ROCKY MOUNT, N.C.— In the eastern part of North Carolina, police are telling people about “Orbeez guns” or “gel blasters.”
Police said the toy guns shoot out bright beads that soak up water. These beads can seriously hurt you or damage your property when they freeze.
Surveillance video sent to WRAL News showed a group of teens firing an Orbeez gun as they drove through a Roanoke Rapids area.
Lara Farmer said this has been going on for more than a year. A lot of damage has been done to her house, and her kids are scared.
Lara Farmer said, “My kids don’t want to go outside anymore.” “My daughter and her best friend have been shot multiple times by them.”
Roanoke Rapids Police put up a Facebook message this week to let people know they’re stepping up their efforts.
“We’re going to start holding these guns until a parent comes to get them again.” “We will send your child to Juvenile Services if they damage property, and you will be held responsible for any damage they cause,” the post says.
Sheriff Tyree Davis of Halifax County said that his kids can play with toy guns safely, but when the gel-like pellets get frozen, they can be dangerous.
“They are made to be used as toys, but toys are only toys if you use them as toys,” he added.
Davis said it went too far.
“When you create a weapon and start assaulting people and damaging property, they are no longer toys; they are weapons,” he said.
WRAL News found that four police departments in eastern North Carolina have recently been called about the guns.
Davis has a message for mother and father.
“When you see a group of kids loading up in a car and taking these with them, you need to stop them, ask them questions, and redirect them,” said Davis.
WRAL News has learned that you will be charged if you use the toy guns in a way that they were not meant to be used.
