Cap guns are toy guns. They fire differently than do real guns, or blank-fire guns, or even percussion "ball and cap" guns. They are also not intended for stage use.

    For some reason, many people have gotten the idea that cap guns are a safer alternative to blank guns, possibly because they assume that something that is given to children to play with is automatically safe. Sorry, not true.

    Cap guns fire a small amount of gunpowder that is set off by a very small primer. As such, the term "cap" is actually a misnomer, for they really are small blank charges. A real cap is supposed to have only the primer, no gunpowder. By calling the toy gun explosives "caps", they (and the toys used to fire them) are not restricted by the many laws meant to ensure user safety.

    Some theatres have misunderstood the dangers of firing guns onstage and have implemented rules requiring only the use of cap guns instead of blanks. Whenever and wherever I am I try to get these theatres to immediately change such a stupid rule before an actor loses an eye and the theatre is faced with a multi-million dollar lawsuit. Cap guns should be banned from all use, and certainly should never be fired for a show.

    It is true that, because these toy caps are packaged using a very small amount of explosive, the level of hot burning gases is very small compared to many blanks. But cap guns have a few big drawbacks for stage:

¨ They are not safer than using block-barreled stage replica guns firing blanks. Unlike other guns, toy cap guns fire their explosive right at the point where the hammer strikes the gun frame, rather than inside a thick walled chamber. The explosion can and does go in many directions, including back toward the face of the shooter.

¨ Toy caps are made of very weak materials, usually thin plastic or paper. These can fragment on firing and continue to burn, and the small explosion can propel them quite a distance.

¨ The cap guns from which they are fired are also made of weak materials, and break down quickly, leading to misfire rates much higher than that of blank-fire guns.

¨ Metal from the hammer and gun frame can also fragment and splinter. When they get caught in the expanding force of the cap fire, they turn into tiny little pieces of shrapnel.

    Scare yourself some day and look online at the permanent injuries caused by toy cap guns. Why in the world these things are considered safe for children is beyond me, but that is not my concern. I do know that they should never be put in the hands of actors.