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Injured kids show eyeballs and toy guns don't gel

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Gel blasters, a toy gun that fires small gel balls at high speeds, have been blamed for two separate incidences of eye injuries in Queensland, say Aussie researchers. The guns, created to get around the legal restrictions on paintball and airsoft weapons, shoot small gelatinous spheres, and are currently considered a toy in Queensland due to their inability to injure. In both cases, children copped a gel ball to the eye which caused lasting trauma. The researchers suggest the guns should definitely not be categorised as toys, and people should be vigilant with making sure the users are wearing eye protection.

Journal/conference: BMJ Case Reports

Link to research (DOI): 10.1136/bcr-2019-229629

Organisation/s: The University of Queensland, Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service

Funder: The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

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