Other Toy Guns
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment · CPSC Code 5006
Up 19% over 5 years
The verdict
Other Toy Guns carry a danger score of 33/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 1,274 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 19% over the last five years.
- 33/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 1,274
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 0.6%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 5006 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 33/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for other toy guns - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume1,274 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)0.6%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+19%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Other Toy Guns (CPSC product code 5006, in the Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment category) generate an estimated 1,274 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 25,478 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 33/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are rising by about 19% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2022 (1,997 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2014 (636 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for other toy guns is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 5,765 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by laceration to the head (2,858 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 16,128 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 0.6% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 17 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how other toy guns fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 3,342 | 773 | |
| 5-14 | 11,552 | 4,576 | |
| 15-24 | 1,244 | 1,361 | |
| 25-34 | 425 | 627 | |
| 35-44 | 372 | 291 | |
| 45-54 | 71 | 323 | |
| 55-64 | 163 | 93 | |
| 65-74 | 51 | 106 | |
| 75+ | 0 | 112 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Ear | Other | |
| Eyeball | Other | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Eyeball | Derma/conjunct | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Head | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
8 YOM BROTHER THREW A PLASTIC TOY GUN, IT HIT HIM IN MOUTH. DX LIP LACERATION
58 YOM WAS INJURED IN GROIN BY WATER GUN DX: PAIN
8YOF CHILD WAS PLAYING LASER TAG, REPORTS SHOULDER PAIN DX: ACUTE PAIN OF RIGHT SHOULDER
8YOM WITH ACCIDENTALLY BEING HIT BY A WATER GUN AT CAMP DX: LAC TO FACE
18 YOF WAS PLAYING WITH WATER GUNS YESTERDAY AND DEVELOPED EAR PAIN. DX: EAR PAIN
10YOF WAS PLAYING WITH A SQUIRT GUN IN A SWIMMING POOL AND WAS ACCIDENTALLY HIT IN THE FACE WITH IT DX: LACERATION FACE
8 YOM HIT ON TOP OF HEAD WITH WATER GUN BY BROTHER DX SCALP LACERATION, PT LEFT AMA
19 YOM WAS HIT IN THE HEAD WITH A SQUIRT GUN. DX: LACERATION OF SCALP
30YOF WITH HIT IN HEAD BY WATER GUN ACCIDENTALLY DX: CHI
17YOM PRESENTS WITH A FOREAHEAD LACERATION AFTER A FRIEND THREW A SQUIRT GUN AND HIT HIM IN THE HEAD. DX; LACERATION TO FOREHEAD
34YOM WAS PLAYING WITH WATER GUN THAT CONTAINED SMALL PELLETS AND WAS ACCIDENTALL HIT TO EYE, DX: PHOTOPHOBIA OF RIGHT EYE; TRAUMATIC IRITIS
37YOF INJURED HER LEG PLAYING LASER TAG W/ HER KIDS. DX: STR CALF MUSCLE
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Friend bought some water shooters for the kids to play with. They were left outside for a few days. One of the boys hit the shooter against the deck and it shattered into sharp and dangerous shards. So did one of the other shooters.
The Max D 5000 Super Soaker reservoir was filled with tap water. I pumped the gun with about 10 - 12 strokes. Just as I stopped pumping, the reservoir exploded violently, sending shards of the reservoir wall, as well as water, all around me. One of the shrapnel struck me in the neck causing a 1 inch laceration. Luckily nothing hit my eyes, nor hit any of the children around me. This Max D 5000 Super Soaker is about 8 - 10 yrs. old. It was functioning well prior to the failure. However, due to its age, it was a bit weather-beatened. It was noticed after the explosion that the plastic shards from the reservoir were brittle
While using the water squirter, the piston pulled out. I attempted to reassemble the toy and my fingers touched the gasket end. It was covered in a milky colored grease. I washed it off as well as I could with liquid soap and warm water several times. Every piece of skin which touched the grease became completely numb. 5 hours later if is still without feeling.
The bubble gun caught on fire at some point. I have no idea when it happened. I bought the bubble gun for an Easter present in March 2025. Have used it a few time since. I went to let my child use it and it didnt turn on. I opened the batteries to find it completely melted the plastic. I notified the company and they didnt care.
My 9-year-old daughter had her front tooth broken by The Original Max Liquidator. The toy was being used as designed and she was shooting water into the air. The toy was pressured up and her hand slipped off the plunger. The result was the compress air forced the plunger and plastic cap back into her front tooth. The tooth was shattered. We had to go to emergency dental hospital. She will have to have extensive dental work now for the rest of her life.
My 1 yr old got her finger tip cut on toy
Son was playing with plastic watergun from the Dollar Tree (Greenbrier International Inc.) And the toy exploded and left multiple cuts on his face.
Bubble gun child got finger stuck in the toy where the bubbles came out. It sucked finger in and caused bruising. The same thing happened to my niece. This product must be recalled! I also saw multiple reviews on toy that stated the same thing happening.
Showing 8 of 17 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to other toy guns on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are other toy guns?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, other toy guns have a danger score of 33/100 (low risk). An estimated 1,274 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from other toy guns?
The most common injury is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 5,765 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from other toy guns increasing or decreasing?
Up 19% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for other toy guns injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 16,128 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by other toy guns?
Of all ER visits involving other toy guns, approximately 0.6% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (99.4%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with other toy guns?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Swimming, Water & Beach Equipment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 33/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 5-14 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
