As the number of safety accidents related to toy guns is on the continued growth, more cautions are required of consumers.

※ Number of toy weapons-related accidents filed to the CISS: from 67 cases (2007), 69 (2008) and 91 (2009) to 130 cases (2010)

The Korea Consumer Agency (President: Kim Young-seen, www.kca.go.kr) analyzed 385 safety accident cases related to toy weapons (BB gun, powder gun, sword, and arrow), which were filed to the Consumer Injury Surveillance System (CISS) from 2007 to March, 2011 and found that BB gun topped the list of toy gun injury-causing item with 73.5% (283 cases).

For kinds of injuries, BB swallowing and inserting BB into ears was ranked first with 51.7%, 199 cases, followed by impairing eyeball and vision (22.6%, 87 cases), cut and laceration (9.1%, 35 cases), bruises contusion/strain/swelling (5.7%, 22 cases), and burn by powder gun (3.1%, 12 cases).   

 By age of victims, children aged 4 to 7 were the most at risk for the injuries with 35.3% (136 cases), while small children aged 0 to 3 occupied 28.1% (108 cases), sending safety accident injury to children aged 0 to 7 to take up 63.4% (244 cases) of all the safety accidents. 

Based on these findings, the KCA issued a caution alert of child safety accident due to toy weapons and advised parents 1) not to purchase toys that might put children at serious safety risk such as powder gun and bb gun for adults; 2) not to allow children point their BB guns at anyone, especially not in the face; and 3) to store the ammunition out of reach of children.

Date of News Report Release : April 27, 2011