Why do they make pellet guns that look like REAL guns?

[spanone]

Can't they make them green or orange or purple or some shit? What's wrong with a nation that sends SWAT teams to shoot 8th graders with pellet guns?

[ret5hd]

1. i dont think it would help...

after the first cop got shot with a gun spray-painted green or orange or purple, we'd be in the same boat again.

[RagingInMiami]

2. It seemed like we went through something like this a few years ago but

with toy guns. Didn't they have to pass a law to make the toy guns less realistic?

[MindPilot]

9. Yeah I think the law is they have to at least put a big red tip on the

end of the barrel. That's what my pellet gun has. But in that split second the cop has to make a shoot/no shoot decision, I don't think that little bit of red plastic is very effective.

[LisaL]

26. I believe the kid painted over his.

It looks like he really wanted to end up dead. And set out to accomplish it.

[Blue Diadem]

30. I heard he painted it too. n/t

[catnhatnh]

3. Yep....toy guns and soft pellet guns...

...have at very least a ring of orange around the end of the barrel and it is a Federal crime to paint it to look more realistic....but to honestly think a marking on the tip of a barrel is going to change a cops mind is absurd....as noted above the orange can as easily be added to a real gun as it can be obscured on a fake....As opposed to most of my prior posts, I support the cops on this one....While I hate "taser madness" and torture to induce non-threatening non-compliance, as soon as a realistic weapon is pulled the bullshit stops-cops are human beings for Christ sake!!!

[spanone]

6. I'm not blaming the cops. I'm saying we shouldn't make pellet guns

that look just like the real things.

[msongs]

4. because shooting things that can't shoot back is FUN and manly nt

[MindPilot]

15. Ummm. a SWAT officer isn't exactly a thing

that can't shoot back.

[carolinalady]

5. A pellet gun is a real gun. People buy them to shoot small game.

The question is why do parents allow children access to any weapons?

[spanone]

8. Not when I was a kid. They were to shoot targets. They are not real guns

You cannot shoot and kill someone with a pellet gun.

[carolinalady]

11. My father-in- law has one. It is made identically to a shotgun.

Weight and all. He just got it a few years ago. I agree-they can not kill people, but they can kill chipmunks and birds and they can cause serious injury to a person. They are very powerful. The ones I am talking about are sold in gun stores right beside the shotguns, not the toy "BB guns"

[no_more_rhyming]

27. Parents warn your children

If you point a gun at a law enforcement officer, whether the gun is real, a toy, or anything in between, there is a very good possibility you will be shot and or killed. How sad for the parents of this boy.

[LisaL]

29. I am pretty sure the boy knew that, and that is why he pointed

the gun at the policemen. Seems a very clear case of suicide by a cop. Or in this boy's case, attempted suicide by a cop.

[Blue Diadem]

28. This article gives the # of deaths from air guns.

NONPOWDER GUNS ARE POTENTIAL LETHAL WEAPONS
Below is a news brief on a technical report appearing in the the November issue of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).


Nonpowder guns - ball-bearing (BB) guns, pellet guns, air rifles, and paintball guns - are extremely powerful and continue to cause serious injury, disability and even death to children and adolescents, according to a new American Academy of Pediatrics technical report "Injury Risk of Nonpowder Guns."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) claim there were approximately 21,840 nonpowder gun-related injuries treated in emergency departments in 2000. Between 1990 and 2000, the CPSC reported 39 nonpowder gun-related deaths, of which 32 were children age 15 and younger

snip:
While nonpowder guns use compressed air instead of gunpowder to launch projectiles, they are often nearly as powerful as traditional firearms. According to the CPSC, 80 percent of nonpowder guns have muzzle velocities (the speed at which the object leaves the gun) at 350 to 450 feet per second, and 50 percent between 500 and 930 feet per second. A traditional firearm pistol has a muzzle velocity of 750 feet per second to 1,450 per second. Eye penetration can occur at a muzzle velocity of just 130 feet per second.

Of the reported nonpowder gun injuries in 2000, approximately 12 percent were to the eye, 24 percent to the head and neck, 63 percent were to extremities, and 1 percent was to other body areas. Most victims were males.
http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/novgunpowder.htm

[seabeyond]

32. lots and lots of reasons. i am a mama that does not guns.

and i allow them for a lot of reasons.

[kenny blankenship]

7. Or the nation that thinks a homeless guy dropping a flashlight

in a bathroom is a terrorist with a bomb.

Mass insanity.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

40. you got that right.

Or shooting the mentally ill as he exists a plane.

[blindpig]

10. It's really crazy

Some of these bb and pellet guns are so real looking it's scary, right down to manufacturers marks. The magazines look like the real thing, operate the same way and weigh about the same as a full clip. The muzzles of some are day-glo green or orange, but not the most accurate reproductions. I really dislike them but have had to sell a few, but not to anyone under 18. Those suckers could get you killed, as this event illustrates.

[MindPilot]

14. I have a lighter that is a incredibly realistic replica of a 9mm semi

Pull the trigger, flame comes out the barrel. You almost have to have it in your hand to know it's not real.

[MrBenchley]

12. Three letters: N R A

The gun lobby routinely blocks all and any gun laws, including those regarding pellet guns. It's their "slippery slope" argument--any attempt at common sense regulations to increase public safety is a direct threat to their little phallic toys, and so they have to scrteechg like castrati and throw blood money around.

[seabeyond]

13. what is wrong with a stupid 15 yr old holding a gun at police

i am a defender of the people. i go against the cops MOST all the time, with these stories. i am so pissed at the cops and seeing us all as animals. my kids have pellet guns. they can say they look like real guns, but..... well, if you know guns, would be pretty easy to see they are not. i am still outraged by the man shot on the plane. shoot first ask questions later. i am disgusted at the coward american people, and some on this board who support the marshals on that shoot because they are so afraid they are willing to give up other peoples lives for a fear.....

but this boy..... it was stupid

i am not seeing a place to point finger at cops, though i didn't read article thorough. but i am not attacking cops on this one. stupid things teen age boys do.

[LisaL]

17. He wanted to get "suicided by a cop".

Police obviously didn't know he had a pellet gun, so they shot him. Apparently, the kid was bullied and depressed, and wanted to die. Poor kid.

[seabeyond]

20. now all of this i know about and understand, the children spinning out of

control in a world a bunch of fuckin and selfish adults on both side of the aisle. a nation of selfish, selfabsorbed adult......... have fucked up kids world so much. i truly understand, see and am sorry for. i get many of these kids in my life,... all over the place. he didnt die i believe i read. and he will be able to get help, he can now be heard........ he survived. that is if what i read was right

thank you for sharing

[LisaL]

22. He is not dead, but his condition is unknown.

So, he might end up dead yet.

[seabeyond]

25. if he dies, he dies. lots of kids are successful at suicide

a sad and scary thing for our youth and the family today. my mom did suicide, i have watched what it does to the person, and what happens with family. i see it in our youth today. many times i have had to say, there person is in place to do suicide, will they succeed. a person/lots of people can work ass off to hurt person, and still...... suicide, succeeds or doesnt

i think it will get worse. i know it will. i am seeing it get worse. we really need to focus on our kids for a while

[HysteryDiagnosis]

16. All pellet guns could be painted blue, red, green... then you would

have criminals with painted handguns.... what to do, what to do. Uhhhhh, maybe do as the terminator did?? shoot low... use rubber bullets... or don't shoot at all. Hey, I'm a threat to you cuz see.... I want to blow my brains out.

[Speck Tater]

18. Hint: It's not I.D.

It's natural selection. The ones shaped like real guns sell better, thus have better survivability in the open market. It's pure Darwinian natural selection at work. Business does whatever the market demands. So maybe the real question is why does the market demand pellet guns that look like real guns? The answer is that the human race is fatally flawed, and doomed to extinction by its own stupidity.

(ed:sp)

[HardWorkingDem]

19. Here's why....

they are manufactured that way so the buyer can imagine they are real guns. Also, I imagine that the NRA would fight any such modification legislation because these toy guns are probably considered "gateways" to real guns and such.

It is a sad thing. I have seen many of these guns and any more, many of them resemble real guns in metal, weight and appearance.

Also, some of these weapons, yes, weapons and not toys, are just as powerful as a 22 cal rifle or pistol. So keep that in mind. Many of these are not "toy" guns, but real.

[seabeyond]

23. then gun is what is made of it

you comments are so slanting, unwilling to allow any story. this is what has got to go. just enough. i hate guns. dont like them. 44 years never had them. i have a husband that has always had gun. competitive shooting. hunting with a distant never around father. a whole different perspective, that you didnt share.

i am also seeing that same bonding with my boys and dad. they have other places, but this is one place where mama will not go, dont even try to take me. such a wonderful thing for the boys and man in my life

what happened with this boy had little to do with a pellet gun.

pellet guns are dangerous too by the way. it isnt a toy AT all.

your post reminds me of the scare in a dishonesty to keep people safe. ends justify the means. doesnt matter what side, both use it. i am standing up with children to say, f* that. it is hitting kids all over the place. one of the many many reasons they are so f* up. getting it with war, terrorism, religion, drugs. i ma now tellin my 13 10 and 8 year old. drug. no need for adult to lie, give false info to keep yawl from doing it. just look at my smoking. i hate it, you hate it. we all want me to stop......you need no false info. like one puff you die. like smoker is "dirty"...."death"....."darkness''''' and evil.....oooooh so evil. as they look at mama and love me so, even the pathetic smoker me.

i am saying, pellet gun has little to do with this story of ths boy

[HardWorkingDem]

33. I'm confused...

SB,

My point was that these guns are probably manufactured and developed to ensure young adolescents can feel they are "real"..sort of like how Hot Wheels are made - to make the person get that charge about a replica, and that probably, in their research, the NRA has found that these pellet/bb/replicas act as an almost "gateway" to the purchase of "real" firearms.

I'm unclear how how you feel this is slanted and does not allow any story. Please explain. I didn't mean to offend you.

[seabeyond]

34. you didnt offend

yes, these guns are made to look real. and maybe/probably the boy will go to real gun.

probably a male at some point will go to gun, regardless if he had a pellet or not. you could say it is a gateway..... but reality most parent gets kid pellet, cause we know most boys will go to real gun, so this is a first step. so.... i guess i am absolutely agreeing it is consciously used as a gateway,.... and it isnt necessarily a neg, like it feels when you say it. i was scared enough watching my little boy learn how to use gun wit a pellet, that wont necessarily kill,.... as opposed to a real gun. i have no desire to experience seeing real gun. but i am not going to deny my sons their right to learn about gun, how to be responsible with gun. how to be comfortable with gun. being afraid f guns i am WAY more liking to f* up.

i dont think about this story having to do with pellet gun, but more, about a 15 year old boy wanting to die.

just saying, having always hated all guns...... my boys and husband bringing them around. and being a part of that. i dont see the evil. it is more fun for me that they are realistic when i play "target practice" competition, husband/ wife shooting against one antoher and i am able to shoot as well (almost) and he grew up with it, i just grab and shoot a few and say. i do well and impress the boys, lol and husband then say...... eeeeeeeeew guns, yuk.

[HardWorkingDem]

35. good, and I agree with you...

that this story is much more than a pellet gun and that this boy had more problems than just a pellet gun.

Glad I didn't offend.....

[seabeyond]

37. i feel like you. i dont like guns. they scare me. i dont like how they

feel. i dont like what they do

i raised my boys, all the way until 7 for oldest boy...... no guns. then with 9/11 and war...... i had to bring gi joes and military in boys lives so they could play out what was happening in our world. now, when my boys play in this world, there are absolute rules.

first and foremost:

the responsibility to the person who has the power. to not abuse that power. to be in that power for good of all

the man that put the helicopter in between american soldiers and those they were slaughtering in vietnam. i forget the name of that. that is the man we honored at the table a couple nights ago. going thru his story and now old he died. but what he did that day was who we want to be. not the ones that were killing the innocent, and the children.

if my children are going to play in that world, they are going to learn the hard facts of that world. like the killing of children. and kids their age holding a gun to kill american soldiers, being forced into armies.

it is the reality my boys have been given in their very young age. only started in 2001. almost 6 years. since youngest is 8, ..... this has been a huge part of their lives

[dapper]

21. I really wanted a gun

I travel, go hiking, come across some animals, I wanted to get a gun in the event that I was in danger. I also have a 4 year old son so I decided on a pellet gun. It's pretty realistic but it stays in my pack with the magazine out of it at all times with exception to when I'm hiking. The few times it has been in the house, the magazine was taken out, the safety on and out of reach of my 4 year old but mainly it stays in my van.

I have seen parents who leave their guns in a closet and the kids actually play with it (not loaded).. that's a shameful situation.

Dap

[seabeyond]

31. i have never seen any parent allow children to "play"

people i am seeing with guns are pretty respectful of them. that is encouraging for me. my husband knows how i hate them, i want no knowledge or expience with them. he also knows i put all responsibility on his back. he recently bought a huge ass safe thing. my son who is an intellectual, book reading, glasses, verbally articulate, little professor......... has spent the time practicing his shootin and has allowed him to feel his boy, where he hasnt gotten it thru the other type boy behaviors. a bonding with dad. has been good expereince

i also know i like that i have people around me that know how to use, and confident in it

and

guns arent feared. when we fear something, generally we arent very honest. i am like that with gun. booze (alcoholics all over) and computers. hubby gets all those things. neat thing about partnership

i am jsut saying, with a 4 yr old, if you do your job, it can and will be a safe and interesting experience for you both. lots and lots of lessons in responsibility

also

recently had a good friend lose 18 yr old nephew. \loaded rifle under bed. had party and drinking. a mad friend took it from under bed and shot and killed him. this guy knew about guns, ......

[dapper]

36. it's with any weapons.

They have good and bad connotations.

My son saw one of the pocket knives I bring along with me to hike. I basically told him, "do not touch it. If you are curious about it, ask me. If you want to see it, ask me. But never take it or touch it without asking". I'm not sure how much that will sink in to a 4 year old.

I think by leaving something in a cardboard box at the bottom of a closet where a child can easily get it gives a child the opportunity to "play" with it. I'd rather take the extra step in precaution.

Dap

[seabeyond]

39. exactly

knives. i am scared of those too. i fell on one as a kid. the only stitches i have ever needed. my husband hates seeing me use a knife when i cook. i hate them. dont uses them well. i dont like chopping veggies, so we do without unless husband cooks

where as boys..... are now learning pocketknife safety. they will be confident. husband is. i just have to trust him. i visualize the knife cutting

my point...... i would rather have someone who isnt afraid, lol lol

and the leaving in drawer. all about parenting i have found. i have not had to be obsessive hiding stuff from kids. i would be considered overprotective. but..... i know hear and see everything. i know whether boys are curious. what is safe and what is not. and, i pick those knives up. out of site out of mind. they come to me when they want them

my kids are afraid of our razors, lol lol. it is the small percent kid that has to check out everything. learns how to unlock door at 2. we parents know what to watch for.

i have also conditioned 10 year old boys to boys are impulsive. do stupid things. the DARE..... bah hahahaha. and when i see oldest fall into it, like last night playing risk with family, .... lol lol i laughed

it is all good. you be daddy, kid will be wonderful. parenting doesnt scare me anymore. i see,......be there and there is a hell of a lot less risk for kids. i guess over time i have learned ot trust them. still reserve right to a pee test, when they get older, as i have clearly told all the kids......

[Karmakaze]

24. Anyone have a link to an article about this incident?

The first thing I will say, is if a cop sees a gun, whether it is a pellet gun or not, and thinks they are going to be shot, then as far as I am concerned they have a right to defend themselves.

BUT

My biggest problem with American cops as I have seen on shows like "Cops" or read or heard about in news accounts, is that their gun makes them EAGER to confront violent offenders for no apparent reason.

Now I believe I saw some references to this case with the boy having barricaded himself in a bathroom. My question is, if that is true, or if there was no other civillians present, why did the cops not back off and "cordon and contain"?

Why do US cops charge in guns drawn and start yelling at people who may or may not be disturbed, and who may or may not be armed? It seems to me this aggressive stance by cops is the number one cause of innocent deaths - assume they are dangerous BUT confront them anyway.

In New Zealand (where I am) when the police are informed of an armed offender, their priorities go like this: 1) evacuate innocent civillians. 2) cordon and contain the offender. 3) Attempt to negotiate. 4) Wait the offender out. No aggressive moves UNLESS risk to innocent lives is too great.

One of the main reasons for this is that front line cops are not armed in the US sense. They do not carry personal sidearms, although pistols and shotguns are locked in safes in the boot of the car. So, by default NZ cops have to figure out a way to contain armed offenders without shooting them, simply because they can't. So what they do is back off if possible and REDUCE the pressure on the offender.

This and time alone accounts for most armed incidents ending in an arrest rather than a death - the offender is just as scared and by reducing the pressure you can give them time to THINK about what they are doing and the consequences.

Still, I can understand why US cops feel the need to be aggressive, I just don't think it is the best way to do it.

[spanone]

38. here

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/13/teen.shot/index.html