Police in KP recommends ban on toy guns

PESHAWAR: The police in some districts have suggested imposing a ban on toy guns after a campaign was launched on the social media to discourage the fascination for guns among children.

The sale of toy guns and crackers records an increase before and during Eid every year. Thousands of children can be seen brandishing toy guns, which can fire plastic bullets similar to the real guns. These cause not only injuries to people but also promote violence among the kids.

Some of these guns look like real Kalashnikovs and other automatic weapons and attract children to the real guns.

The Mardan Police took the lead by asking for a ban on the sale and purchase of crackers and toy guns on the occasion of Eidul Fitr and even after the festival to esnure maintenance of peace in the district.

“We have recommended to the district administration to ban the sale of toy guns and crackers,” District Police Officer, Mardan, Sajjad Khan told The News. He said police in the district would go after those involved in the sale of the toy guns because this promotes violence among the new generation.

The authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had launched an aggressive campaign against aerial firing and sale of toy guns in the past years. Senior officers used to visit major mosques of the cities during Friday prayers to address the worshippers after the sermon to discourage aerial firing and sale and use of toy guns.

People on the social media have asked the police and district administration of other districts to impose a ban on the sale and use of toy guns, aerial firing and crackers under Section 144 of the CrPC. A crackdown was launched on dealers selling toy guns in different parts of the country after a ban was imposed in 2017 and 2018. Many deputy commissioners imposed the ban in their respective districts.

“Some of the children stage proper encounters with the toy guns and open fire on each other. They seek to emulate the Pashto films and CD dramas in which gun culture and violence is promoted by the illiterate directors, producers and actors,” Abdul Wahab, a local resident in his 40s, told The News. He added that apart from ban on toy guns, the provincial government and concerned departments should ban violent scenes, promotion of gun culture and drugs in films and CD plays.