Green Bay police warn parents of splatter-gun misuse; Grand Chute PD arrests men in connection to toy guns

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Green Bay police officers are concerned with the possible return of look-alike toy guns, specifically “gel splatter guns.”

Kevin Warych, the operations commander for the department, said they receive reports of kids shooting the beads all over town during the summer months every year.

“Kids look at it as toys. We look at it as a real weapon, and we’re just trying to prevent really bad things from occurring,” he said.

Green Bay police are trying to be proactive, but Grand Chute police are dealing with splatter guns already. An arrest connected to the toy is now making the rounds on TikTok.

Action 2 News confirmed with the Grand Chute Police Department that men in their 20′s were arrested after driving around the the area shooting gel beads at their friends’ vehicles near the 400 block of N. Casaloma Dr. The men were released without charges but not before being advised to stop their behavior that could have led to property damage or injury.

“Something so small on TikTok can really have drastic effects here if used in the city,” said Commander Warych.

Warych said Green Bay parents turned in two splatter guns when police responded to a separate incident after realizing their son should not own them. Both guns were black with a red stripe, which could easily be mistaken for real guns.

“I can tell you that officers are trained, that if they see that weapon they assume that it’s real until proven otherwise,” said Warych.

The same thing could happen if a splatter gun is pointed at a stranger, which is why Warych said parents should not buy them or at least get them in bright colors to distinguish them from real guns. But most importantly, kids should not shoot the gel guns at people who are unaware.

“If a person shoots Orbeez (gel beads), BB’s or other facsimile firearm, they will be held accountable just depending on which ordinances are there,” he warned.

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