Gun replicas and those that look real are included in the election gun ban, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Tuesday.

“Airsofts, air guns, imitation firearms, replicas are included in the ban,” Comelec spokesperson Rex Laudiangco told reporters.

However, Laudiangco said toy guns “that are readily and easily distinguishable from real firearms” are excluded from the ban.

“The firearms considered for the ban are those that closely resemble real firearms and are not easily distinguishable from them,” he said.

The ban on firearms includes other deadly weapons, he said, such as bladed weapons.

But bladed instruments used by trades and professions are excluded from the ban, he clarified.

Meanwhile, the Comelec reported that the number of gun ban violators has climbed to 32.

Most violators were from Central Luzon with 10, followed by Metro Manila with nine, three each in the Bangsamoro Region and Northern Mindanao, two in Calabarzon. One violator each was arrested in the Ilocos region, Bicol region, Western Visayas and Davao region.

The nationwide gun ban is from 11 January to 12 June.