Differences between real and replica firearms

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Fake guns that look real are becoming a growing problem for police.

We examined local firearms to show how you can distinguish between what's real and what's fake.

“These days toy manufactures are making it more and more difficult for the experts to tell the difference,“ said Kenny Bolieiro of On Target Sports

Today's replica guns appear almost identical to the real thing.

“If you're looking at it from a distance you'll assume it's real” said Bolieiro.

“It's very difficult for a cop to tell the difference. Some of these toy guns today look very like actual firearms,” said parent and gun owner Zach Houck.

Replica guns can have the same look and feel as a real gun. So how can you tell the difference? I was told there’s one common clue.

“You want to distinguish a toy. The most common thing is the tip of it. It’s international orange” said Bolieiro.

But it’s not just replicas that are causing the confusion. Real firearms are now coming in colors that used to signal the gun was a toy.

“When I was a kid you would see anything like this, immediately you knew it was a toy. Nowadays firearm manufactures are getting more creative. You can't assume just because you see a colorful gun that it’s a toy. You have to assume that a colorful gun is the real deal,” said Bolieiro.

The difference between replica and real is hard to distinguish. But Bolieiro of On Target Sports says there are ways to keep you and your children safe.

“Teach your kids about firearms. Let them know that this is a toy but somebody might actually think this is real, so handle(it) as if it were a real firearm.”

WJAX