Dallas Suburb's Firearms Law Takes Aim at Toy Guns

Wash Post ^

[Stew Padasso]

Police Sgt. Jack Adams shows the similarity between a real gun, left, and a facsimile.

[jjm2111]

I think we should all live in plastic bubbles so that nothing could ever harm us..especially sharp items...geez what a nation of pu**ies we have become.

Oh Lord you are so right.

[MeekOneGOP]

Darryl. He's the one they picked up in Florida shortly after the Condit-Levy story broke, right?

[Stew Padasso]

Thats him. Gary's brother I believe.

[doodad]

All toy guns are supposed to have blaze orange at the tip to indicate such things. My daughters new pellet gun has blaze orange sights.

[Teacher317]

Umm, cell phones, wallets, lawn hose nozzles, and many other items have been mistaken by police officers for guns... shall we ban them as well?

[MeekOneGOP]

Yep, Gary's brother...

[Teacher317]

Hell, let's give all criminals toy guns!!

That's what they're doing, donchyaknow... when toy guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have toy guns! ;^)

[Stew Padasso]

Thats a good point. What was the guy's name in NY? He was lit up by the police when they mistook his wallet for a gun.

[jjm2111]

I had a metal toy revolver that looked plenty real when I was a kid in the EIGHTIES. The PC stupidity is out of contronl.

[archy]

You know, before toy guns ever existed, kids were taught how to handle real ones.

As the son of an American refinery engineer who spent his single-digit years growing up in a couple of South American countries that could be hazardous to Americans, including pre-Castro Cuba in 1957 and '58, I was used to the idea of maving a loaded submachinegun resting muzzle-down near our front door, backed up by dad's carbine or a shiotgun from a covering doorway. When I reached 7 years and 7 months, I got both a usable .22 and a course of instruction on the buzzgun and carbine, with instructions on wehen to use it or when not to.

One thing that helps: if a kid does get toy guns with which to play in his formative years, it's useful if they're at least authentic in that they actually procect projectiles, whether plastic or foam balls or pellets, darts or a water stream. It helps remind that kid that when the trigger is pulled, something more is going to happen besides a *bang* noise.

I got undermined in my own efforts along those lines with my own kid by his matrernal grandparents, so he had some bad habits that had to be corrected first. Accordingly, he didn't get his first rifle, A Service Model Lee Enfield quite capable of killing a man at a half-mile, until his 12th birthday. There's a bit of a story about that, but there's such a story about any youngster and his first rifle, if you pay close enough attention. In my own case, it was a 12-gauge shotgun I got at about age 14 that turned out to be the real honest-to-God self defense weapon I had when armed visitors with the intent of killing my father were a very likely consideration. A couple of previous incidents were settled without shots being fired, with weapons ranging from a Kar98 Mauser rifle to dad's ex-Air Corps carbine. But when it got serious, I had that thumbbuster Winchester riot gun in hand, and it served me well.

-archy-/-

[taxcontrol]

I'm partial to super soakers myself. You can teach alot about cover and concealment with a load of ice cold water.

[webstersII]

I think we should all live in plastic bubbles so that nothing could ever harm us..especially sharp items...geez what a nation of pu**ies we have become.

You got that right.

[brewcrew]

My life has been relatively sedate in comparison. I think we would both agree it is of the utmost importance that our children be given the proper instruction on what to do with firearms along with the proper ethical guidance which will teach them when to raise and/or fire their weapon and when not to. It matters not whether it is a rabbit, squirrel, deer, bear, or life-threatening human on the business end.

[boris]

"Police Sgt. Jack Adams shows the similarity between a real gun, left, and a facsimile."

Here's a real gun, my Hannukah present to myself:

.480 Ruger Super Redhawk

--Boris

[PatrioticAmerican]

I'd be more afraid of the *ussy holding the gun than the toy gun. He looks like he just WANTS to kill something. Nice. Cops should be wackos. /sarcasm

[Squantos]

Awww Geeesh Archy......couldn't ya find a pic of a real winchester 97 ?? Just that ChiCom POS Norinco replica ???.........:o)

Hope ya have a Merry New Year Archy ! Were snow bound for a day or so here, about 8 inches with high winds making mega road block drifts on the Farm to Market roads.

Stay Safe !!

[Long Cut]

I was a kid just when the push towards "unreal" looking guns began. Being a precocious little twerp, I merely did some research and borrowed some tools and material from my father, who also provided some useful training.

Within a few months, I could turn out some absolutely realistic-looking replicas of rifles and submachine guns using wood and plastic scraps. I even designed new ones, totally from scratch (one of which, I still have. It's hanging on the wall now.).

Even as children used to learn about guns at an early age, they also used to use their OWN imaginations and skills to build their OWN toys. In the process, learning took place as well as fun.

Therefore, I say leave the toys to be fretted about by the hoplophobes. Let the children build their own! If they are "too" realistic (never a concern in my childhood, and little more than an excuse now, IMHO), simply paint them a bright color with spray-paint.

[Long Cut]

I have a hard time believing that cops CANNOT be trained enough in target recognition and "shoot/no shoot" scenarios to avoid killing a youngster with a water gun. And are such mistaken shootings REALLY so large a problem? If so, then the roots go far deeper than the configuration of the VICTIM's toy. This, however, is probably one of those roads the cops and the municipalities they work for don't wish to go down.

In any case, this so-called "problem" is an IDEAL excuse for the Antis to further limit the exposure of children to firearms.

I find it HIGHLY interesting that those same cops, who are SUPPOSED to be able to protect US, and who are SUPPOSEDLY so much better trained than a civilian gunowner, cannot be trained to avoid shooting a child with a cap gun. Or, for that matter, to control their adrenaline rush in so critical a circumstance.

Remember, most cops only qualify once or twice a year on their service weapons. How often do YOU shoot?

[harpu]

You would be too if you had a flaming-assed moron for a Police Chief (Terrell Bolton) and City Councilman like John Wiley Price as one of your city's leaders.

[RetiredArmy]

Boy, aren't you the real man! We need more "studs" like you in charge and all our problems would be solved.