April 28, 2004

By: Karlheinz Berlin
Website: http://www.paintball-guns-n-equipment.com

CONSUMER AFFAIRS CITES STATEN ISLAND PAINTBALL CENTER FOR SELLING IMITATION FIREARMS

The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs cited Staten Island Paintball Center for illegally selling, and offering to sell, imitation firearms that were either black or gray in color, a violation of the New York City Public Safety Law.

The citation follows the agency’s recent action against The Sports Authority for selling imitation in its two Queens locations. We continue our aggressive effort to keep these imitation guns off the streets, said DCA Commissioner Gretchen Dykstra.

They are unsafe and can create a possibly fatal situation for both police and the public. We are using our subpoena power to identify other stores in violation and take immediate action. DCA will seek the maximum fine with the amount determined by the number of imitation firearms in the store and the number of possible advertisements placed to potential customers.

DCA has issued subpoenas to the manufacturers of the models found at both the Staten Island Paintball Center and The Sports Authority for a list of all stores in New York City that may have purchased similar imitation guns. The manufacturers that have received subpoenas include National Paintball Supply, Inc., Viewloader, Inc., Tippman Pneumatics, Inc., and Kingman International Corporation.

Under New York City Public Safety Law Section 10-131, it is unlawful for any person to sell or offer to sell, possess or use or attempt to use or give away, any imitation firearm which substantially duplicates, or can reasonably be perceived to be, an actual firearm unless the entire exterior surface of such toy or imitation firearm is colored white, bright red, bright orange, bright yellow, bright green, bright blue, bright pink, or bright purple, either singly or predominant color in combination with other colors in any pattern.

Upon inspection, Staten Island Paintball Center had at least four imitation guns on display including the Kingman Spyder TL Plus, National Paintball Supply’s PT Extreme, and a Tippman Pneumatics model. DCA enforces consumer protection laws and other related laws at thousands of businesses throughout New York City.

Fostering a marketplace where consumers are protected and businesses can thrive, DCA licenses more than 60,000 businesses in 55 different categories in New York City. Through free community seminars, licensing forums, and other informational materials, DCA educates consumers and businesses alike about their rights and responsibilities.

About The Author:

Karlheinz Berlin is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.paintball-guns-n-equipment.com.  Find all the paintball gear, masks, jerseys, guns, pistols, protection, paint supplies, accessories and more.