San Franciscoyouth gun violence

Toy Gun Exchange: Elementary School Buys Back Toy Weapons From Students

Schools Fights To Get Toy Guns Off The Street
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By 

Assistant San Francisco Editor, The Huffington Post

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The number one lesson when it comes to gun safety is that a gun is not a toy.

However, there are some cases where guns are, in fact, toys, and one California elementary school is doing its best to keep those toy guns out of the hands of kids.

On Saturday, Strobridge Elementary School in Hayward is holding a toy gun exchange program where students can trade in their toy guns in for books and the chance to win a new bicycle.

"Playing with toys guns, saying 'I'm going to shoot you,' desensitizes them, so as they get older, it's easier for them to use a real gun," Strobridge Principal Charles Hill told the San Jose Mercury News.

"Some of the guns I've confiscated, if they're stuck down in a waistband, the average person would think it's a real gun," he continued. "I could easily see one of our sixth-graders wanting to fake out someone at a 7-Eleven by walking in there [with a toy gun]. They would think it's funny, but it could turn into tragedy."

This effort is modeled off of gun buyback programs where actual firearms can be traded in for cash, which have become increasingly common in the wake of last year's tragic Sandy Hook shooting. Late last year, the cities of San Francisco and Oakland teamed up to for a gun buyback program that netted hundreds of weapons.

Toy gun exchanges have been occurring intermittently around the country for a few years now. In 2011, popular Newark, New Jersey mayor Corey Booker hosted the violence-plagued city's first toy gun exchange, which was marred when a man accidentally shot himself a few blocks away.

While a missile launcher was turned in during a Seattle gun buyback program in January, the only missiles that are likely going to be involved in this weekend's efforts will be made by Nerf.

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Before You Go

Obama's Executive Actions On Gun Violence
Increase Access To Background Check Data(01 of23)
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Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system. (credit:AP)
Remove Legal Barriers On Background Checks(02 of23)
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Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system. (credit:AP)
Incentivize Sharing Of Background Check Data(03 of23)
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Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system. (credit:AP)
Review Criteria For Gun Ownership(04 of23)
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Direct the Attorney General to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks. (credit:Getty Images)
Background Checks For Returning Seized Guns?(05 of23)
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Propose rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun. (credit:AP)
More Guidance On Background Checks(06 of23)
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Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers. (credit:Getty Images)
Safe & Responsible Gun Ownership(07 of23)
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Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign. (credit:Getty Images)
Gun Lock & Safes(08 of23)
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Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission). (credit:Getty Images)
Improve Gun Tracking In Criminal Investigations(09 of23)
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Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations. (credit:AP)
Report On Lost & Stolen Guns(10 of23)
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Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement. (credit:AP)
ATF Director(11 of23)
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Nominate a director for Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. (credit:AP)
Training For Law Enforcement(12 of23)
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Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations. (credit:Getty Images)
Maximize Enforcement Efforts On Gun Crime(13 of23)
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Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime. (credit:Getty Images)
Increase Research On Gun Violence(14 of23)
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Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence. (credit:AP)
Prioritize New Gun Technology(15 of23)
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Direct the Attorney General to issue a report on the availability and most effective use of new gun safety technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies (credit:Alamy)
Clarify Obamacare On Doctors & Guns(16 of23)
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Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes. (credit:Alamy)
Inform Doctors On Reporting Threats(17 of23)
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Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities. (credit:Alamy)
School Resource Officers(18 of23)
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Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers. (credit:AP)
Develop Emergency Response Plans(19 of23)
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Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education. (credit:AP)
Clarify Scope Of Medicaid's Mental Health Coverage(20 of23)
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Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover. (credit:AP)
Finalize ACA Regulations(21 of23)
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Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges. (credit:Getty Images)
Address Mental Health Parity(22 of23)
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Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations. (credit:Getty Images)
Start Dialogue On Mental Health(23 of23)
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Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health. (credit:AP)
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