PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield Police Department has seen an increase in the number of calls for children shooting each other with gel pellet guns, and in some cases, even bringing them into schools.

The department put out an alert on the incidents often taking place with what are known as "Orbeez" guns.

The police department is worried about them being mistaken for real guns and other safety issues as some kids have run into intersections while playing with them. 

“There’s always a chance it can be mistaken as a real gun and cause panic or misidentified as a legitimate weapon by a police officer. There’s also a concern of safety, you know? These kids, the toys can cause injury. We’ve had children and adults that have been randomly targeted that suffered some welts and bruises,” said Sgt. Shaun Gariepy, Pittsfield Police Department.

The Pittsfield Police Department has confiscated many of the guns. They usually give them back to parents with a warning criminal charges could come next if the incident is repeated.