News Online toy handguns revealed to be potentially lethal

[thomas]

Chinese-made toy pistols with lethal capabilities equivalent to real firearms have been discovered circulating on online shopping platforms, police have warned. According to the NPA, investigations have confirmed that 16 different models possess the potential to kill or seriously injure individuals.

Photo credit: Asahi via NPA​

Authorities urged the public to refrain from purchasing such items and to alert police if they encounter so-called "toy" guns being sold online. Japan maintains strict regulations governing firearm ownership and sales, and incidents involving handguns remain extremely rare. The NPA noted that the issue became apparent in June 2022 through cyber patrols conducted by prefectural police and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

The item in question was displayed as a "toy" on a domestic shopping website and came with plastic bullets. Police tests found that it was capable of firing live ammunition and had the same power as a genuine handgun, the possession and sale of which is regulated by the Firearms Control Law. Since November 2023, prefectural and metropolitan police have warned the public on their websites not to purchase the toy guns.

Since the warning was issued, police have reported around 30 cases of violations of the Firearms Control Law by March. So far, about 1,100 guns have been seized or recovered. The 16 handgun models identified as having lethal capabilities were all manufactured in China.

‘Toy’ handguns sold online turn out to be lethal weapons | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

 

[johnnyG]

Hang on a sec, while I search temu for RPGs...

 

[thomas]

These are the sixteen toy models sold online in Japan and deemed lethal weapons by the NPA.

The weapons fall under the category of handguns, making their possession and sale a violation of the firearms control law. According to the NPA, at least 16 types of these guns have been identified, all manufactured in China. Some feature toy-like colours such as yellow-green, purple and orange. They are sold with plastic shell cases and bullets, with the cartridges containing an internal spring. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) discovered these guns being sold as toys during a cyber patrol in June 2022 and conducted an analysis. The guns were found to have a structure capable of loading and firing metal bullets, possessing power similar to handguns regulated under the firearms law.

Police warn 16 types of 'toy' guns sold online in Japan have lethal capabilities - The Mainichi

TOKYO -- Japan's National Police Agency (NPA) has confirmed that 16 types of

mainichi.jp

 

[Grandpa Frank]

I learned at a young age never to put a real bullet in a toy gun and was very lucky I wasn't hurt. I'm betting anyone of these guns would blow up in the hand of the shooter if one of today's cartridges was fired in it.. It takes strong heat treated high quality metal to handle the high pressures a bullet generates. I wonder if any of the police test fired real bullets to see what really happens.

 

[thomas]

I wonder how 3d-printed guns handle the pressure and the heat.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

I wonder how 3d-printed guns handle the pressure and the heat.

I always wondered the same thing. Even with a metal barrel inserted into a printed gun and something strong to hold the bullet in , I wouldn't trust it. I thought it strange that none of the many gun magazines I buy each month never had an article on printed guns. I got the feeling it all may have been made up by anti gun people to scare non gun people. I'm sure you could print a gun out and maybe with a low powered bullet it could work , but I'd be afraid to try it. For the price of a 3-D printer , you could buy a couple cheap handguns. Another similar story is on "Ghost Guns" being made from parts you buy on line so there is no serial number to trace. Unless you have the right tools to fit and assemble the gun , it's not going to work. It's easier to take a cheap gun and a good drill and drill out the serial number or buy a gun off the street that can't be traced to you anyway.

 

[Achilles 1-1]

Just imagine they put .12 gauge shotgun shells in there… Those toy handguns would definitely blow up, regardless of where they're made. I shoot two .12 gauge shotguns for my schools clay shooting team and even in a gun made for those shells it's quite a kick (Unless you use a .20 gauge AKA the women's gun). Putting a shotgun shell into a toy handguns I'd imagine would be like holding a live grenade rigged to blow in your hand…

 

[mdchachi]

None of those are shotgun sized. A .22 might work.

 

[Achilles 1-1]

None of those are shotgun sized. A .22 might work.

Thats… kinda why I said imagine…

 

[thomas]

More potentially lethal plastic guns in circulation:

Police have issued a public safety warning after finding that "toy" guns offered as prizes in arcade claw machines can be just as deadly as actual firearms. The NPA is now attempting to track down and recover an estimated 16,000 of the Chinese-made guns, warning that possession violates Japan's Swords and Firearms Control Law. In a public appeal on 17 July, authorities urged anyone holding one of the devices to hand it over to their nearest police station without delay.

In Japan, handgun possession is heavily restricted and, in principle, banned, with unauthorised ownership punishable by arrest and criminal charges. Officials say these devices are capable of firing with the same lethal power as genuine handguns. They have been appearing as prizes in "UFO catchers," a type of claw machine found in amusement centres, shopping malls, and game arcades. The products are marketed as suitable for "ages 12 and up" and come packaged with eight plastic bullets.

[...] forensic analysis revealed that they share the same internal structure as firearms capable of discharging live rounds and possess equivalent firepower to handguns regulated under Japan's firearm laws. In May, a joint investigation by the Hyogo prefectural police and Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department led to a raid on a residence in Hyogo Prefecture, where "toy" guns were discovered. Further investigation into the supply chain revealed that a Japanese importer had brought in approximately 15,800 units for use as prizes in crane games. The guns were subsequently distributed to 78 retailers across 31 prefectures. As of July 16, around 450 of them had been recovered, but the rest are believed to still be in circulation. The NPA issued a warning and is urging continued vigilance.

Police issue alert after lethal ‘toy’ guns appear as crane game prize | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

 

[Ukigumo]

I wonder how 3d-printed guns handle the pressure and the heat.

I believe the plastic 3D printed hand guns can discharged only once before being unsafe.

 

[Ukigumo]

I learned at a young age never to put a real bullet in a toy gun and was very lucky I wasn't hurt. I'm betting anyone of these guns would blow up in the hand of the shooter if one of today's cartridges was fired in it.. It takes strong heat treated high quality metal to handle the high pressures a bullet generates. I wonder if any of the police test fired real bullets to see what really happens.

I've never even seen/handled a bullet let alone a gun! I'm very thankful for that.

 

[Ukigumo]

I always wondered the same thing. Even with a metal barrel inserted into a printed gun and something strong to hold the bullet in , I wouldn't trust it. I thought it strange that none of the many gun magazines I buy each month never had an article on printed guns. I got the feeling it all may have been made up by anti gun people to scare non gun people. I'm sure you could print a gun out and maybe with a low powered bullet it could work , but I'd be afraid to try it. For the price of a 3-D printer , you could buy a couple cheap handguns. Another similar story is on "Ghost Guns" being made from parts you buy on line so there is no serial number to trace. Unless you have the right tools to fit and assemble the gun , it's not going to work. It's easier to take a cheap gun and a good drill and drill out the serial number or buy a gun off the street that can't be traced to you anyway.

There are 3D printers that print with ceramics/metal which would make such firearms somewhat more durable. This for example is a 3D printed titanium pry bar/whistle/wrench/bottle opener made by Midgards Messer.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

How much damage do you suppose a plastic bullet could do instead of a live round? There must be potential for grave harm for some of these plastic guns?

 

[mdchachi]

I've never even seen/handled a bullet let alone a gun! I'm very thankful for that.

They are enjoyable to shoot just like anything else -- swords, arrows, slingshots. It's just unfortunate that they are misused and so many people are irresponsible or mentally ill, etc.

How much damage do you suppose a plastic bullet could do instead of a live round? There must be potential for grave harm for some of these plastic guns?

I wonder if it's because it could be modified to fire a live round. Hard to believe the spring-loaded mechanism and plastic bullet could just as deadly.

 

[Ukigumo]

They are enjoyable to shoot just like anything else -- swords, arrows, slingshots. It's just unfortunate that they are misused and so many people are irresponsible or mentally ill, etc.

Society would be perfectly safe if I owned a gun,ann automatic rifle, granades, tasers etc, because I'm a sensible upright person who has reached level 3 of Kohlberg's levels of moral reasoning. I suspect most of the people on this forum are in the same sort of category. But 'Mikey' the steroid user in my gym. No! The people rioting outside hotels that are housing illegal immigrants? No! The people propping up the bar in the Hay Wain pub down the road? Absolutely not! Children under the age of 4 years? No!

I would love to own and shoot a gun at paper targets, but I'm glad nobody else can in the UK.

I wonder if it's because it could be modified to fire a live round. Hard to believe the spring-loaded mechanism and plastic bullet could just as deadly.

Yes that's very plausible. Would a bullet 'go off' if one hit one with a hammer?

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

The plastic bullet wouldn't have to be exactly as lethal as a live round under all circumstances to be deadly, though. It may be lethal at close range, but only mildly annoying at a distance. It would still be lethal, however. I have no idea what the answer is to that, but I would like to know if that influenced the decision as well.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

Probably more danger from swallowing the small plastic bullet then getting hit by it , LOL. Maybe a close range shot to the eye could be harmful. I started shooting in 1955 and even as a police officer , never shot anyone. My collection now it down to just 22 guns and over the years have owned over 100 guns and not one managed to shoot anyone by itself.

 

[mdchachi]

Would a bullet 'go off' if one hit one with a hammer?

These are the kind of people who can freely buy guns in 'merica.


I can't believe this guy. Everybody knows the best way to dispose of bullets is to throw them into a fire pit.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

Surprisingly , bullets in a fire have very low energy to penetrate anything. Usually the case explodes with the bullet part not going far at all. The real danger id a bullet in the chamber of a gun ready to fire. The heat of a bad fire will make the bullet fire out of the gun with the same power from pulling the trigger and shooting it. I store my 10,000 rounds of ammo in the military style metal boxes. Usually in a bad fire they most the box will do is swell & bulge out a bit.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

I do commend the guy for trying to look after the safety of his children. He should have found a better way to do it, though.

It's easy to mock him...it would be so easy...but at least no one was seriously injured.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

Although it's time consuming , you can take most bullets apart with a special hammer. Then the only dangerous part is the primmer if it's hit just right or thrown in a fire. Primmers then go off like a large cap or firecracker. Most people who reload ammo have a hammer to take apart bullets they reloaded wrong. Gun power in small amounts and not confined in any container are of little danger and will light up like a match head when burned.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

When I lived in Fukuoka , I joined a local gun club there. They used a small shotgun like air rifle made in South Korea to hunt birds with. The shells contained about 15 small lead pellets. You had to pump it almost 50 times to get it ready to shoot. I still have a set of cufflinks they gave me as a going away present when I left Japan.

 

[Ukigumo]

Surprisingly , bullets in a fire have very low energy to penetrate anything. Usually the case explodes with the bullet part not going far at all. The real danger id a bullet in the chamber of a gun ready to fire. The heat of a bad fire will make the bullet fire out of the gun with the same power from pulling the trigger and shooting it. I store my 10,000 rounds of ammo in the military style metal boxes. Usually in a bad fire they most the box will do is swell & bulge out a bit.View attachment 131176

That is really fascinating! Thanks Grandpa Frank!

 

[Achilles 1-1]

Speaking as a guy who shoots guns on an almost weekly basis, the police are right to be concerned. Toy guns should NEVER be deemed lethal. Toy guns should be used to teach children about gun safety in a safe, family friendly way.