A ban that I would welcome...

[oidsailor]

The LEO responded properly to the situation. These days it could be possible for some "gang banger" 7th grader to be running around with a gun. Do you think the officer should have reacted differently if it were bright orange and looked like a toy? An LEO responding to ANY call should be prepared for anything. The LEO shouldn't let his guard down because the gun looks like a toy. Parents need to be responsible and be aware of what their children are doing. Don't let children go playing with guns (real or toys) in a public place unless it's specifically designed for that purpose. There are laws here in HI that prohibit brandishing of "toys" that resemble firearms. People need to realize that robberies have been committed with "toy" guns. It's still "armed robbery" in most jurisdictions. Hence the NRA basic rule of not pointing at anything you don't intend to shoot.

I'm against children playing with toy guns until they're old enough to understand that there are serious consequences for improperly using their toy guns. People should use firearms (toys or otherwise) only in appropriate places.




gf

I think LEO acted correctly and professinoal in this situation and do not disagree with you in what you wrote. But still believe toys should look like toys and real guns should look real.

[Glock Fan]

We agree that the situation is to be deemed hostile until determination. The problem is being in a known bad area (maybe where drugs are sold) looking for a BG. It's dusk and visibility is low, a kid pops out with a gun in his hand. Is it real? You have 1/10 of a second to decide. Is reacting accordingly shooting the kid, who may be just out playing with a toy gun? I am retired military, worked a small stint as a reserve police officer and know the training. They train you for many situations and try to prepare you for this scenario. In the end it comes down to the situation and tension at hand. By the way, it wasn't the anti's that had toy guns started being made with bright colors. It was parents groups and police agencies. Just a way of aiding under the described situation.

I highly doubt that you would react any different if the child jumped out with a gun that has an orange barrel plug or not. If you do take the child as being "less of a threat", then you may end up dead. Reality is that there are BG all over the place. More and more they're using children to do their dirty work. I've been in a situation where a high school student aimed a laser tag gun at me. After seeing me draw my service pistol and ordering him to drop the gun, he proceeded to pull the trigger. Lucky for him that I read a few recent bulletins about the trend of young ones using public venues after hours for laser tag and paintball events. Needless to say, I didn't shoot the youth, but managed to catch him and round up three of his buddies. We had a nice chat while waiting for their parents to pick them up from the cell block.




gf