In Japan, children won 16,000 toy revolvers capable of firing live ammunition (4 photos)
Chinese toy manufacturers apparently decided to meet the needs of the Japanese underground and pleased the yakuza with almost 16 thousand "toy" revolvers that shoot live ammunition. And in order not to attract attention, they used slot machines. 
It turned out that the popular plastic Real Gimmick Mini Revolver revolvers that children won in slot machines are capable of shooting real bullets. In six months, about 16,000 of these "toys" were distributed across the country, and now the authorities are sounding the alarm - only 1,100 copies were confiscated.
The investigation revealed shocking details. The Chinese manufacturer, striving for maximum realism, equipped the plastic revolvers with metal strikers and barrels suitable for small-caliber cartridges. At the same time, the products continued to be labeled as "toys for children aged 12 and over" and were freely distributed through 78 companies in 31 prefectures.
The name of the manufacturer is not disclosed, but all models are identified as Chinese, including the Real Gimmick Mini Revolver brand and at least 15 other similar models. Japanese authorities call them all "Chinese toys that can shoot" and have already classified them as military weapons. 
The situation has reached the scale of a national crisis. The National Police Agency of Japan has urgently announced a recall of dangerous "toys", recognizing them as illegal weapons. Particularly alarming is the fact that most of the pistols - about 15,000 pieces - remain unaccounted for. Experts do not rule out that some of them have already fallen into the hands of criminal groups. 
"This is an unprecedented case in which thousands of functional weapons have been brought into the country under the guise of harmless entertainment," a Tokyo police spokesman said. At least one incident of threats involving such a revolver has already been recorded, and experts warn of the risk of accidental discharges that could lead to tragedy. 
Paradoxically, it was the excessive desire for realism that created this dangerous situation. The manufacturer reproduced the mechanics of a real weapon so accurately that it crossed the line between a toy and a deadly device. Now the Japanese authorities will have a long job of confiscating dangerous "toys", and parents will have to explain to their children why yesterday's winnings should be handed over to the police today.
