toy for a child.

I have no problem with people being allowed to manufacture and sell the item (I'd never buy one--but they sound crass and cheesy). I have a huge problem with the parents. Good for DCJenn's workplace having a rule prohibiting such objects on the premises and enforcing the rule. There is no Constitutional right to privacy from private party intervention on private property. They are free to confiscate the toy. The worst thing that could happen to them is that they are sued for conversion of property--a claim that the plaintiff would lose, if they received fair warning that the rules of the premises require that you either surrender the item or leave.

I am not surprised at all by the mom's reaction. I used to get those kind of reactions from parents all the time when I was teaching--just a testimony to how much the parents completely missed the point.

[scrub-jay]

So disappointed.

-C

[Gwendolyn]

Kids end up with all kids of crap...I've confiscated the strangest stuff at school (wierd and sad). I think you are handling it well. Even if she hands it right back to the kids...a distinct possibility...maybe she will at least keep it at home? Nobody has to pass a test to procreate.

[Thirteen]

Kids end up with all kids of crap...I've confiscated the strangest stuff at school (wierd and sad). I think you are handling it well. Even if she hands it right back to the kids...a distinct possibility...maybe she will at least keep it at home? Nobody has to pass a test to procreate.

hi from HI: had to sound off on this one.
You did a great thing, Jenn. My mom teaches 1st grade and has seen it all, too. Here's to a better finger, and a wiser Mom (or at least wiser waiting room spectators??).

-A

[Momo]

I think we are forgetting something: it's not a toy.
Jenn said it turned out to actually be a lighter!
So I was shocked that kids were literally playing with fire/a lighter!!