Are gel blasters a safe toy? A study into their kinetic energy per unit area

Gel blasters are currently imported and marketed as children’s toys in Australia. Gel blasters closely imitate the appearance of many genuine firearms of all types and are designed to propel small hydrated gel balls of approximately 7–8 mm in diameter, by means of compressed air or gas. They are considered illegal in all states of Australia except Queensland but these items aren’t specifically written into most state firearms legislation. However, to be considered as children’s toys, they must not exceed the recommended kinetic energy (KE) of 2500 J/m² as outlined in the Australian/New Zealand Standard Safety of Toys – Part 1: Safety aspects related to mechanical and physical properties (Safety of Toys ASNZS ISO 8124.1:2019) [1]. The aim of this study was to determine if a range of gel blasters would conform to the Australian & New Zealand Standard and have projectiles with kinetic energy of less than 2500 J/m². Utilising the testing procedure outlined in ASNZS ISO 8124.1:2019 (Australian/New Zealand Standard Safety of Toys – Part 1: Safety Aspects related to Mechanical and Physical Properties (Safety of Toys ASNZS ISO 8124.1:2019) [1]), a range of gel blasters were tested. In addition, a number of NERF™ toys and airsoft firearms were tested to provide reference between an accepted child’s toy and items considered to be a firearm, such as airsoft firearms. A NERF™ toy (commonly referred to as a blaster) fires a foam projectile at very low velocities through direct spring/striker impact to the rear of the dart, battery-powered motorised flywheel, or by compressed air generated by a small piston inside a cylinder. Airsoft firearms are designed to fire hard plastic balls (typically 6 mm in diameter) and can achieve velocities upwards of 90 m/s with the potential to cause injuries to soft tissue. Results showed the KE per unit area of pellets fired from airsoft firearms significantly exceeded the recommended 2500 J/m² ranging from approximately 10,620 J/m² to 69,650 J/m². Twenty of the twenty-four gel blasters tested (83 %) exceeded 2500 J/m², with values ranging between 2112 J/m² and 42,645 J/m². NERF™ toys were found to be notably under 2500 J/m², ranging from approximately 1230 J/m² to 2129 J/m². The results suggest that the majority of gel blasters (items of seizures) tested, currently being imported and marketed as children’s toys in Australia, easily exceed 2500 J/m² as outlined in the ASNZS ISO 8124.1:2019 and are not safe to be marketed and sold as children’s toys. Reinforcing the position of most jurisdictions, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in Canberra made the following statement in 2019: ‘ACT (Australian Capital Territory) Policing is reminding the public that replica firearms known as gel blasters are illegal in the ACT’. Taking the results determined throughout this research and the statement by AFP into consideration, gel blasters should not be exempt from control under Firearms Legislation because they are claimed to be toy.