Walmart Fined for Shipping Non Guns to New York State

One issue with gun control isn’t just that it tramples our rights, but that it also never stops at guns. Look at the UK, for example, where they’re trying to figure out knife control. They still try to restrict guns more and more, but as criminals shifted to knives, now they think they need laws about those, too. It’s insane.

In more domestic matters, though, while gun control is still a dream for many people in this country–I hesitate to call them Americans for what I hope are obvious reasons–they also focus on plenty of non-guns.

For example, toy guns aren’t firearms. They can’t shoot a bullet as manufactured. While some replicas can be modified, apparently, they’re not made to work like that.

Yet some places restrict them. Why? Because some bad guys use fake, toy guns to scare people into thinking they have a real one.

New York state is such a place, and they just fined one of the biggest retailers for shipping “realistic” toy guns to the state.

Walmart has been fined after the New York attorney general said third-party sellers sold realistic-looking toy guns to New Yorkers.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Tuesday that her office reached a settlement with Walmart after the retailer had facilitated the shipment of nine realistic-looking guns to addresses in New York. The settlement included a fine totaling $16,000.

As explained in a release from James’ office, New York state law prohibits retailers from “selling or shipping toy guns that are black, dark blue, silver, or aluminum-colored and look like a real gun.”

“Realistic-looking toy guns can put communities in serious danger and that is why they are banned in New York,” James said.

“The ban on realistic-looking toy guns is meant to keep New Yorkers safe and my office will not hesitate to hold any business that violates that law accountable,” she added.

First, Walmart made something like $15.5 billion in 2024. I’m pretty sure they won’t even notice a $16,000 fine on their bottom line. Of course, at nearly $1,800 per toy, that’s not exactly chump change, relatively speaking. It just won’t really hurt such a massive retail giant.

Second, those realistic toy guns don’t put communities in danger. Not really. They scare people, and that’s a different matter entirely. Yes, those who use those toy guns to intimidate people as if they have a real one deserve to be punished just the same. I have no issue with that, and I doubt very many people do, either.

The only exception is that kids with brightly-colored toy guns are less likely to be shot and killed by police who think the kid has a real firearm. Those kids are safer, maybe, but a little parental oversight would fix a lot of those issues, too.

Plus, we’ve seen criminals paint their real guns to look like toys because they figure cops won’t hassle them over them, so I’m not sure this is working as intended.

I’ll note, though, that while James was focused on nine toy guns, she’s completely ignored the massive scandal involving Buffalo Public Schools covering up allegations of abuse and sexual assault on an enormous scale.

I’m sure the people of New York are thrilled to know her priorities are still just as skewed as they have always been. Especially considering the allegations against her for real estate fraud.