Valentine’s Day could have turned into a tragedy for a 19-year-old Barrhead man if police had not known the gun slung across his back was indeed a replica.
RCMP officers from the Barrhead detachment responded to a “front-door” complaint at 5:55 p.m. on Feb. 14 at KFC of a person who was dressed in black, wearing a balaclava and had a fake AK47 slung across his back, said Sgt. Bob Dodds. Because the muzzle of the gun had orange tape on it, the complainant was able to advise officers that the gun was a replica, but that didn’t stop the officer from responding with extreme caution. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, and no charges are being laid, but had the person been holding the fake weapon, everything could have turned out completely different, Dodds said.
“The young man was there to show off a Halloween costume,” Sgt. Dodds said. “He should have known better. The gun was a really good replica, especially from a distance, and could easily have been mistaken for the real thing.”
Dodds said the gun was actually a replica M-16 machine gun. Members are satisfied the individual has learned from his mistake, and he is warning others who think toting around a replica firearm would be a good idea.
“Had this guy been holding the gun in his hands and seemed to be any kind of threat, members would have been absolutely justified in shooting him, and we could have had a tragedy on our hands.”
Air-soft guns are easily accessible, and shoot small plastic projectiles propelled by compressed air. While they aren’t necessarily dangerous, it can prove difficult for officers to tell them apart from the real thing.
“Even up close, it would be difficult to tell,” Dodds said. “I’ve used a real M-16 rifle, and I can tell you even I would have had difficulty telling the difference between a real one and this replica.”
Although the individual was 19 years old and parental supervision of the fake firearm wasn’t a factor, Dodds said parents have to keep a bead on these kinds of guns when their children have them.
“People need to exercise common sense,” Dodds said. “In the city, this would have resulted in an ERT response; there’s no doubt about that.”
Air-soft guns are just toys, he said, but they can be abused.
