Call for ban on toy gun after boy suffers injury

The Consumers' Association of Ireland has called for a toy gun new to the Irish market, which caused serious injury to a six-year-old boy at the weekend, to be banned.

The boy, from Greystones in Co Wicklow, was sitting in his mother's car on Sunday when a paint pellet from the Super Paintball Splat gun flew through an open passenger window, striking him on the side of the face.

He was brought to Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin where staff treated swelling and bruising about the eye. Staff at the hospital were said to have been shocked at the fact that the gun was on sale, saying that if the boy had been hit in the eye permanent injury could have been caused.

Mr Dermott Jewell, a spokesman for the consumer group, said the Super Paintball Splat was a clearly dangerous and unsafe toy.

"These things shouldn't be on the market. We are amazed that they are," he said.

The toy gun, made in China and distributed by the Olop Leisure Group of Torquay, works by firing small hard balls containing liquid paint at high speed. It says on the packaging that use is only recommended under the direct supervision of adults.

It also warns against firing at eyes or face and tells users to "always use (accompanying) goggles when playing with paintball splat".

The toy is recommended for children aged eight and upwards.

A spokesman for Olop said the toy had been tested to the highest standards, and there had been no complaints about it on safety or other grounds in Britain where, he said, "hundreds of thousands" had been sold.

When it was put to him that it might be unreasonable to expect children not to point a toy gun at another person and fire, he said: "I disagree. It says clearly on the packaging that it shouldn't be fired at the eye or face. You can't legislate for whether people respect the instructions or not.

"If people want to go round throwing yo-yos at other people they are going to hurt them, too."

He further said that if anyone had a complaint about the gun they should forward it to Olop Ltd, "and we will deal with them fully."

A spokesman for the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs said there were no moves to ban the Super Paintball Splat.

"It complies with all the regulations and warnings that the EU demands," he said.