Boston Mayor Bans Replica Handguns in Public Spaces

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has signed an ordinance banning replica handguns in public spaces throughout the city.

Walsh says the ordinance is aimed at increasing public safety by allowing police to confiscate replica firearms and requiring the owner to retrieve them at local police stations.

The goal is to make residents, particularly young people, aware of the dangers of replica handguns - which can be mistaken for real guns.

Walsh was joined at the Monday signing ceremony at the Twelfth Baptist Church in the city's Roxbury neighborhood by Boston Police Commissioner William Evans and members of the local clergy.

A 12-year-old boy was fatally shot by police in Cleveland last year after brandishing what turned out to be a replica gun.

The regulations were put in effect immediately after the signing.