The fatal police shooting of a man in Cincinnati last week is adding fuel to the debate over imitation firearms. Statehouse correspondent Andy Chow reports.
Lawmakers in the Ohio House want to ban imitation firearms which can look exactly like a regular, deadly weapon.
A video from Feb. 17 shows Cincinnati police asking a man to put his hands in the air. An officer then opened fire when the man reached for what ended up being a fake gun.
Democratic Rep. Alicia Reece of Cincinnati proposed a "lookalikes" ban after the 2014 shootings of Tamir Rice in Cleveland and John Crawford in Beavercreek.
Reece says her ban will protect law enforcement, improve their relationship with the community and hurt only the manufacturers.
“They look real, let’s be real. Manufacturers are making money because they look real,” said Reece.
Two bills to ban imitation firearms have each only received one hearing so far.
