Police are issuing a warning to parents who are buying their kids toy or airsoft guns this Christmas.

Police are warning that because these toy guns look so real, they could be putting kids at risk if they are used improperly. Police this year are urging parents to use caution and educate their children about the dangers some of these hyper-realistic guns pose.

“The biggest thing is safety. In regards to even if they are using a toy, if it’s airsoft, or if it’s a pellet gun, if there’s some type of safety feature on it even something like paint on it to show that it’s not a real weapon, leave that on it,” said Chicopee Police Officer Erek Machowski, a trainer at the Chicopee (Massachusetts) Police Department.

Kids sometimes cover up these indicators, sometimes with just black tape. This can put their lives at risk. Police have gotten calls about kids brandishing guns in public. In these tense situations, it can be hard to tell if a gun is real or if it has been tampered with. Just look at some of the toy and airsoft guns police have confiscated from the streets recently.

— Alanna Flood in Real vs Fake Guns: If your life is on the line would you be able to tell the difference?