Toy weapons banned for Halloween

NEW YORK, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Increased school violence in the United States prompted many schools to ban toy weapons from Halloween costumes for this year’s festivities.

Officials from New Jersey and New York issued warnings to parents this year telling them their children should leave fake pitchforks, guns, swords, and other toy weapons at home because they send the wrong message to children.

“With all of these tragic events in recent years, schools are becoming increasingly concerned for the safety of their students, and much of this whole thing about banning toy weapons on Halloween has kind of grown out of that,” The New York Times quotes one school official as saying.

Some parents, however, complain the costume bans go a bit too far.

“Are we really helping to solve the world’s problems by telling our children to leave parts of their Halloween costumes at home? I don’t think so,” one parent said in the Times.