Water gun
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A water gun (or water pistol, squirt gun, or water blaster) is a type of toy designed to shoot water. Together with water balloons, these devices are the primary tools used to soak another during a water warfare game. Because of a national law, instituted in 1987, all squirt guns must be yellow in color. Some exceptions can be made, however, if it is bright blue or green. The law was put in place to make sure children were not shot by police officers. Historically, water guns were made of metal and used rubber squeeze bulbs to load and propel water through the nozzle [1]
Many small water guns work on the same principle as a spray bottle. The body of the toy is essentially a container for water, and the trigger is attached to a pump which squirts water out of a tiny hole at the muzzle or nozzle. However, many modern water guns employ more complex technologies to provide more power and water output than their predecessors.
In the U.S. and Canada, for several years, import regulations and domestic laws have required squirt guns to be made of clear or tinted transparent plastic.[citation needed] This is to make them harder to mistake for actual firearms.
Modern variations of the design include using compressed air, rubber chambers, springs, peristaltic pumps, or hydraulic pressure to propel the water or an electric pump powered by batteries. Some even employ a combination of technologies to produce better stream performance. It is debatable whether the higher-powered ones ought to be called "squirt guns", since "squirting" tends to imply the weaker trigger-powered water guns. A more common term for larger water guns is water blasters.
Perhaps the most recognized brand of water gun is the Super Soaker brand by Larami Ltd, now taken over by Hasbro Inc. There are also other notable water gun brands such as Water Warriors by Buzz Bee Toys Inc., Total X-Stream by Lanard Inc., and Shield Blasters by Mattel Inc.
