(New York-WABC, February 6, 2003) — Parents who thought the idea had to be a joke were not laughing Thursday afternoon when a local political group showed up at a Harlem school to give toy guns to children. The "Guns for Tots" program was organized by the Manhattan Libertarian Party to protest a new bill that would ban some toy guns. Area residents had a few words for them Thursday: "Not in my backyard!" Marcus Solis reports from Harlem with the story. See Photos From The Story Watch the Story

If the goal of the Manhattan Libertarian Party was to get people talking about toy guns and about the proposed law to ban them they were certainly successful. But if their goal was to get residents in one Harlem neighborhood to accept and understand their point of view, they were not quite as successful.

Harlem Resident: "Get out my neighborhood. You only come up here when you want something from me. Go away! Go away! Go away! Go away!"

It probably wasn't the reception the Manhattan Libertarian Party was expecting when it travelled to East Harlem Thursday. When they arrived, they found furious parents and residents. The libertarians went there intent on giving away hundreds of toys guns to prove a point.

Jim Lesczynski, Manhattan Libertarian Party: "I'm a parent myself. I don't want the government telling my child what kind of toys she can play with..."

The giveaway, which the party called "Guns for Tots," coincided with a City Council hearing on a proposed law that would effectively ban the sale of toy guns in New York City. Lawmakers showed off fake weapons that had been spray painted to look real, and expressed outrage at the Libertarians, calling their giveaway flat out racist.

City Councilman Charles Barron, Brooklyn (D): "Knowing that these toy guns led to the deaths of some of our children, you must find other ways to promote your party."

But critics of the proposed law say the vast majority of incidents occur when police shoot someone who is purposely using a toy gun to committ a crime. Representatives of the toy industry, at Friday's hearing, said the resolution outlawing realistic fakes is too vague.

Fred Locker, Toy Industry Association: "The question is by whom, when, in what situation. Certainly we don't want to be in a situation where we take away toys. We're not opposed to gun control, we're opposed to fun control."

The Liberatarians failed to make it uptown in time for dismissal at PS 72, as they had planned. And after trying to walk around the block they only found one taker, a parent who actually thinks toy guns are dangerous but couldn't pass up the free deal.

Lenny McDonald, Parent: "Kids shouldn't play with guns like this." Marcus Solis, Eyewitness News: "But you're taking them anyway?" McDonald: "Because these, they can play in the house, they're water guns, they can play in the house. But once they finish with them I throw them out."

After being beratted by parents and residents for about a half hour, members of the Manhattan Libertarian Party gave up and took a cab back downtown.

Meanwhile, the measure under consideration by the city council could be voted on and passed as early as the spring.

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