# Lawn Darts banned. Use of existing ones illegal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 27, 2001, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427 "2001-08-27T22:57:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/1 "2001-08-27T22:57:21Z")
[This site](http://www.yesterdayland.com/popopedia/shows/toys/ty1397.php) says, “To use the metal-tipped originals today is a legal offense, yet Lawn Darts remain popular with a cult of adult enthusiasts who still gather together for private Lawn Dart games and tournaments.” Is it true that if you own Lawn Darts (“Jarts”) that it is illegal to play with them? That doesn’t sound right. I thought the ban just meant that they could not be sold. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/2 "2001-08-27T23:53:57Z")
People throw around words like “banned,” “outlawed,” “illegal” and such with little regard to to wha they really mean. I remember watching _Vanishing Point_ with a gearhead uncle of mine. “You can’t get a hemi engine anymore, they outlawed 'em.” “Oh really, and just what federal law makes a Chrysler 413 hemi engine a crime?” Pressure from insuranc companies and no doubt a little from the feds forced the big block muscle cars off the market, not a specific law. I suspect lawn darts were “banned” by a regulatory agency, not made truly illegal. As the 1994 ban on so-called “semi-automatic assault weapons” showed it’s only symbolic to ban something by name. The law bans such thing as “Colt AR-15” rifles from further manufacture. Only problem was no one made a rifle at that time called an “AR-15” including Colt. The law also includes a list of mostly cosmetic features that constitute a banned “assault weapons” and that is the only relavent part of that law. So what is the legal definition of a lawn dart? ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/3 "2001-08-27T23:54:24Z")
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says they’re banned from sale. I don’t believe they’re banned from use. Damn-near criminal of the government if you ask me. Makes me want to move to Idaho or something. [http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/darts.pdf](http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/darts.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/4 "2001-08-28T00:04:04Z")
Bill H., thank you most kindly (and a tip of the hat) for providing the cite for my post 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/5 "2001-08-28T00:49:50Z")
I’m still waiting for them to ban baseballs. People have _died._ I guess I shouldn’t joke, there are too many potential lobbyists with too much time on their hands. ---
**Author:** ![AncientChineseSecret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac8455/32.png) [@AncientChineseSecret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientChineseSecret)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/6 "2001-08-28T01:04:28Z")
When they outlaw Jarts only outlaws will have Jarts. [Here](http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5053.html) is what the Consumer Product Safety Commission has to say. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/7 "2001-08-28T01:14:53Z")
Aha! So I can “toss my Jarts” with impunity! [sub]Quotation marks provided for those who see a sexual reference in _everything_[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![fecal\_nugget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b38774/32.png) [@fecal\_nugget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fecal_nugget)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/8 "2001-08-28T01:21:00Z")
so why these and not bicycles? i’m sure more kids have died as a result of riding a bike than have from hurling 12" steel darts at each other… [sub]ass-backwards friggin country…[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Allworthy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Allworthy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Allworthy)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/9 "2001-08-28T01:21:45Z")
When I was a kid in the '70s I didn’t know that lawn darts came with targets. I’d take one or two lawn darts (the kind with the brass-colored metal tips), fling them up in the air, and run away before they came back down and speared me in the head. Of course, they didn’t go straight up and down, so once in a while I ran the wrong way to run and had to dodge them at the last second. Kind of the opposite of shagging fly balls. That said, as an adult I am no longer in need of the federal government’s protection from myself. Honest. Really. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/10 "2001-08-28T02:00:52Z")
Would the CPSC ban mean, then, that it’s illegal to sell used ones at, say, a flea market or a garage sale? ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/11 "2001-08-28T02:06:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AncientChineseSecret \* > \*\*[Here](http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5053.html) is what the Consumer Product Safety Commission has to say. \*\* A cool username, and he/she registers to fight ignorance. My kinda Doper. Welcome to the SDMB, **AncientChineseSecret**! ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/12 "2001-08-28T03:04:15Z")
Another lawn darts thread (and a much funnier one) for those who are interested. [Lawn darts: Who made them and where are those idiots now?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=52612) ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/13 "2001-08-28T04:23:33Z")
Is this a violation of the 2nd amendment and another part of the slippery slope? ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/14 "2001-08-28T04:56:26Z")
They may be legal to use, but can you imagine how it would look if anyone was injured, and took you to civil court. “So, you **knew** that these **illegal** , **child-slaughtering** , **darts of death** were **banned** by the CPSC, and yet you allowed people to play with them anyways??? Your depraved indifference makes me sick to my underwear, sir!” And that’s what **your** attorney will say. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![DPWhite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@DPWhite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPWhite)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/15 "2001-08-28T05:00:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Allworthy \* > \*\*When I was a kid in the '70s I didn’t know that lawn darts came with targets. I’d take one or two lawn darts (the kind with the brass-colored metal tips), fling them up in the air, and run away before they came back down and speared me in the head. Of course, they didn’t go straight up and down, so once in a while I ran the wrong way to run and had to dodge them at the last second. Kind of the opposite of shagging fly balls. > > That said, as an adult I am no longer in need of the federal government’s protection from myself. Honest. Really. \*\* There were a lot of kids and drunks who were not missed when they came down. I have been told (under oath) by the people who have heard it that the sound of a lawn dart squanching into a child’s skull is the most horrible sound on the planet. Some of the victims survive. ---
**Author:** ![Tedster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@Tedster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tedster)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/16 "2001-08-28T05:05:35Z")
There are about 20 sets up for bid on Ebay right now. They appear to be fairly collectible, as far as cheap toys go. Only in America. Growing up, all of us kids in the neighborhood did things that would make a product liability attorney drool today. The difference is, our parents would say “You stupid bastard, serves you right” (or words to that effect, rather) versus figuring the world owes us the lottery. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/17 "2001-08-28T12:28:56Z")
> [@](#): > > There are about 20 sets up for bid on Ebay right now. If you’re interested you’d better get the sellers’ e-mail addresses fast! Since lawn darts are banned, eBay deletes any auctions for them they find. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/18 "2001-08-28T12:56:52Z")
Illegal, no. Evolution in action, yes. Forget about baseballs. What about baseball _bats?_ ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/19 "2001-08-28T13:25:57Z")
Cleaning out a shed last month up at our summer place we found two more sets of jarts, bringing our total up to 5 sets. (I think. Maybe 4, maybe 6.) Just doing my part to encourage irresponsible behavior by my children, and my children’s children. My goodness! We used to be so incredibly reckless with those things, and the only injury I recall is a scratched foot. Pretty mild compared to my cousin getting whacked with a golf club, my sister kicking my head through a window, Scott falling off the roof, etc. Maybe they should ban golf clubs, windows, roofs, and my sister’s foot? Anyone ever try the “safe” version that doesn’t have a point? My kids were perceptive enough to realize that they sucked. ---
**Author:** ![Evnglion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f04885/32.png) [@Evnglion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evnglion)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427/20 "2001-08-28T13:36:56Z")
Please forgive me for this slight highjack, and, complete ignorance. I am only 17, but that is probably no exscuse, but, wtf are lawn darts? I saw the picture of the little animated kid throwing a missle, but, what exactly are they? Was it just an outdoor version of the popular bar game? Or was the target laying on the ground, and people throwing the darts at that? Ok, I agree with this… > [@](#): > > so why these and not bicycles? i’m sure more kids have died as a result of riding a bike than have from hurling 12" steel darts at each other… when you actually think about that, yeah, why not bicycles? Or even football, baseball, soap-box derby, anything kids like to do. Hell, playing in the backyard, I am sure 3 kids have died from a snake, or spider, or SOMETHING in the backyard, why don’t we just ban everything that isn’t 6feetX6feet and has padded walls? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawn-darts-banned-use-of-existing-ones-illegal/78427.md?page=2)