16-year old boy and 19-year old hold up a store with realistic toy assault rifle

A 16-year old boy and a 19-year old young man held up a Texas business using a toy assault rifle.  The orange tip had been removed.  The clerk, who had even sold firearms and ammo in the past, was fooled by the look-alike.  They boys have been arrested.

From the article:

"He put a gun to the clerk and threatened him," Nathan Ruiz said.

Ruiz says the clerk was terrified and thought the assault rifle was real.

"The clerk has worked selling guns and ammo and he had no clue. He thought the gun looked very real."

But, police says the gun used in the crime was a fake. Authorities later arrested 19-year old Jaquan White and a 16-year old boy. Officials say the toy gun was stripped of the orange tip that would have helped identify it as a fake.
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Police say it isn't uncommon for fake guns to be used in crimes. They also say some phony firearms are becoming more realistic looking. The only real giveaway is often the orange tip, telling police the gun is a toy.

"it is even difficult for trained police officers to tell the difference," Carrollton police spokesperson, Jon Stovall said.

Stovall said Carrollton passed an ordinance in 2004 making it illegal for an adult to brandish a fake gun in a menacing way. The law also makes it illegal for a juvenile to carry a fake gun in public to a park or school. Stovall says the ordinance grew out of an incident involving a police officer and a child that didn't end up with anyone being hurt, but could have ended badly.

"Kids often don't think about what they are doing, so this helps keep them safe."

Since then a handful of cities, including Dallas have also passed ordinances to restrict where children can carry fake guns. In most cities, those caught violating the rule can be fined.

Why have such realistic toy guns?