City councillors and Police Commissioner William Evans spoke firmly in support of an ordinance that would allow officers to confiscate replica firearms, which the Commissioner said are being used in situations that put police, civilians, and suspects at risk.

In a Tuesday hearing convened by the City Council Committee of Government Operations, committee chair city councillor at-large Michael Flaherty described the ordinance as a tool that allows police to more effectively do their jobs. It was voted on for adoption at the regular council meeting Wednesday, affirmatively.

The ordinance will allow police to seize replica firearms, including realistic-looking toy guns, without orange tips or other indicators, and hold them at the police station. The owner, if over 18 years old, would then have to pick up the gun at the station.

“If a replica handgun is confiscated from someone under the age of 18, BPD will notify the parent or guardian that the minor was found with a replica handgun in a public space, and the parent or guardian will have the option to retrieve the replica firearm,” the Mayor’s office said in an earlier statement. “BPD will not release a replica handgun directly to the minor.”

At-large councillor Stephen Murphy called the ordinance “common sense,” with councillor Frank Baker concurring.

Walsh’s public safety advisor, Dan Mulhern, spoke briefly to clarify that there are no criminal charges associated with carrying a replica firearm. Rather, the ordinance would also work to educate residents and especially parents about the dangers of realistic guns, some of which were displayed on a table in the council chambers.

The hearing took place the day after a 10 p.m. robbery outside the Savin Hill T stop in Dorchester, in which two white-masked teens robbed at gunpoint a 51-year-old man walking nearby. After the man fled into the Boston Globe and called 911, officers found two suspects on Pleasant Street who matched the robbers’ descriptions.

A pat-frisk revealed white face masks and a replica handgun, Evans testified. They were arrested and arraigned in Dorchester District Court.

Evans referred to the incident as part of a frustrating and potentially dangerous trend. “It’s a critical ordinance for us in the Police Department, because obviously we see way too many of these on the streets of the city now,” Evans said.