28 Dec 2009

Toy guns seized at Christmas market in Samoa

6:30 am on 28 December 2009

Stall operators in Samoa were angered when police confiscated toy guns at a Christmas Day market.

One business owner, Rosemary Lavea, told the Samoa Observer, they were treated like criminals.

She said the police acted as if they were raiding real guns when they removed the toy guns.

Ms Lavea said the cops just turned up and said the sale of toy guns was no longer allowed.

The move surprised the stall operators who said they had never been told of such a law.

Some operators reportedly went to the police station and were told that a notice banning the sale of toy guns had been aired on TV the night before.

Ms. Lavea said she found it incredible that a new rule would go into effect the day after it was first made public.