You Probably Can't Carry Your Toy Gun in Boston

You should probably leave your toy gun at home if you're planning to be out and about in Boston. The city has banned "realistic-looking" toy handguns or "replica" handguns, NBC News and the Boston Globe report. Anyone caught with such a "gun" in a public space will have it confiscated; second-time offenders will be fined $50. "These aren't toys, these very much can injure your young child," says Boston's police commissioner; authorities say they are trying to prevent incidents like the one in which 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot by Cleveland police while holding a fake gun. Replica guns will only be allowed in public if they are marked to make it clear they are not real.

Authorities say Boston police have seized 150 facsimile guns this year; in one incident, officers chased four boys through a playground because they had a realistic-looking toy gun with them. Replica guns have also been used to commit crimes, authorities say. (More Boston stories.)