Crucial difference between this two types of guns: airsoft guns shot plastic BBs and paintball guns shot paintballs. This is THE difference, but we cant forget what is inside of those guns, their mechanisms are totally different also.
Lets start with looking into paintball gun: they use either compressed CO2 or regular compressed air. It’s a quite simple mechanism. But it’s another story with airsoft guns… They use gear boxes, electric motors, batteries… Its look like lots stuff is needed to fire a simple plastic sphere.
Inside of an automatic electric airsoft gun is interesting indeed. A number of gears are turned by small electric motor. This part of mechanism is used to cock back a big plunger/spring, which is used to compress air in a airtight chamber. When compressed air reach a certain pressure, a release valve is opened, this allows air under a big pressure to propel out the plastic BB. This process happens very fast and allows airsoft guns to fire around 15 shots per second.
Also, few more airsoft guns type exists. Most popular and notably is airsoft sniper rifle. Sniper rifles are manually cocked, single shot airsoft guns. They don’t have gears inside. They are not for “trigger easy” people, since you need to manually cock mechanism before every shot, but their advantage is superb accuracy and high velocity of BBs.
Paintball guns function on a similar way, with air thank filed with compressed air or CO2. Most common is CO2, since its more powerful (more pressure on the same cubage). Its also last longer then plain compressed air. Most of paintball guns are semi-automatic, which is disadvantage comparing to fully-automatic airsoft guns. Bot types of guns have a similar problem: paintball guns need to refill their gas thanks, and electric airsoft guns need to change their batter fairly oftern.
In the game, main difference is that paintballs leave visible mark of color on the hit place. On the other hand, BBs don’t leave any mark (beside pain) so player have moral obligation to yell “hit” if he’s shot by another player. Small but very important thing.
Game tactics are pretty much the same, used terrain is similar, urban (towers, bunkers, buildings, etc.) and rural (forest, fields, etc.) Since both types of guns fire their ammunition at the same speed (FPS) they are both safe to play indoors and outdoors.
Conclusion: if you wanna mark your opponents with a large paint mark, and cause them fair amount of pain (if needed equipment is not worn) then you should chose paintball. But, if you wanna get trigger happy and fire more then 15 shots per sec, pouring storm of BBs on your foes, then you should try airsoft. Also, price of paintball ammunition is fairly bigger then plastic BBs. My opinion: try them both, and see what type of ammunition you prefer to fly over your head
Friday, June 18, 2010
DA won’t pursue charges against LAH resident: Healy brought air rifle to Gunn High School
Los Altos Hills resident Weston Healy will not face criminal charges for bringing an air rifle to Gunn High School last month, prompting a lockdown and full-scale police response.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office June 9 decided not to file charges against Healy, a senior at Gunn.
DA spokeswoman Amy Cornell said applicable law didn’t warrant charges.
“The Airsoft Rifle didn’t qualify as a firearm under law,” Cornell said.
Because Healy’s Airsoft Rifle uses plastic ammunition instead of metal, Cornell said, it didn’t violate Penal Code 626.10, which prohibits stabbing instruments, razors, tasers, stun or pellet guns on school grounds.
Weapons charges could have resulted in either a felony three-year maximum prison sentence or a misdemeanor one-year county jail sentence for the 18-year-old Healy.
Healy’s attorney, Los Altos resident Eric Geffon, said his client left the Airsoft Rifle in his trunk a day prior to his May 27 arrest. Healy and a friend drove to a nearby hardware store to purchase supplies for their robotics club. Healy’s friend Mitchell (last name not provided) came across the rifle while putting supplies in the trunk and was “checking it out in the passenger seat” of Healy’s car when they returned to campus.
A city worker spotted Mitchell inspecting the rifle and called the police, who issued a “Code Red” lockdown on campus that eventually lead to Healy’s arrest. He spent one night in jail.
Palo Alto Police Department spokesman Max Nielepko said police cited and arrested only Healy because he was the owner of the vehicle and Airsoft gun.
Cornell said Healy’s young age, acknowledgement of responsibility for his action and “significant punishment” from the Gunn High administration also played a role in his not being charged. School officials suspended Healy, an Eagle Scout, and did not allow him to participate in graduation ceremonies June 9. He received his diploma Thursday.
Cornell said Healy’s family will reimburse the Palo Alto Police Department “a little over $2,000” – the cost of the response, which included dispatching a SWAT team.
Healy has been admitted to Cornell University, and Geffon said he is working out issues with the Palo Alto Unified School District to ensure Healy will be able to attend.
“Cornell (University) knows what’s going on,” Geffon said. “Our goal is to deal with Cornell to make sure they get the info they need. … (Gunn) suspended him with a recommendation of expulsion. The expulsion is still out there. … We’re optimistic about it. It’s been a tough couple weeks for him.”
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office June 9 decided not to file charges against Healy, a senior at Gunn.
DA spokeswoman Amy Cornell said applicable law didn’t warrant charges.
“The Airsoft Rifle didn’t qualify as a firearm under law,” Cornell said.
Because Healy’s Airsoft Rifle uses plastic ammunition instead of metal, Cornell said, it didn’t violate Penal Code 626.10, which prohibits stabbing instruments, razors, tasers, stun or pellet guns on school grounds.
Weapons charges could have resulted in either a felony three-year maximum prison sentence or a misdemeanor one-year county jail sentence for the 18-year-old Healy.
Healy’s attorney, Los Altos resident Eric Geffon, said his client left the Airsoft Rifle in his trunk a day prior to his May 27 arrest. Healy and a friend drove to a nearby hardware store to purchase supplies for their robotics club. Healy’s friend Mitchell (last name not provided) came across the rifle while putting supplies in the trunk and was “checking it out in the passenger seat” of Healy’s car when they returned to campus.
A city worker spotted Mitchell inspecting the rifle and called the police, who issued a “Code Red” lockdown on campus that eventually lead to Healy’s arrest. He spent one night in jail.
Palo Alto Police Department spokesman Max Nielepko said police cited and arrested only Healy because he was the owner of the vehicle and Airsoft gun.
Cornell said Healy’s young age, acknowledgement of responsibility for his action and “significant punishment” from the Gunn High administration also played a role in his not being charged. School officials suspended Healy, an Eagle Scout, and did not allow him to participate in graduation ceremonies June 9. He received his diploma Thursday.
Cornell said Healy’s family will reimburse the Palo Alto Police Department “a little over $2,000” – the cost of the response, which included dispatching a SWAT team.
Healy has been admitted to Cornell University, and Geffon said he is working out issues with the Palo Alto Unified School District to ensure Healy will be able to attend.
“Cornell (University) knows what’s going on,” Geffon said. “Our goal is to deal with Cornell to make sure they get the info they need. … (Gunn) suspended him with a recommendation of expulsion. The expulsion is still out there. … We’re optimistic about it. It’s been a tough couple weeks for him.”
Monday, June 14, 2010
Police give citation for second fake gun incident in two weeks
For the second time in less than two weeks, a fake firearm caused disruptions in Silverton.
A woman called 911 Wednesday afternoon to report that a man had approached her vehicle on Oak Street with a "gun and a note."
The Silverton Police Department began searching for the suspect, who was described as a scruffy male wearing yellow and white shorts, a dark T-shirt and fuzzy bath slippers.
Nearby Mark Twain Middle School was placed on lockdown about 2:15 p.m.
By 2:25 p.m., the suspect, Joseph Tobar, 33, of Silverton, was in custody.
Capt. Jeff Fossholm with the Silverton Police Department said officers found Tobar at his home.
He reportedly had gone to get his mail and saw a woman sitting in her car on Oak Street. He went over to ask her what she was doing.
He was carrying an Airsoft gun — a replica firearm that shoots plastic pellets — on top of the mail.
The woman was unable to tell the gun was fake, sped away and called 911.
Tobar was cited for second-degree disorderly conduct.
Last week, six teens and one adult received the same citation after they panicked a neighborhood while playing with Airsoft guns in a Silverton field.
A woman called 911 Wednesday afternoon to report that a man had approached her vehicle on Oak Street with a "gun and a note."
The Silverton Police Department began searching for the suspect, who was described as a scruffy male wearing yellow and white shorts, a dark T-shirt and fuzzy bath slippers.
Nearby Mark Twain Middle School was placed on lockdown about 2:15 p.m.
By 2:25 p.m., the suspect, Joseph Tobar, 33, of Silverton, was in custody.
Capt. Jeff Fossholm with the Silverton Police Department said officers found Tobar at his home.
He reportedly had gone to get his mail and saw a woman sitting in her car on Oak Street. He went over to ask her what she was doing.
He was carrying an Airsoft gun — a replica firearm that shoots plastic pellets — on top of the mail.
The woman was unable to tell the gun was fake, sped away and called 911.
Tobar was cited for second-degree disorderly conduct.
Last week, six teens and one adult received the same citation after they panicked a neighborhood while playing with Airsoft guns in a Silverton field.
No charges for Gunn student who brought airsoft rifle to school, DA's office says
No criminal charges will be filed against the Gunn High School senior who brought an Airsoft pellet rifle to the Palo Alto school, triggering a 45-minute campus lockdown last month, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office has determined.
After considering the "specific facts and the applicable law," prosecutors opted not to pursue the case against 18-year-old Weston Healy, district attorney spokeswoman Amy Cornell said Wednesday. Healy was arrested May 27 after someone spotted him and a friend driving into the school's parking lot with the gun.
Healy could have been charged with a felony and sentenced to up to three years in prison, Cornell said. But the California Penal Code provision under which prosecutors considered charging Healy specifies that the kind of firearms prohibited on school grounds are those that shoot a "metallic projectile." Airsoft guns wouldn't fall under that provision because they shoot plastic pellets instead.
Healy still could have been charged with bringing a knife onto school grounds, a misdemeanor, Cornell said. Police found the military-style blade in the trunk of his car.
"We also considered factors related to the suspect, including his youthful age, his acknowledgment of responsibility for his actions, and the significant administrative consequences being imposed by his school," Cornell wrote in an e-mail.
Healy's lawyer, Eric Geffon, said the Gunn graduate and his family are "relieved and grateful."
A "bad set of circumstances" led to Healy's arrest, Geffon said. The Eagle Scout and honors student had put the Airsoft gun inside the trunk of his car a couple of days before the May 27 incident. He intended to take it to his mother's house to compare it with his brother's new Airsoft gun, Geffon said.
But Healy forgot about it until he and a friend went to buy supplies for Gunn's robotics team at a hardware store, Geffon said. His friend noticed the gun, asked if he could look at it, and was holding it as they drove to school, Geffon said. Minutes after they were spotted, authorities locked down the school and began searching classrooms.
Police said they also found a shovel with a 4-inch pick and a hatchet with a removable saw in the trunk of Healy's car. Healy took the items with him on a recent camping trip with friends and had not yet removed them from the trunk, Geffon said.
Healy was suspended from school for the remainder of the year and wasn't able to walk in Wednesday's graduation ceremony, Geffon said, but he will receive his diploma.
He's also "doing everything possible" to make sure he can still attend Cornell University in the fall as planned, Geffon said.
"They know about this and he's in communication with them," Geffon said. "They were waiting obviously to see what happened with the DA's office, so I'm sure this will help."
Healy's family is paying the costs of the police response, Geffon said, which totals about $2,100.
In the meantime, Gunn students and others in the community have rallied around Healy. A "FREE WESTON!!!!!" Facebook group has more than 800 members, and more than 600 have signed an online petition urging Gunn administrators to "exercise reasonableness" in disciplining Healy.
"Thank you to all of those who have supported me," Healy posted on the Facebook group Wednesday. "I want everyone to know that I am really sorry for my thoughtless decisions. I did not mean for any of this to happen. I have been humbled by this experience and see how unintentional choices can lead to unwanted and unexpected events."
After considering the "specific facts and the applicable law," prosecutors opted not to pursue the case against 18-year-old Weston Healy, district attorney spokeswoman Amy Cornell said Wednesday. Healy was arrested May 27 after someone spotted him and a friend driving into the school's parking lot with the gun.
Healy could have been charged with a felony and sentenced to up to three years in prison, Cornell said. But the California Penal Code provision under which prosecutors considered charging Healy specifies that the kind of firearms prohibited on school grounds are those that shoot a "metallic projectile." Airsoft guns wouldn't fall under that provision because they shoot plastic pellets instead.
Healy still could have been charged with bringing a knife onto school grounds, a misdemeanor, Cornell said. Police found the military-style blade in the trunk of his car.
"We also considered factors related to the suspect, including his youthful age, his acknowledgment of responsibility for his actions, and the significant administrative consequences being imposed by his school," Cornell wrote in an e-mail.
Healy's lawyer, Eric Geffon, said the Gunn graduate and his family are "relieved and grateful."
A "bad set of circumstances" led to Healy's arrest, Geffon said. The Eagle Scout and honors student had put the Airsoft gun inside the trunk of his car a couple of days before the May 27 incident. He intended to take it to his mother's house to compare it with his brother's new Airsoft gun, Geffon said.
But Healy forgot about it until he and a friend went to buy supplies for Gunn's robotics team at a hardware store, Geffon said. His friend noticed the gun, asked if he could look at it, and was holding it as they drove to school, Geffon said. Minutes after they were spotted, authorities locked down the school and began searching classrooms.
Police said they also found a shovel with a 4-inch pick and a hatchet with a removable saw in the trunk of Healy's car. Healy took the items with him on a recent camping trip with friends and had not yet removed them from the trunk, Geffon said.
Healy was suspended from school for the remainder of the year and wasn't able to walk in Wednesday's graduation ceremony, Geffon said, but he will receive his diploma.
He's also "doing everything possible" to make sure he can still attend Cornell University in the fall as planned, Geffon said.
"They know about this and he's in communication with them," Geffon said. "They were waiting obviously to see what happened with the DA's office, so I'm sure this will help."
Healy's family is paying the costs of the police response, Geffon said, which totals about $2,100.
In the meantime, Gunn students and others in the community have rallied around Healy. A "FREE WESTON!!!!!" Facebook group has more than 800 members, and more than 600 have signed an online petition urging Gunn administrators to "exercise reasonableness" in disciplining Healy.
"Thank you to all of those who have supported me," Healy posted on the Facebook group Wednesday. "I want everyone to know that I am really sorry for my thoughtless decisions. I did not mean for any of this to happen. I have been humbled by this experience and see how unintentional choices can lead to unwanted and unexpected events."
Election Gun Ban Ends, Philippine Airsoft Enthusiasts Rejoice
The Philippine election gun ban effectively ends today, and airsoft players from all over the islands can now heave a sigh of relief as they can start oiling and cleaning their airsoft guns and gear and join in many airsoft events being organised all over the country to welcome the new airsoft year, especially by this weekend, 12-13 June 2010. Philippine airsoft forums are abuzz as players come out of hibernation.
There is an even more cause to rejoice as the newly elected President of the country, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, is not keen on extending the permanent gun ban after the elections, as he himself is a gun enthusiast and does not see the a total gun ban is a not the answer the crime problems. Even the Commission on Human Rights, while it may be the bastion of gun control, don't see it the same way, as they say there are already strict laws existing to control the proliferation of illegal guns, and the police need to just enforce these.
The PNP said that on Tuesday (June 8), police arrested 4 civilians and seized 11 firearms and a knife. From January 10, a total of 3,041 people, including 2,769 civilians and 272 government employees, were arrested for violating the gun ban. Aside from the low-powered and high-powered firearms, police also seized 862 airguns, airsoft guns and gun replicas; 692 bladed weapons, and 292 explosives and grenades.
Popular Airsoft Kami Wars preparation for the Philippine airsoft community has now started, with the kick-off event originally slated for 12 June 2010, slated on the 19th of June 2010, and is a 2 day-event of gruelling military simulation. More details to follow on this this week. However, we were informed of another gun ban, in accordance with the election laws of the country, as the Barangay and SK (Village and Youth Council) elections will be held on the 25th of October 2010. Which means another 30-60 days of no airsoft joy for the community.
But still, a great cause to rejoice for the local airsoft community.
There is an even more cause to rejoice as the newly elected President of the country, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, is not keen on extending the permanent gun ban after the elections, as he himself is a gun enthusiast and does not see the a total gun ban is a not the answer the crime problems. Even the Commission on Human Rights, while it may be the bastion of gun control, don't see it the same way, as they say there are already strict laws existing to control the proliferation of illegal guns, and the police need to just enforce these.
The PNP said that on Tuesday (June 8), police arrested 4 civilians and seized 11 firearms and a knife. From January 10, a total of 3,041 people, including 2,769 civilians and 272 government employees, were arrested for violating the gun ban. Aside from the low-powered and high-powered firearms, police also seized 862 airguns, airsoft guns and gun replicas; 692 bladed weapons, and 292 explosives and grenades.
Popular Airsoft Kami Wars preparation for the Philippine airsoft community has now started, with the kick-off event originally slated for 12 June 2010, slated on the 19th of June 2010, and is a 2 day-event of gruelling military simulation. More details to follow on this this week. However, we were informed of another gun ban, in accordance with the election laws of the country, as the Barangay and SK (Village and Youth Council) elections will be held on the 25th of October 2010. Which means another 30-60 days of no airsoft joy for the community.
But still, a great cause to rejoice for the local airsoft community.
Poll gun ban ends; 2,647 firearms seized
MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday reported a total of 2,647 firearms were seized during the 150-day implementation of the nationwide election gun ban.
The election gun ban ends at Wednesday midnight. Its implementation started last January 10.
The PNP said that on Tuesday (June 8), police arrested 4 civilians and seized 11 firearms and a knife.
From January 10, a total of 3,041 people, including 2,769 civilians and 272 government employees, were arrested for violating the gun ban.
Aside from the low-powered and high-powered firearms, police also seized 862 airguns, airsoft guns and gun replicas; 692 bladed weapons, and 292 explosives and grenades.
The PNP believes the big firearms haul lessened the number of violent incidents during the elections.
The election gun ban ends at Wednesday midnight. Its implementation started last January 10.
The PNP said that on Tuesday (June 8), police arrested 4 civilians and seized 11 firearms and a knife.
From January 10, a total of 3,041 people, including 2,769 civilians and 272 government employees, were arrested for violating the gun ban.
Aside from the low-powered and high-powered firearms, police also seized 862 airguns, airsoft guns and gun replicas; 692 bladed weapons, and 292 explosives and grenades.
The PNP believes the big firearms haul lessened the number of violent incidents during the elections.
Replica firearms lead to citations
A group of Silverton parents are upset with the way police officers handled an incident last week involving several teenagers and fake guns.
Six juveniles and one 20-year-old were cited for second-degree disorderly conduct on the evening of May 30.
The teens were playing with Airsoft guns in a field when neighbors complained.
Airsoft guns are replica firearms that shoot round plastic pellets.
The neighbors called the police and locked themselves in a room in their house after hearing someone say, "Put the gun down."
Silverton city ordinance prohibits the firing of any gun or weapon within the city limits.
Silverton Police Department responded and officers spotted a pickup near Rosemary Way and Sage Street off Hobart Road.
Two people were in the truck and two people were in the truck bed.
Police reported that the two in the truck bed were holding AR-15 assault rifles and that one of them ducked when confronted.
Other suspects reportedly were in the area on foot and carrying weapons.
Three Marion County Sheriff's Office deputies, one Oregon State Police trooper and one Mt. Angel police officer also responded.
After several of the suspects were detained, officers learned that the weapons were replica Airsoft guns with the red safety tips removed.
According to Angela Fleshman, the mother of two of the teens involved, what happened next was overkill.
Fleshman lives near the field and was present when officers arrived. She said even after police learned the guns weren't real, they continued to use force.
She also said that not all of the guns were missing the safety tips, and that the teens had permission from the landowner to use the field for their game.
"The problem is not what (the boys) were doing or where they were, it was the behavior of the officers," Fleshman said. "It was pretty disheartening."
Capt. Jeff Fossholm with Silverton Police Department did not respond to this particular incident, but he said during training, officers are taught to assume weapons are real.
"As a police officer, if I'm dealing with a weapon and I can't determine if it's real or a replica, I have to assume it's a real weapon and treat it as such," he said.
Six juveniles and one 20-year-old were cited for second-degree disorderly conduct on the evening of May 30.
The teens were playing with Airsoft guns in a field when neighbors complained.
Airsoft guns are replica firearms that shoot round plastic pellets.
The neighbors called the police and locked themselves in a room in their house after hearing someone say, "Put the gun down."
Silverton city ordinance prohibits the firing of any gun or weapon within the city limits.
Silverton Police Department responded and officers spotted a pickup near Rosemary Way and Sage Street off Hobart Road.
Two people were in the truck and two people were in the truck bed.
Police reported that the two in the truck bed were holding AR-15 assault rifles and that one of them ducked when confronted.
Other suspects reportedly were in the area on foot and carrying weapons.
Three Marion County Sheriff's Office deputies, one Oregon State Police trooper and one Mt. Angel police officer also responded.
After several of the suspects were detained, officers learned that the weapons were replica Airsoft guns with the red safety tips removed.
According to Angela Fleshman, the mother of two of the teens involved, what happened next was overkill.
Fleshman lives near the field and was present when officers arrived. She said even after police learned the guns weren't real, they continued to use force.
She also said that not all of the guns were missing the safety tips, and that the teens had permission from the landowner to use the field for their game.
"The problem is not what (the boys) were doing or where they were, it was the behavior of the officers," Fleshman said. "It was pretty disheartening."
Capt. Jeff Fossholm with Silverton Police Department did not respond to this particular incident, but he said during training, officers are taught to assume weapons are real.
"As a police officer, if I'm dealing with a weapon and I can't determine if it's real or a replica, I have to assume it's a real weapon and treat it as such," he said.
Former San Ramon Valley school principal sues district
DANVILLE — Former Monte Vista High School principal Rebecca Smith, removed from her job after an incident involving an Airsoft pistol and a student, has filed a lawsuit that claims she was the victim of age discrimination and a district campaign to force her out.
Smith, 58, was principal since 1996. She was put on paid leave in the fall after the Airsoft incident. In 2007, she had been accused of misappropriating nearly $100,000 in student-raised funds — something that Smith explains in the suit as not being her fault.
Smith, who could not be reached for comment is seeking an unspecified amount in damages. Kathryn Dickson, her attorney, declined to speak about the suit, that was filed in Contra Costa Superior Court in April.
Besides age discrimination, Smith also claims the district defamed her by publicly discussing some issues and did not give her due process before demoting her to a teacher.
Court filings give Smith's description of the Sept. 29, 2009 Airsoft gun incident, which school district officials have not discussed in detail. Sources have told the Bay Area News Group the incident happened before a girls volleyball game, when a player had an inflatable toy that resembled a gun confiscated. In a disciplinary meeting with Smith, the girl allegedly felt threatened when Smith pulled out an Airsoft pistol and pointed it at her.
In her suit, Smith called it a "teachable moment." The suit says the principal kept the Airsoft pistol and other confiscated look-alike guns and weapons in her office, and when the student appeared unresponsive to Smith's counseling, the principal took the Airsoft pistol and held it so the girl could see how hard it would be for police to tell if it was real. The lawsuit also mentions other incidents leading up to her removal. Smith's suit says than in 2007 false allegations were raised by a parent about how money raised by the senior class was spent. Her suit says external and internal audits were done and found no mishandling. The issue arose after funds from that class were combined to an at-large student body account, and that it was done not by Smith's direction by the district's director of fiscal services.
At the time, the district said nearly $100,000 was spent without students' input.
Smith's suit also brings up other incidents she said were part of a campaign by Superintendent Steven Enoch, who was hired in summer 2008, to force her out. She was reprimanded twice in spring 2009 for incidents in which she felt she was treated differently than younger principals and administrators.
In one incident, a student was found with marijuana, alcohol and prescription drugs during the junior prom. Smith told on-duty police, who were reluctant to get involved because it would have elevated it to a criminal issue. She kept the items in a safe and presented them to the student and parents before giving them to a school police officer. Smith said she was reprimanded because the district believed she should have demanded police get involved.
Smith was also reprimanded shortly after because an assistant principal failed to file all the needed paperwork for a field trip out of the state for a robotics team.
Smith was then placed on a management assistance plan, which she said is a precursor to dismissal. She said district officials made comments implying she was old and should retire. Those comments, she says in the suit, included that she was trained by the old guard and times were changing, and that there would be no need for an assistance plan if she retired.
Koehne said Smith remains on paid administrative leave pending reassignment, but that job has not been determined. Koehne did not have her salary but said it was near the top of the salary schedule for principals, which tops out at $130,598.
Replica gun gets teen in trouble at university
MANKATO, Minn. (AP) - A teenager is in trouble after pulling a replica AK-47 airsoft rifle out of his SUV to show his buddies at Minnesota State University in Mankato.
The 17-year-old from Waseca has been cited for disorderly conduct and for violating a city ordinance.
Police say a security officer saw a group of people gathered early Thursday by the SUV, 1 of whom was holding what appeared to be an assault rifle. They also observed him appear to fire.
Police say officers responded with guns drawn, ordered everyone to the ground and handcuffed them. They found the teen had five Airsoft replica guns that fire plastic airsoft pellets. The youth and the airsoft replicas were handed over to his mother.
The 17-year-old from Waseca has been cited for disorderly conduct and for violating a city ordinance.
Police say a security officer saw a group of people gathered early Thursday by the SUV, 1 of whom was holding what appeared to be an assault rifle. They also observed him appear to fire.
Police say officers responded with guns drawn, ordered everyone to the ground and handcuffed them. They found the teen had five Airsoft replica guns that fire plastic airsoft pellets. The youth and the airsoft replicas were handed over to his mother.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Innocent mistake' sparked Gunn lockdown
Weston Healy, an Eagle Scout with a 4. 17 grade-point-average, was about to complete his senior year at Gunn High School and looking forward to enrolling at Cornell University this fall. All that was jeopardized last Thursday after the Gunn campus was thrown into an emergency "Code Red" lockdown, terrifying students and parents and resulting in Healy's arrest on charges of possessing a weapon on a school campus. Today Healy, 18, is at home in Los Altos Hills, suspended from school, while his lawyer works with Gunn officials and the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office in hopes of ensuring Healy's plans for his future unfold as previously expected. It was all an innocent mistake, according to Healy, his father and lawyer Eric Geffon of San Jose. District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Amy Cornell said Healy's case is under review. A court clerk said an arraignment is scheduled tentatively for next Thursday, which is the day after Gunn's graduation ceremony. The weapon in Healy's car the day of his arrest was an airsoft rifle, a recreational weapon that can be purchased for $50 to $300. Unlike metal BBs from a BB gun, airsoft products shoot non-puncturing plastic BBs and are used in games similar to those played at the popular birthday-party venue Laser Quest in Mountain View. Purchasers of airsoft guns must be 18 or older because the products "look so realistic and could be mistaken for the real thing," a Big 5 Sporting Goods salesclerk said. Healy inadvertently had an airsoft rifle in his car when he drove with a friend onto campus last Thursday afternoon to drop off equipment for the robotics class, his lawyer said. A city employee saw the rifle and called police. "You can't blame them for calling the police, and you can't blame the police for responding as they did," Geffon said Thursday. After dropping off the robotics equipment, Healy and his friend were heading back to the car when the school lockdown was imposed, and the two were pulled into the nearest classroom, Geffon said. "Weston and his friend thought the Code Red was unusual, and Weston said, 'Do you think it's possible that we're the reason it's a Code Red?'" Geffon said. At that point, Healy approached the teacher and explained about the airsoft rifle, he said. Asked whether Healy still plans to go to Cornell, Geffon said: "Knock on wood he's still going. "Everything we're doing with both the school and the district attorney is to make sure he continues to graduate and go to Cornell," the lawyer said. Geffon said Healy realized as he was pulling into the Gunn campus May 27 that "having this (airsoft rifle) in the parking lot is a bad idea," but he and his friend decided to just put it in the trunk because they intended to be on campus for such a short time. "I have a growing list of 75 letters that I've been receiving from various people -- teachers, scoutmasters, friends of the family -- that speak in glowing terms about this kid," he said. "He's a really, really good kid, and this is a very unfortunate situation. "Geffon said Healy had owned the airsoft rifle "for some time" but that calling it a hobby "would probably be an overstatement. "Besides scouting and robotics at Gunn, Healy participated in water polo, swimming and wrestling and has been active in his Mormon church, the lawyer said. About two days before the Code Red episode, Healy had put the airsoft rifle in the trunk of his car to take it from his father's house to his mother's house in order to compare it to a new airsoft gun that had been purchased for his younger brother, he said. While Weston and a friend were at Orchard Supply Hardware purchasing supplies for robotics last Thursday, May 27, the friend commented on the airsoft rifle and asked to look at it and was holding it when the two drove into the Gunn parking lot, Geffon said. Among the items police reported they found in Healy's car were "two face masks, one spade shovel with a 4-inch pick, a hatchet with a removable saw and a military style knife with a 7-inch blade. "Geffon said what police called "face masks" were airsoft safety goggles used for eye protection while playing with airsoft guns. The other items had been left in the trunk after a camping trip Healy had taken with friends the weekend of May 15 to Tunitas Creek in Half Moon Bay. "He doesn't tend to clean out his car very often," Geffon said. "He removed the tent and a couple of chairs because he needed to transport a couple of kids home to do a project. So he moved the big things but left the knife and hatchet. "Gunn officials declined to comment on the Healy case. Geffon said Healy has been suspended from school until Monday and has not yet been told whether he will be permitted to participate in graduation. "Our concern is we make sure Weston is able to finish the school year and get his diploma," he said.
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