There is a new trend that has arisen from the internet, and students are now flocking to buy Orbeez Guns in order to partake in the challenge.
TikTok has had a large influence on teenagers over the past couple years, and people are beginning to join in on trends in order to get their chance at fame. Previously, there was the “devious lick” trend where students were encouraged to steal small things like soap dispensers and mirrors from school property, and now the most recent movement revolves around Orbeez guns: toy guns that shoot small water beads.
Once the toy debuted, people started posting videos of themselves shooting their friends with the guns. After those videos blew up, some teens thought it would be funny to shoot random civilians and post their videos on the internet. The trend continued to escalate as teens dreamed of their shot at becoming a TikTok superstar.
Soon enough, there were calls to the police about teenagers brandishing these “weapons” aimed to hurt others.
According to an article done by NPR, police departments around the country are trying to get one step ahead of teenagers partaking in the trend. “In some cases, it could result in felony charges and parents could also be liable for the actions of their kids,” stated Peachtree city police department. “Even just shooting these on city property is a violation of city ordinance.”
School deputy Jamie Fah has no problem with teens messing around with the orbeez guns by themselves and not causing harm to other civilians. However, when kids bring toy guns to the streets, real problems can arise.
“In Iowa, there is generally a large number of people that legally own firearms and are not hesitant to defend themselves when they feel attacked. I am incredibly thankful, and almost shocked, that nobody has gotten hurt as a result of this challenge,” he said.
Teenagers are also beginning to paint the guns black in order for them to look like real firearms, escalating the seemingly harmless trend into a potential threat. In 2016, the Washington Post published data that tracked officer-involved shootings in the United States. In a span of two years, 86 people were shot because they were brandishing a toy gun that looked real to police.
In the United States, there is an obvious appeal for toy guns. Brands like Nerf are specifically designed towards kids, and the Orbeez guns were likely targeted towards a similar audience. Airsoft and Paintball guns are also sold in sports stores across the nation.
“There’s definitely a spectrum when it comes to teens using these guns,” Fah said. “I’m sure it would be a lot of fun to mess around with some friends in the backyard with some Orbeez. However, there is a large difference between having fun in the backyard and shooting bystanders on the street with them.”
There is no doubt why this would be amusing to teens. After all, some might not see the risks in messing around with a harmless toy gun. But there is still a difference between teens being negligent with friends and teens messing around in a way that can either get themselves hurt or arrested.
According to the article done by NPR, the orbeez gun leaves welts and bruises on the people who are hit by them. Police departments around the country are then arresting those who shoot the toy guns at civilians from things ranging from “a minor misdemeanor of disorderly conduct all the way up to assault or aggravated assault which is a felony,” states Officer Jaret Redfearn from Avondale Police Department.
Sophomore Nick Puthoff had his orbeez gun confiscated after bringing it to school. “It used to be a fun thing to do with friends, but then people started shooting random people who weren’t a part of the situation,” he said.
The “Orbeez Gun” challenge will come and go, just like the devious lick challenge and other trends on the internet. More trends are bound to come in the future. Now the next generation needs to find a solution in order to help control these situations.
