I’m not sure what is more ridiculous, the reaction of police over some boys with a BB gun, or the News Review dedicating a quarter of the front page to the story.
I would however appreciate some further explanation of “the dangers and risks of possessing a BB gun”, unless of course they were referring to the risk of harm coming from an over zealous police officer with a gun responding to such a call? I use BBs guns all the time, I have never thought of it as a risk, or caused anyone any harm. I’d wager that more people hurt themselves with chopsticks than with BB guns.
The police officer quoted in the story also assures us that calls to police of a gun being seen will always “prompt the same tactical response from police”, the absurdity of that comment is surpassed only by the terrifying nature of it. Am I to expect a tactical take down every time I go to the local shooting range or out hunting? Will I be put in cuffs and have my property seized every time I try to keep a crow from killing the song birds at the feeder in my backyard or shoot a can with my son? When did simply possessing a gun, real or fake, become a crime?
I think it’s time for the police, and this newspaper, to calm down a little when it comes to guns.
Mike Shoesmith
Central Saanich