By Police1 Staff
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Patrolmen’s Association is taking action against replica guns in a potential lawsuit against the manufacturers.
According to News5 Cleveland, the lawsuit is seeking a redesign of the toy guns to make them look less realistic. No financial damages are being sought.
“These fake weapons put the community at risk, puts law enforcement at risk, something has to be done,” union attorney Henry Hilow said.
An increase in officer-involved shootings that involve toy guns has sparked legislation and bans on replicas. In the 1980s, Congress authorized a study that discovered nearly 250 use-of-force cases involved a suspect brandishing an imitation gun, the Associated Press reported. A 2016 Washington Post study found that 86 people fatally shot by police over a period of two years had an imitation gun.
The union is expected to file in the coming months.