Ban on Graffiti Tools Expected Within Days

The tools of graffiti vandals — spray paint, broad tipped markers, and etching acid — are on the verge of being banned from the backpacks and pant pockets of anyone under the age of 21 unless carried in a locked container.

The new anti-graffiti rules, proposed by a City Council member of Queens, Peter Vallone Jr., are expected to be approved by the council on Wednesday. An earlier effort to bar young people from possessing graffiti tools was foiled by a successful court challenge in 2006 by seven art students. Many who are opposed to the new bill have said it will not withstand judicial scrutiny.