Our favorite weapon among the three: The massive Raider CS-35, essentially a Nerf tommy gun with extendable stock that can rapidly-fire 35 darts from its detachable drum magazine.

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Lost in the celebration of those halcyon Charleston days is that the era spanning 1920 (when the 18th Amendment became law) to 1934 (when the amendment was repealed) was marked by raging culture wars, rampant xenophobia, political upheaval, and threats of death or worse that came more often via poisonous industrial-strength alcohol masquerading as low-grade liquor than the rat-a-tat-tat of a Tommy gun.

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Apparently in a study done by the Deafness Research UK in conjunction with Dr. Brad Backus of University College London, 14 out of 15 toys tested produced noise levels above the recommended safety limit when held close to the ear. 8 of the 15 were just fine during normal use, but the three worst offenders -- a machine gun, a tommy gun and a cap gun -- are on the "avoid" list.

ENGADGET: Christmas toy noises are/aren't dangerous