By Cassandra Dell | May 24, 2025 | Washington, D.C.
President Donald Trump signed a new executive order Friday afternoon legalizing the manufacture and sale of lawn darts in the United States, reversing a 1988 federal ban and triggering immediate backlash from consumer safety groups, public health organizations, and Democratic lawmakers.
The directive, titled the “Freedom to Throw Act,” eliminates long-standing Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) restrictions on the sharp-tipped projectiles, which were banned after causing thousands of injuries and several child fatalities in past decades.
“We’re restoring freedom to the American backyard,” Trump said at a South Lawn press event. “Enough of the bureaucrats telling us what to do. Americans know how to play responsibly—we don’t need the government telling us which toys are too pointy.”
White House Justification
According to administration officials, the order is part of a sweeping deregulation initiative aimed at eliminating what the president has called “paternalistic federal micromanagement.” Officials claim that modern safety warnings and parental oversight are sufficient to prevent injuries.
“This is about liberty, tradition, and common sense,” said senior adviser Stephen Miller. “The deep state’s war on backyard games is over.”
CPSC Chair Fired After Criticism
Just hours after the executive order was announced, CPSC Chair Alexandra Reyes publicly condemned the move, calling it “a reckless reversal of decades of progress in child safety.”
“Lawn darts aren’t nostalgic—they’re deadly,” Reyes warned. “They were banned for good reason.”
That evening, the White House confirmed that President Trump had fired Reyes and immediately installed Richard Holbrook, a former product liability attorney and longtime critic of federal safety regulation, as the new chair of the CPSC.
“Ms. Reyes was not aligned with the administration’s vision for a freer, less regulated America,” said Press Secretary Brian Kilpatrick.
In his first public remarks, Holbrook sharply criticized his predecessor and took aim at the regulatory philosophy of the Biden administration.
“What we’re undoing here is years of bureaucratic paranoia masquerading as public service,” Holbrook said. “Under Biden, the CPSC operated more like a branch of the anxiety-industrial complex—banning anything sharper than a cotton ball and treating American parents like helpless fools.”
Holbrook also announced plans to review other “overreaching legacy bans” still on the books, signaling potential future deregulation efforts under his leadership.
The termination drew immediate condemnation.
Democratic Lawmakers: “This Is Reckless”
Democratic leaders responded with outrage, accusing the president of endangering public health and punishing dissent.
“This is executive overreach with a sharp metal tip,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). “Trump is putting children at risk to score political points with extremists who think consumer safety is tyranny.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) called the move “grotesque political theater,” saying:
“We should be banning assault weapons—not unbanning assault toys.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) took to X (formerly Twitter), writing:
“Trump is literally legalizing weapons disguised as toys—and firing safety officials who speak the truth. This isn’t governance. It’s a stunt with body counts.”
Meanwhile, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) announced plans to introduce legislation that would override the executive order and reimpose the ban, stating,
“Lawn darts are banned in Canada, Australia, and the EU for a reason. America shouldn’t be lowering its standards because one man wants to relive the 1950s.”
Republican Support: “Let Freedom Fly”
Republican lawmakers and conservative pundits praised the decision as a symbolic stand for individual liberty.
“This is a win for families who want to enjoy their backyards without being treated like criminals by Washington bureaucrats,” said Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR).
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) went further, saying:
“Only Donald J. Trump has the courage to stand up to the bureaucrats, to the safety cultists, and to Big Foam,” Cruz said. “While Democrats are trying to wrap the nation in bubble wrap, President Trump is reminding us what freedom really means: the right to throw a steel-tipped dart across your lawn.”
“This is why he’s not just a president—he’s a movement. He’s bringing back tradition, danger, and dignity, all in one stroke of the pen. God bless this man.” Cruz posted a video of himself tossing a lawn dart with the caption: “Freedom flies again.”
Uncertain Legal and Commercial Future
Retailers appeared divided. Trump-branded dart sets began appearing on partisan merchandise websites within hours, while major retailers like Walmart and Target issued cautious statements saying they are “reviewing federal guidance.”
Legal experts predict the order and Reyes’s firing will face judicial scrutiny. “This could raise serious separation-of-powers questions,” said constitutional law professor Marissa Lin of Georgetown University. “Especially if it’s seen as retaliation for dissent.”
What Comes Next?
President Trump hinted that lawn darts are just the first of many long-banned products he intends to bring back.
“We’re going after the whole list—metal slides, wooden playgrounds, you name it,” he said. “We’re making childhood great again.”
As public debate continues, Americans are left to decide whether the return of lawn darts represents a restoration of tradition—or a reckless gamble with public safety.