Boy's Death Spurs Push For Coloured Fake Guns

The shooting death of a 12-year-old who was brandishing what turned out to be a fake gun has prompted calls for such items to be brightly coloured.

Tamir Rice died from his wounds on Sunday after the incident at a playground in Cleveland .

State Representative Alicia Reece of Cincinnati wants to introduce legislation to require bb guns, air rifles and airsoft guns sold in Ohio to be brightly coloured or have prominent fluorescent strips.

The replica gun brandished by Tamir was lacking the orange safety indicator usually found on the muzzle of such replicas.

A spokesperson for the Division of Police in Cleveland, Jennifer Ciaccia, was quoted in local reports as saying the pistol "looks really, really, real, and it's huge".

The legislation proposed by Ms Reece is modelled after a bill signed by California Governor Jerry Brown.

She said that Tamir's shooting as well as the death of 22-year-old John Crawford III in August prompted her to introduce the bill.

"The shooting of John Crawford III devastated many people in our community and left us looking for answers," Ms Reece said in a statement .

"This bill is but one small step in addressing this tragedy and helping to prevent future deadly confrontations with someone who clearly presents little to no immediate threat or danger.

"With Saturday's deadly shooting of a 12-year-old in Cleveland, it is becoming crystal clear that we need this law in Ohio."

Mr Crawford was fatally shot by police after a man called 911 to report that he was carrying a gun in a Wal-Mart store in Dayton.

Police said they believed the air rifle Mr Crawford had picked up was a real rifle and that he did not respond to commands to drop it.

In the case of Mr Crawford, a special grand jury concluded police officers' actions were justified, though the US Department of Justice is investigating the shooting.

A probe has also been opened in Tamir's shooting death.