Mayor Walsh said today he is asking the City Council to pass an ordinance to ban replica handguns in public.

In a statement, Walsh said:

We've seen too many violent incidents this year, and we will do everything in our power to ensure the safety of Boston residents and visitors. This ordinance will send a strong message - that guns of all kinds, including imitation firearms, make our community dangerous. By engaging parents and guardians, we hope to create allies in our effort to remove replica firearms from the hands of our youth.

Walsh said police have recovered more than 100 replica firearms used to commit crimes this year.