By Neil Dubord, Delta Police Department
In an instant, could you tell which of these guns is real or fake? Without closer examination, neither can we, and that’s a problem. With the growing popularity of airsoft and CO2 pistols and rifles, more and more are making their way into the hands of youth and young adults.
Delta Police receive calls every month about youth behaving recklessly while in possession of realistic-looking airsoft guns, BB guns and paintball guns. This includes incidents where students have brought these devices to school, have posed with them on various forms of social media or, in some cases, have committed criminal offences with them.
At its most severe, police responded to a high school where we had received information that a student allegedly had a gun in their possession. Fortunately, the police and school administration were quickly able to determine that it was not a real gun.
In another instance, a DPD school liaison officer seized an Uzi replica airsoft gun. It was so realistic looking that it needed to be more closely examined to confirm that it was not an actual firearm.
A weapons call to a school is one of the most serious calls a police department will ever receive, and respond to.
I can’t be clear enough when I say that the prevalence of these types of air guns in our community is a growing problem because they present a significant public safety and officer safety risk. Well-intentioned adults who purchase one need to understand how important it is to securely store them and supervise their use, particularly if youth have access to them. This is not only because of the injury potential of the air guns themselves, but also because when the police respond to a weapons call and we cannot differentiate between a real firearm and an air gun, someone could get seriously hurt, or worse case, killed.
Our standard Halloween safety messaging typically includes reminders about ensuring your children can be seen and are properly supervised as they go out trick-or-treating. We also remind drivers to be very careful and keep an eye out for excited little ones who may not be paying attention to you.
All of these safety reminders still apply, but this year I will add to the message:
For the safety of our youth, I am asking parents whose children have access to air guns (or otherwise) to please make sure they are not taking them out. Air guns should never be used for a Halloween costume. They are not toys and should never be treated as such.
For more information regarding the various types of air guns and current Canadian law as it relates to air guns, please see the Royal Canadian Mounted Police website.
Neil Dubord is the Delta Police Department’s chief constable. He joined the DPD on June 29, 2015 after three years as chief of the Metro Vancouver Transit Police and 25 years with the Edmonton Police Service where he was the Deputy Chief in charge of Community Policing Bureau.