The Las Vegas Shooting Hasn’t Stopped Halloween Stores From Selling Toy Guns

It’s only been a week since a gunman opened fire at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas, killing 58 and injuring 489 others. But it seems some people are ready to move on from the deadliest mass shooting in US history — namely, those selling Halloween costumes.

The fact that 64-year-old shooter Stephen Paddock had 23 firearms in his hotel room on the night of the tragedy has sparked a nationwide conversation about gun control. However, while the media is debating civilian access to automatic weapons, Vegas-area Halloween stores are just fine selling the toy version. TMZ called a number of retailers, and all admitted they will keep them on shelves.

That said, there is one ground rule some stores have established. In the past, customers were able to test and play with imitation handguns, pistols, and the like. Now, they’re putting a stop to all of that, out of concern that it will scare other customers — especially children.

Even if guns aren't played with in-store, their sale means kids dressed as cowboys, cops, and more will be showing them off while trick-or-treating on Oct. 31. With the city still reeling from the shocking incident, this may result in some scary encounters. Then again, that’s assuming locals don’t steer away from purchasing replica guns for their children.

Additionally, ABC News reports that a number of stores and schools had already removed costumes with machine guns due to past violent acts. In the last two years, the Spirit Halloween chain has reduced their number of costumes with firearms in lieu of those with Medieval weapons like swords. Meanwhile, big box stores like Walmart and Target aren't even carrying toy automatic weapons.