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Is a toy gun still a toy when it looks so real a even cop can’t tell the difference?

Houston Police Sergeant Nate McDuell doesn’t think so, especially in the wake of an HISD student being expelled for bringing one to class.

Khadir Turner was expelled for bringing a plastic BB gun to school that looked a little too much like the real thing. 

11 News

Turner says the gun was a birthday gift from friends, and he had no idea the trouble he’d face for having one in school.  The boy’s father says he didn’t even know they boy had a toy gun, much less one that looked so real.

“I was really upset that the children had access to buy a toy that looked like a real gun,” Donald Turner said.

The toys are so real-looking that upon quick glance, some can’t be distinguished from Bersa 380 semi-automatic pistols – especially if you’re an officer confronting someone in the middle of the night.

That confusion could lead police to opening fire and killing someone who wasn’t really armed at all.

Some community leaders think toys like Turner’s BB gun should be banned entirely. 

Guns like Turners are available at stores across the city.   Critics of the toys also note that kids don’t need any help getting their hands on negative imagery like weapons.

Especially plastic toys molded into the shape of an item that kills.