Can you tell which of these guns is a toy gun and which one is real? The toy has the blue cord wrapped around it. (Photo from UK Police)

As we approach the holiday period, IANSA members and other organisations around the world are working to keep guns out of Christmas stockings and pressure manufacturers to think twice about making imitation weapons.

Several local police forces in the UK have launched campaigns urging parents not to buy toy guns for their children, highlighting the anti-social behaviour associated with guns and the dangers of imitation guns being mistaken for real guns.

In Argentina, the city of Santa Fe has banned the manufacture and sale of replica and imitation guns as a result of a campaign by the national disarmament network, Red Argentina para el Desarme. The network has organised a march to promote the campaign against replica guns in central Buenos Aires, a workshop for journalists on why and how to reduce firearm use, a gun destruction event, and an exchange of replica guns for other toys in Mendoza.

In Guatemala, IEPADES is launching its campaign against replica guns for the third consecutive year, with the key message 'We like living, so why play at killing? Peace is built from childhood'.

In Paraguay, Amnesty International is organising a radio campaign entitled 'Guns are not a game - don't give replica guns to your children this Christmas'.

In the US, a chain of shops has been criticised by anti-violence groups for selling toy handguns as a Christmas tree decoration.