Fake guns and responsibility

[RB TexLa]

Another North Texas city it considering banning fake guns. These are guns that on sight look like a real gun. On TV the cops were complaining that they can not tell the difference, and they want the law to prevent them from shooting someone with a fake gun. This is the problem, I think. If I point a fake gun that looks real at a cop and they shoot me, I'm responsible for being shot. I was the one who pointed something that they would think is a deadly weapon at them.

I guess next they will want a law that you can't hold a candy bar in your jacket pocket because a cop might think it's a gun. I'm sure they don't like having to shoot people but it's a fact that some of them will one day have to defend themselves with gunfire, that is known going into the job. And yes there are going to be people who use a cop to commit suicide, this to is something that is known when they take the job.

A shooting in this manner is most likely the responsibility of the person who caused it, not the person who reacted. I say most likely because sure there could be some situations where it isn't, but I'd like to think those are rare.

[Kingshakabobo]

1. What's a fake gun? I toy? A replica? A b-b gun?

Here in Chicago, all toy guns are required to have permanent orange tips.

Are they talking about a complete ban?

[RB TexLa]

2. Most of the ones they showed were BB guns but they had some

that fired nothing, just plastic guns that look like the real thing. I didn't see any orange on them. They said the discussion was about a complete ban and banning them from being displayed in public.

[Kingshakabobo]

4. Here's an article from Dallas.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/local/stories/080806dnmettoygun.e85ed8.html

I think it may even be federal law that requires orange tips. I would be for that idea. MAYBE even for requiring the whole gun to be orange/bright color - not a ban.

I wonder what the statistics are for deaths? i wonder if this is one of those solutions without a real problem?

What do I know. We were poor AND tough kids. If we couldn't shoot you with our index finger gun we would karate chop you.

[RB TexLa]

6. I think Dallas has already enacted something, this was Burleson

I think, should be on channel 8's site. WFFA.com

[Hangingon]

5. Check the sporting goods stores for airsoft guns

They really look like the real thing. In bad light and a tense situation, who will see the little orange tip?

[Taxloss]

3. I recommend Malcolm Gladwell's book "Blink".

It's a wonderful book about when to trust your instincts, and how our first impression of something is the best. One of the later chapters deals with when this instinct is wrong, and it talks in detail about police shootings where the suspect was found to be unarmed. Analysis of hundreds of cases indicates that it doesn't even matter if a suspect is empty-handed, officers may still see a gun (or whatever) and fire.

This is because the brain's reasoning abilities progressively shut down in high-stress situations. At certain stress levels we're in "the zone", things slow down, we make snap judgements that are correct, our instincts work. Above those levels, our brain failing to cope - we see things. It doesn't matter if the guy is holding a fake gun, a real gun, a donut, the officers will see a gun and other officers will confirm it.

So - this law will do little, or nothing. And little orange tips on toys will do less. It's a bad law, a public relations exercise to cover up the fact that people's ability to reason fails when they are stressed.

[sandnsea]

7. Ban fake guns, keep real ones

Don't do anything about the shoot 'em up mentality.

Yep. Makes perfect sense.

[-..__...]

8. Damned if you do... damned if you don't.

Some of the Airsoft stuff is pretty realistic looking. Hardcore enthusiasts will spend thousands of dollars on equipment and gear.

By federal law, all toy and replica firearms (firing and non-firing), must either have the muzzle or entire fake painted in blaze orange (I believe florescent green is acceptable also). Unfortunately, some over enthusiastic Airsofters will paint the muzzle black.

In a strange twist, some legislators and public officials (CT and NYC that I know of), have suggested, or tried, passing laws that would make it illegal to paint/coat/refinish genuine firearms in non-traditional colors. I assume the intent is so that LEOs will take the threat more seriously if confronting some criminal/gang banger who painted a real gun to look like a fake.

[petronius]

9. I've wondered about that...

Considering that orange paint is cheap and plentiful, do cops actually relax when they see an orange tip on something that otherwise looks like a gun?

[razors edge]

10. exactly!

now all the criminals need is a little paint and look out...

[BaconBits87]

11. Hello!!!

First of all... There is a orange tip on the "Fake" guns so there is no way you can't tell the difference. And second of all I am a strong believer in the 2nd amendment. And along with that ever since I was a little kid, growing up with guns you always practice safety. So with me saying that if you do point a gun at a cop and if they don't see the Orange tip you deserve to be shot. One more thing guns don't kill people criminals that get them illegally and idiots that don't know how to safely operate a gun kill people... just to get that straight with all the liberals out there.

[RB TexLa]

12. I said that someone who points a fake gun at a cop is responsible

for what happens. The fake guns in the report had no orange on them.

[BaconBits87]

16. well

If the fake gun did not have an orange tip on, which means the kid or who ever painted it the color of the gun. So the cop could not see that it was a fake gun and when he shot the kid he was doing his job and the kid and his parents are responsible. Hello!!! you don't point anything at cops.......

[RB TexLa]

17. How many times are you going to repeat to me what I have posted?

[aikoaiko]

13. For a while popo were afraid bad guys would paint a red tip on real guns

in order to get one shot off on cautious police. I don't know if there were any actual cases, but a clever criminal might do it.

[newyawker99]

14. Hi BaconBits87!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[kiki]

15. Wow, you've really straightened us "liberals" out...

So, no criminals use legally owned guns, no safety-conscious gun owner has ever had an accident, no overzealous cop has ever shot an innocent person, no overzealous home defender has ever shot his own child, and no random psychopath has ever gone postal with a legal gun. In fact, nobody has ever been killed with a legal gun, EVER. Thanks for clearing that up.

:eyes:

Guns don't kill people, people WITH GUNS kill people.