Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 22, 1992 TAG: 9201220403
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
FAKE GUNS, REAL THREATS
A YOUNGSTER who invites a real bullet by pointing a looks-like-real gun at an armed policeman is, of course, foolish. It's not enough, though, for society to "tsk tsk" and mumble that the youngster needs to be sat down and read the riot act by a parent.Something more is needed to address what's become a national problem - underscored by at least four recent incidents in which Roanoke city police officers have been confronted by imitation guns.
Police departments between 1985 and 1989 seized 32,000 fake guns that had been involved in crimes. In at least 1,100 incidents, officers threatened to use force against toy-gun toters; in 252 cases, force actually was used. Not a huge number, perhaps. But, in this sad, violent time when police often encounter children (as well as adults) brandishing real weapons, it's inexcusable that their job is made more difficult by imitation guns.
Police should not be thrown into situations where they must make a split-second guess as to the lethality of a weapon - and where a wrong guess can lead to the death of either the pretender or the police officer.
Since May 1989, the U.S. Department of Commerce has prescribed certain markings for toy and imitation firearms. For some fakes, manufacturers are required to permanently affix a blaze-orange solid plug in the muzzle end of the barrel. For water pistols and other toys that can discharge water, light or non-metallic projectiles, there must be a blaze-orange marking on the barrel, with construction of transparent or translucent materials or bright colors over the entire exterior.
But the mandated markings haven't solved the problems. In a dark alley, police may not be able to distinguish the markings, at least not fast enough to make the critical shoot/don't shoot decision. Moreover, manufacturers are putting neon coloring on the front sights of real guns as a means to more rapidly and distinctly aim the weapon. In a tense confrontation, a glimmer of orange on the barrel does not guarantee it's a plaything.
A key problem that must be addressed is the shape of the toys. Many conscientious toy makers voluntarily have stopped making play weapons specifically shaped to look like the real thing. Others should follow suit. If they don't, the government should strengthen its rules to require it.
Also helpful would be a new attitude in our society, discouraging rather than accepting and glamorizing violence. This must start with parental responsibility. Consider: A Roanoke law prohibits the sale of BB guns to minors. Yet, as police know all too well, some parents buy these for their children. Or they hand their kids look-like Uzis and smile benignly as the young Rambos play out murderous wipe-out scenes they've learned from TV and movies.
Roanoke officers who have to deal with the progeny of a gun-tolerant culture - including the 12-year-old boy who last week held a patrolman at bay with a cap pistol - are to be commended for the caution and restraint they've shown in such life-threatening cases. That 12-year-old was lucky. The next one who tries it may not be so fortunate - and neither may be the police.