Mexican authorities destroy thousands of toy guns in anti-crime bid (VIDEO)

In a fight to bring down the crime rate in Mexico’s capital city, police have destroyed thousands of toy guns to stop them from becoming a real threat on the streets.

Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera announced that officials estimate at least three of every 10 violent crimes in Mexico City are carried out with a real-looking toy gun. He said this was enough justification to destroy the seven thousand replica weapons.Shops bore the brunt of the government's decision as toy items were seized by the police in the capital and the surrounding state. Sunday is Three Kings Day, when Mexican children receive holiday gifts.  Mexico has strict laws on gun ownership that require toy weapons be made of transparent or colored plastic.  In the first 11 months of 2012, government statistics documented 82,117 robberies and 1,349 homicides in Mexico City.