Rubber band projectile toy gun

A toy gun, comprising:

• a hollow gun frame defined by opposing side walls having an elongated top opening and having a stock portion at its handle end and a barrel with a front sight at its forward portion, the sight having a forward recess for engaging one end of a rubber band;
• a sprocket wheel journalled by an axle extending transversely between the frame side walls, the sprocket wheel being characterized by a plurality of parallel wall U-shaped radially disposed rubber band receiving slots defining a like plurality of substantially fan-shaped wheel spokes for respectively engaging the opposite ends of a like plurality of rubber bands stretched between the front sight recess and respective slots in readiness for firing and preventing premature release of a rubber band being fired until the side walls of a slot containing the rubber band are inclined toward the gun barrel;
• first pawl means projecting into a sprocket wheel slot for normally maintaining said sprocket wheel in rubber band firing position;
• trigger means including a second pawl pivotally supported between the frame walls for biasing said first pawl means out of the slot and biasing the second pawl into sprocket wheel rotation limiting stopped position;
• and,
• a roller transversely journalled between the frame side walls adjacent the upward forward limit of the circumferential travel path of said sprocket wheel with the peripheral portion of the roller projecting above the upper limit of said frame for supporting an intermediate portion of a rubber band stretched between the front sight recess and a sprocket wheel spoke.