BRIDGETON -- A Bridgeton High School student was arrested Thursday after he allegedly pointed a BB gun at a teacher's head Wednesday night following a school concert.
Rajahn S. Hargrove was arrested without incident after music teacher Nicholas Kline reported the crime to authorities Thursday morning, according to police.
Hargrove, 18, of Mount Vernon Street, was charged with aggravated assault, possession of an imitation firearm and terroristic threats. He was released on his own recognizance on the charges.
The alleged crime occurred outside of the high school following the concert.
Hargrove has indicated the incident was meant as a joke and that he and his friends believed Kline would take it as such, Bridgeton Police Lt. Jere Branch said.
Kline did not take the incident as a joke and opted to sign complaints against the student on Thursday.
Two males, whom police did not identify because they were not charged, reportedly grabbed Kline, with one of them putting the teacher into a headlock, according to police. Hargrove then allegedly pointed the BB gun at Kline's head.
"He used, unfortunately, very, very poor judgment and, as a result, there will be an expulsion hearing ... That is just intolerable," Bridgeton Public Schools Superintendent Dr. H. Victor Gilson said Friday.
Gilson did not identify the student, by name or by grade, when contacted by the News, but he did indicate the expulsion hearing will be held before the school board in June.
Police recovered an airsoft BB gun from Hargrove.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
High School Student Shoots Airsoft Pistol; Schools Lockdown
RICHLAND, Wash.--Police say Friday (4/25) morning, two teenagers were walking toward Richland High School, holding what appeared to be a gun.
Three schools, Marcus Whitman Elementary, Carmichael Middle School and Richland High School went into critical lockdown.
Both suspects later drove into the high school parking lot. A plastic airsoft BB gun was found under the passenger seat.
"They could have came out with that in their possession, in their hand," mentions Ofc. Allen Jenkins. We don't know. We may have to return fire. We may take that as a lethal confrontation. That's the last thing we want to have happen."
Richland police say one of the students could face charges. He was released to his parents.
These types of plastic airsoft guns are widely available at local sporting goods stores. Friday afternoon, a store employee admitted they are very deceiving.
Three schools, Marcus Whitman Elementary, Carmichael Middle School and Richland High School went into critical lockdown.
Both suspects later drove into the high school parking lot. A plastic airsoft BB gun was found under the passenger seat.
"They could have came out with that in their possession, in their hand," mentions Ofc. Allen Jenkins. We don't know. We may have to return fire. We may take that as a lethal confrontation. That's the last thing we want to have happen."
Richland police say one of the students could face charges. He was released to his parents.
These types of plastic airsoft guns are widely available at local sporting goods stores. Friday afternoon, a store employee admitted they are very deceiving.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Airsoft Guns: from men to boys
PEOPLE running around an enclosed battle field, complete with camouflage suits and tactical gears, while blasting sounds from the rifles cover the arena. A real military combat exercise?
No, it is the fun-filled shootout of airsoft enthusiasts, where “dead guys” walk off the field after getting “hit.”
An online encyclopedia, wikipedia.com, defines Airsoft as a combat sport similar to paintball in which “participants eliminate opponents by hitting them with 6 mm plastic balls launched from Airsoft guns that can be powered by CO2, green gas, or electricity powered gearboxes actuating a piston.”
In plain terms, it is a game where men—and not a few women—get to relive their Indians vs. Cowboys days, this time as terrorists vs. counterterrorists.
The game was developed in Japan in the early 1970’s to provide an alternative for gun hobbyists since local laws prevented individuals from privately owning firearms. However, instead of goofy looking paintball guns, a heavy emphasis was placed on making accurate replicas of real firearms
Local enthusiasts had the chance to dust off their combat gears and play soldier during the 1st Philippine Airsoft Club of Mactan (Pacman) Airsoft Close Quarters Battle (QCB) Competition held last weekend at Mactan Central School, Lapu-Lapu City. Ten teams with at least 15 members each joined and showed zest in playing the sport.
A closed battle field with obstacles all around it and a killing house at the center was prepared for the airsoft game.
“The obstacles are there to make the game realistic,” said Joe Barquero of Team Pacman. Single walls and blue drums, where the players positioned for defense—or ambush— were scattered all over the arena.
In each airsoft game, two teams got inside the fenced arena to fight each other and raced for the game’s objective—a “bomb” locked inside a box which was placed in the killing house right at the middle of the field. The first team to unlock and diffuse the “bomb” wins the match.
However, unlike any other game, coaching isn’t allowed and killing a “dead guy”—an opponent who has already admitted to being hit—is also considered a violation in the game.
To make sure everyone follows the rules, game marshals are scattered around the arena to look for violations and to identify players who got hit. Airsoft players who have been hit by an opponent or unintentionally by a teammate’s friendly fire, will no longer be allowed to continue the game.
Honesty
And getting hit, or admitting to have gotten hit, is where the gun-toting, adrenaline rushing sport finds a parallel with that of the gentleman’s game of golf—there is a premium on honesty.
Barquero emphasizes that honesty among airsoft players is important since no one could really monitor everything that is happening on every player in the field.
On the other hand, for another airsoft player, “shooting someone” is an enjoyable form of stress management.
“The game gives the airsoft players discipline, camaraderie and team work. It’s also a means of anger management,” says Rudy Patalinjug, a senior player of Team Pacman.
Pearl Ann Balajadia, who has been hooked in Airsoft due to her husband’s invitation, now treats the sport as a form of exercise, source of real fun and adrenaline rush.
For another airsoft enthusiast, getting the chance to play soldier is a lot of fun.
“It is a fun game wherein we are like real soldiers deployed in Basilan,” expressed senior criminology student Leoncio Pescador.
No, it is the fun-filled shootout of airsoft enthusiasts, where “dead guys” walk off the field after getting “hit.”
An online encyclopedia, wikipedia.com, defines Airsoft as a combat sport similar to paintball in which “participants eliminate opponents by hitting them with 6 mm plastic balls launched from Airsoft guns that can be powered by CO2, green gas, or electricity powered gearboxes actuating a piston.”
In plain terms, it is a game where men—and not a few women—get to relive their Indians vs. Cowboys days, this time as terrorists vs. counterterrorists.
The game was developed in Japan in the early 1970’s to provide an alternative for gun hobbyists since local laws prevented individuals from privately owning firearms. However, instead of goofy looking paintball guns, a heavy emphasis was placed on making accurate replicas of real firearms
Local enthusiasts had the chance to dust off their combat gears and play soldier during the 1st Philippine Airsoft Club of Mactan (Pacman) Airsoft Close Quarters Battle (QCB) Competition held last weekend at Mactan Central School, Lapu-Lapu City. Ten teams with at least 15 members each joined and showed zest in playing the sport.
A closed battle field with obstacles all around it and a killing house at the center was prepared for the airsoft game.
“The obstacles are there to make the game realistic,” said Joe Barquero of Team Pacman. Single walls and blue drums, where the players positioned for defense—or ambush— were scattered all over the arena.
In each airsoft game, two teams got inside the fenced arena to fight each other and raced for the game’s objective—a “bomb” locked inside a box which was placed in the killing house right at the middle of the field. The first team to unlock and diffuse the “bomb” wins the match.
However, unlike any other game, coaching isn’t allowed and killing a “dead guy”—an opponent who has already admitted to being hit—is also considered a violation in the game.
To make sure everyone follows the rules, game marshals are scattered around the arena to look for violations and to identify players who got hit. Airsoft players who have been hit by an opponent or unintentionally by a teammate’s friendly fire, will no longer be allowed to continue the game.
Honesty
And getting hit, or admitting to have gotten hit, is where the gun-toting, adrenaline rushing sport finds a parallel with that of the gentleman’s game of golf—there is a premium on honesty.
Barquero emphasizes that honesty among airsoft players is important since no one could really monitor everything that is happening on every player in the field.
On the other hand, for another airsoft player, “shooting someone” is an enjoyable form of stress management.
“The game gives the airsoft players discipline, camaraderie and team work. It’s also a means of anger management,” says Rudy Patalinjug, a senior player of Team Pacman.
Pearl Ann Balajadia, who has been hooked in Airsoft due to her husband’s invitation, now treats the sport as a form of exercise, source of real fun and adrenaline rush.
For another airsoft enthusiast, getting the chance to play soldier is a lot of fun.
“It is a fun game wherein we are like real soldiers deployed in Basilan,” expressed senior criminology student Leoncio Pescador.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
First squirt guns, now airsoft guns on a helicopter!
On Monday I wrote about a quad rotor Microdrone mounting a squirt gun, currently in use by the British Transport Police. Today I ran across this video of a quad rotor helicopter with an independently aimable, camera equipped airsoft gun mounted on the top. It doesn’t appear to be a UAV in this configuration, and I’m kinda wondering why they didn’t mount the gun on the bottom of the aircraft. Still, it’s pretty effective looking, and not something I’d particularly want to be in the sights of.
From what I’ve dug up, the quad rotor platform is called the Pegasus (no relation). It can lift a 7 pound payload for 8 minutes, and once version includes a “garage” mounted underneath that can deploy an R/C scout car. More information about that can apparently be found on the RcGroups.com forums, which has been down (for me, at least) for the last few hours. I’ll check back tomorrow, or if you notice anything, feel free to post about it in the comments
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Recent threats in Fort Collins put focus on airsoft guns
A man arrested for brandishing an airsoft gun and threatening people in Old Town this week and a February case in which boys pointed the guns at girls in a park have focused attention on the weapons, which are illegal to shoot in Fort Collins city limits.
Police arrested 18-year-old Adrian Campof-Leija Wednesday on suspicion of felony menacing for threatening people with an airsoft gun at the intersection of Linden and Walnut streets.
It’s the second incident involving airsoft guns that police have been called to in the past two weeks. The guns shoot plastic pellets or BBs and are sometimes used in a sport similar to paintball.
On February 23, police were called to Killdeer Drive after a couple of young boys pointed an air-soft gun at several young girls at Beattie Park. The gun was confiscated by a neighbor, who followed one of the boys back to his house.
No charges were filled and the airsoft gun will be destroyed.
It is illegal to use any weapon that fires a projectile in Fort Collins, including airsoft guns, accord-ing to police.
The guns are a danger to people, animals and private property, said Susan Vance, a Fort Collins po-lice officer.
They are also a danger to law enforcement.
“Some of them are so realistic looking that it's difficult for officers to know if it's a real gun,” said police spokeswoman Rita Davis.
Manufacturers make the guns with a painted tip to differentiate them from real guns, but that does not always help.
“Criminals can paint there guns so that they look like toys and kids can paint their guns to look real,” Vance said.
Airsoft guns have prompted Fort Collins police officers to draw their own weapons in the past, Davis said. No shots have been fired in these instances.
In cases across the country this has not always been the case.
A teenager was killed by police in Orlando, Fla., in 2006 after he pointed a realistic looking air rif-fle at an officer. Later that year a Chicago teen was shot by police when he brandished a BB gun.
These situations are lose-lose situations for officers, Vance said.
Vance experienced this when she observed two children playing what appeared to be an auto-matic pistol. She had to order both children to the ground while she checked the gun.
“It's scary for the officers because they don’t know (if it is a real gun),” she said. “We might put the people in a very uncomfortable position.”
Police arrested 18-year-old Adrian Campof-Leija Wednesday on suspicion of felony menacing for threatening people with an airsoft gun at the intersection of Linden and Walnut streets.
It’s the second incident involving airsoft guns that police have been called to in the past two weeks. The guns shoot plastic pellets or BBs and are sometimes used in a sport similar to paintball.
On February 23, police were called to Killdeer Drive after a couple of young boys pointed an air-soft gun at several young girls at Beattie Park. The gun was confiscated by a neighbor, who followed one of the boys back to his house.
No charges were filled and the airsoft gun will be destroyed.
It is illegal to use any weapon that fires a projectile in Fort Collins, including airsoft guns, accord-ing to police.
The guns are a danger to people, animals and private property, said Susan Vance, a Fort Collins po-lice officer.
They are also a danger to law enforcement.
“Some of them are so realistic looking that it's difficult for officers to know if it's a real gun,” said police spokeswoman Rita Davis.
Manufacturers make the guns with a painted tip to differentiate them from real guns, but that does not always help.
“Criminals can paint there guns so that they look like toys and kids can paint their guns to look real,” Vance said.
Airsoft guns have prompted Fort Collins police officers to draw their own weapons in the past, Davis said. No shots have been fired in these instances.
In cases across the country this has not always been the case.
A teenager was killed by police in Orlando, Fla., in 2006 after he pointed a realistic looking air rif-fle at an officer. Later that year a Chicago teen was shot by police when he brandished a BB gun.
These situations are lose-lose situations for officers, Vance said.
Vance experienced this when she observed two children playing what appeared to be an auto-matic pistol. She had to order both children to the ground while she checked the gun.
“It's scary for the officers because they don’t know (if it is a real gun),” she said. “We might put the people in a very uncomfortable position.”
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Two teens shoot bear and tiger at N.J. Zoo with Airsoft Guns
Two South Jersey boys charged with shooting exotic animals with pellet airsoft guns at a zoo in Cumberland County were released to their parents Monday after being held overnight at a juvenile detention center, authorities said.
A 17-year-old from Vineland and a 14-year-old from Bridgeton were arrested Sunday afternoon at the tiny Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton after witnesses saw and heard them shoot at a rare white tiger and a black bear, zoo officials said.
The boys, whose names were not released, were charged on multiple weapons counts even though they were only airsoft guns, said Kenneth Pagliughi, first assistant prosecutor for Cumberland County.
In addition, the SPCA signed charges against both boys for tormenting an animal, Pagliughi said.
The two boys allegedly scaled a fence and targeted a white Bengal tiger and a black Asiatic bear with Airsoft hard pellet guns, said Bev Greco, director of the Cumberland County SPCA.
Neither of the animals was seriously injured.
Witnesses called police who apprehended the youths on a road leading out of the zoo, said Greco.
As police approached, one of the boys dropped his Airsoft gun. Police seized another replica airsoft weapon from the younger boy, Greco said.
Both looked like realistic guns, Greco said.
"This could have ended in a very very bad way," Greco said. Several months ago in San Francisco, "two teens were mauled and another killed after tormenting a tiger. In addition, these Airsoft guns have been mistaken for the real thing by police."
"In both ways, these kids put their lives in serious danger," Greco said.
Kelly Shaw, the zoo's animal curator, found two hard plastic pellets in the tiger exhibit and three in the bear's compound.
"Thankfully, the animals had no evidence of trauma," Shaw said. "They both appeared well when I examined them."
Ganesha, the 11-year-old white tiger, has been with the zoo since he was four-months-old. Holly, the 12-year-old black bear, has spent her entire life in Bridgeton, Shaw said. Holly's brother, Ben, lives at the Philadelphia Zoo.
The Cohanzick Zoo is one of the last free zoos in the nation and is nestled on 10 acres in Bridgeton City Park.
A 17-year-old from Vineland and a 14-year-old from Bridgeton were arrested Sunday afternoon at the tiny Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton after witnesses saw and heard them shoot at a rare white tiger and a black bear, zoo officials said.
The boys, whose names were not released, were charged on multiple weapons counts even though they were only airsoft guns, said Kenneth Pagliughi, first assistant prosecutor for Cumberland County.
In addition, the SPCA signed charges against both boys for tormenting an animal, Pagliughi said.
The two boys allegedly scaled a fence and targeted a white Bengal tiger and a black Asiatic bear with Airsoft hard pellet guns, said Bev Greco, director of the Cumberland County SPCA.
Neither of the animals was seriously injured.
Witnesses called police who apprehended the youths on a road leading out of the zoo, said Greco.
As police approached, one of the boys dropped his Airsoft gun. Police seized another replica airsoft weapon from the younger boy, Greco said.
Both looked like realistic guns, Greco said.
"This could have ended in a very very bad way," Greco said. Several months ago in San Francisco, "two teens were mauled and another killed after tormenting a tiger. In addition, these Airsoft guns have been mistaken for the real thing by police."
"In both ways, these kids put their lives in serious danger," Greco said.
Kelly Shaw, the zoo's animal curator, found two hard plastic pellets in the tiger exhibit and three in the bear's compound.
"Thankfully, the animals had no evidence of trauma," Shaw said. "They both appeared well when I examined them."
Ganesha, the 11-year-old white tiger, has been with the zoo since he was four-months-old. Holly, the 12-year-old black bear, has spent her entire life in Bridgeton, Shaw said. Holly's brother, Ben, lives at the Philadelphia Zoo.
The Cohanzick Zoo is one of the last free zoos in the nation and is nestled on 10 acres in Bridgeton City Park.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Child brings airsoft gun to school, is arrested
NEWBERRY -- Just before the tardy bell rang on Thursday morning, as most children were gossiping or grabbing books from their lockers, a 12-year-old Oak View Middle School student was busy showing off a gun he had brought to school.
The brown and black gun, about as long as a pen, could easily be mistaken for a real gun if not for the bright orange tip.
"It did look like a handgun," said Sgt. Keith Faulk, public information officer for the Alachua County Sheriff's Office.
At least two students who been shown the gun by the boy went to School Resource Deputy Casey Hamilton and told him that a student had a gun.
Hamilton took the suspected student out of his classroom and asked him if he had something in his backpack that he should not have.
The student said "yes" and showed him the gun, a type of gun called an "airsoft" gun that uses compressed air to shoot a pellet.
The boy was arrested on the charge of possession of a firearm on school grounds, a felony, and taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center.
The boy was not using the gun in a threatening way but rather was "showing off" the gun, Faulk said.
And even though the gun was not a real gun, the charge is the same as if it were, Faulk said.
"It's still considered a firearm because it shoots a projectile," Faulk said.
Police received conflicting information from the boy and student witnesses, Faulk said.
The boy said he brought the airsoft gun to school because he was going to go to a friend's house after school to play, said Jackie Johnson, pubic information specialist for the Alachua County School District.
But other witnesses told police that the boy showed only the back of the gun, keeping the orange-painted tip hidden in his backpack, and said the gun was real.
Even if the boy had not said the gun was real, he would have been arrested, Faulk said.
That's because of the county's "zero-tolerance" policy toward guns, Faulk said.
The situation was handled correctly, from the students telling their school resourse officer, to the arrest of the boy, Faulk said.
This is not the first time a fake gun has been brought to a school in the district this year, but "one time is too often," Faulk said.
In addition to the felony charge, the boy is suspended for 10 days and the school will send the School Board an automatic recommendation for expulsion -- the standard procedure that occurs when a student brings a gun to school, Johnson said.
But just because expulsion is recommended does not mean that it will necessarily occur, Johnson said. A hearing will be held before the School Board in which the evidence is weighed and the parents and others can say why the boy should not be expelled.
The brown and black gun, about as long as a pen, could easily be mistaken for a real gun if not for the bright orange tip.
"It did look like a handgun," said Sgt. Keith Faulk, public information officer for the Alachua County Sheriff's Office.
At least two students who been shown the gun by the boy went to School Resource Deputy Casey Hamilton and told him that a student had a gun.
Hamilton took the suspected student out of his classroom and asked him if he had something in his backpack that he should not have.
The student said "yes" and showed him the gun, a type of gun called an "airsoft" gun that uses compressed air to shoot a pellet.
The boy was arrested on the charge of possession of a firearm on school grounds, a felony, and taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center.
The boy was not using the gun in a threatening way but rather was "showing off" the gun, Faulk said.
And even though the gun was not a real gun, the charge is the same as if it were, Faulk said.
"It's still considered a firearm because it shoots a projectile," Faulk said.
Police received conflicting information from the boy and student witnesses, Faulk said.
The boy said he brought the airsoft gun to school because he was going to go to a friend's house after school to play, said Jackie Johnson, pubic information specialist for the Alachua County School District.
But other witnesses told police that the boy showed only the back of the gun, keeping the orange-painted tip hidden in his backpack, and said the gun was real.
Even if the boy had not said the gun was real, he would have been arrested, Faulk said.
That's because of the county's "zero-tolerance" policy toward guns, Faulk said.
The situation was handled correctly, from the students telling their school resourse officer, to the arrest of the boy, Faulk said.
This is not the first time a fake gun has been brought to a school in the district this year, but "one time is too often," Faulk said.
In addition to the felony charge, the boy is suspended for 10 days and the school will send the School Board an automatic recommendation for expulsion -- the standard procedure that occurs when a student brings a gun to school, Johnson said.
But just because expulsion is recommended does not mean that it will necessarily occur, Johnson said. A hearing will be held before the School Board in which the evidence is weighed and the parents and others can say why the boy should not be expelled.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Weapon or toy: Could you tell? - uses for airsoft guns
When deputies arrived, Sgt. Duane Hendrix's children were in the street outside the Seattle police officer's Pierce County home.
Neighbors had spotted them running around, playing with what, to any casual observer, looked to be handguns. The deputies approached with their own weapons holstered, checked the children's guns and found them to be airsoft pistols, an increasingly popular type of replica gun that fires oversize plastic BBs.
Hendrix says his children have a healthy respect for firearms. But the incident -- his children treating toy guns like toys, not guns -- didn't sit well with him.
"After that, we sold them," said Hendrix, one of the Seattle Police Department's training sergeants. "That was enough."
Until the trigger is pulled, the differences between an airsoft M-16 assault rifle or Glock pistol and the real deal are next to impossible to distinguish.
The airsoft guns are, by design, faithful copies of the firearms they're intended to replicate. They're sold with blaze orange tips, but most people who shell out for a replica gun are quick to remove it.
That realism is the appeal for a growing number of weekend warriors who use the fake firearms in elaborate battle simulations. Law enforcement agencies and the military also train with the weapons, working through bloodless shootouts in preparation for the line of duty.
But the guns have also proved doubly dangerous. For criminals bent on robbery or intimidation, they're a readily accessible stand-in for bona-fide firearms. For some youths, airsoft guns have drawn real fire from police officers or frightened bystanders.
"I've held my real guns up to the airsoft versions of them, and, if they didn't have the orange tip on them, I couldn't tell the difference," said Jason Pfingsten, owner of Pacific Rim Airsoft in South Seattle. "These guys need to treat it like a real firearm, not thinking they're tough sticking it in their pants."
Pfingsten and his wife got into the airsoft business two years ago. An advocate for the sport, he spends many of his Sundays tromping through the woods with 30 or 40 other enthusiasts during weekly battles held on private properties in eastern King and Snohomish counties.
Developed in Japan three decades ago, airsoft has a small but growing following in the United States. Pfingsten said he expects it eventually will eclipse paintball, in part because of the added realism the replica guns bring. The 6 mm plastic pellets are also cheaper than paintballs and deliver a little less of a sting.
Like firearms, Pfingsten said, the airsoft guns can and are being misused by some, particularly youths.
Pfingsten said he always checks customers' identifications to make sure they're at least 18, as the law requires. He said he's also refused to sell guns to people who he believes intend to use them unlawfully.
Others aren't so scrupulous. Pfingsten said specialty stores such as his have a long-term interest in limiting the illegal use of airsoft; it's an interest not shared by gas stations and corner-store owners that have taken to stocking replica pistols.
Seattle police are now regularly encountering the guns while on patrol. Officers sometimes discover a phony pistol while frisking a suspect, but the guns also have been used in robberies and muggings around the city, according to police reports.
More often, though, police come across the guns while responding to vandalism calls or reports of someone firing a gun in public.
In September, an officer on patrol in Seattle's Broadview neighborhood ran across a young man pointing a pistol at passing cars while seated on a motor scooter, according to reports. The officer rushed from her car and was moving to confront the man when she heard seven or eight loud pops.
Hearing the gun, she recognized the weapon as an airsoft gun. Facing an armed police officer, the man quickly dropped the weapon and fled on the scooter.
But similar confrontations have ended in bloodshed elsewhere.
In 2006, a SWAT officer shot a 15-year-old Seminole County, Fla., boy who had drawn an airsoft gun resembling a 9 mm pistol. The same year, Chicago police shot and wounded a 14- year-old armed with a BB gun modeled on a Colt .45-caliber pistol, prompting protests from the city's black community.
Even under the best circumstances, officers aren't in a position to judge whether a gun is real, said Officer James Kim, an instructor with the Seattle Police Department's advance-training unit. By the time an officer gets a good look at the gun, it's likely too late.
Airsoft guns play a crucial role in a training scenario aimed at preparing officers for one of the most dangerous circumstances they're likely to encounter -- responding when a suspect reaches into his pockets. The move creates uncertainty for an officer; a suspect could be reaching for a driver's license or a pistol. Facing such a situation in October, a Seattle officer shot and wounded a cell-phone-wielding 13-year-old boy.
Demonstrating the training in a Seattle police gym, Kim played the perpetrator as Officer Robert Mahoney, another defensive tactics trainer and former college instructor, moved to arrest him. Kim's hand darted into his baggy camouflage jacket; Mahoney drew an airsoft pistol modeled on a Glock service weapon and fired.
Before airsoft, officers trained with paint-filled rounds that were dangerous at close range and cost 50 cents each, Kim said. The airsoft weapons let them get closer and allow officers to run through the drills dozens of times to refine their responses.
"It's the only method where you can drill decision-making skills," Mahoney said.
Though he spends his days surrounded with airsoft guns, Pfingsten said he's not convinced he'd be able to tell the difference if a robber drew one on him.
And, he said, he wouldn't risk guessing wrong.
"If somebody came and pulled a gun on me -- orange tip or not -- I'm not going to take a chance," Pfingsten said.
Neighbors had spotted them running around, playing with what, to any casual observer, looked to be handguns. The deputies approached with their own weapons holstered, checked the children's guns and found them to be airsoft pistols, an increasingly popular type of replica gun that fires oversize plastic BBs.
Hendrix says his children have a healthy respect for firearms. But the incident -- his children treating toy guns like toys, not guns -- didn't sit well with him.
"After that, we sold them," said Hendrix, one of the Seattle Police Department's training sergeants. "That was enough."
Until the trigger is pulled, the differences between an airsoft M-16 assault rifle or Glock pistol and the real deal are next to impossible to distinguish.
The airsoft guns are, by design, faithful copies of the firearms they're intended to replicate. They're sold with blaze orange tips, but most people who shell out for a replica gun are quick to remove it.
That realism is the appeal for a growing number of weekend warriors who use the fake firearms in elaborate battle simulations. Law enforcement agencies and the military also train with the weapons, working through bloodless shootouts in preparation for the line of duty.
But the guns have also proved doubly dangerous. For criminals bent on robbery or intimidation, they're a readily accessible stand-in for bona-fide firearms. For some youths, airsoft guns have drawn real fire from police officers or frightened bystanders.
"I've held my real guns up to the airsoft versions of them, and, if they didn't have the orange tip on them, I couldn't tell the difference," said Jason Pfingsten, owner of Pacific Rim Airsoft in South Seattle. "These guys need to treat it like a real firearm, not thinking they're tough sticking it in their pants."
Pfingsten and his wife got into the airsoft business two years ago. An advocate for the sport, he spends many of his Sundays tromping through the woods with 30 or 40 other enthusiasts during weekly battles held on private properties in eastern King and Snohomish counties.
Developed in Japan three decades ago, airsoft has a small but growing following in the United States. Pfingsten said he expects it eventually will eclipse paintball, in part because of the added realism the replica guns bring. The 6 mm plastic pellets are also cheaper than paintballs and deliver a little less of a sting.
Like firearms, Pfingsten said, the airsoft guns can and are being misused by some, particularly youths.
Pfingsten said he always checks customers' identifications to make sure they're at least 18, as the law requires. He said he's also refused to sell guns to people who he believes intend to use them unlawfully.
Others aren't so scrupulous. Pfingsten said specialty stores such as his have a long-term interest in limiting the illegal use of airsoft; it's an interest not shared by gas stations and corner-store owners that have taken to stocking replica pistols.
Seattle police are now regularly encountering the guns while on patrol. Officers sometimes discover a phony pistol while frisking a suspect, but the guns also have been used in robberies and muggings around the city, according to police reports.
More often, though, police come across the guns while responding to vandalism calls or reports of someone firing a gun in public.
In September, an officer on patrol in Seattle's Broadview neighborhood ran across a young man pointing a pistol at passing cars while seated on a motor scooter, according to reports. The officer rushed from her car and was moving to confront the man when she heard seven or eight loud pops.
Hearing the gun, she recognized the weapon as an airsoft gun. Facing an armed police officer, the man quickly dropped the weapon and fled on the scooter.
But similar confrontations have ended in bloodshed elsewhere.
In 2006, a SWAT officer shot a 15-year-old Seminole County, Fla., boy who had drawn an airsoft gun resembling a 9 mm pistol. The same year, Chicago police shot and wounded a 14- year-old armed with a BB gun modeled on a Colt .45-caliber pistol, prompting protests from the city's black community.
Even under the best circumstances, officers aren't in a position to judge whether a gun is real, said Officer James Kim, an instructor with the Seattle Police Department's advance-training unit. By the time an officer gets a good look at the gun, it's likely too late.
Airsoft guns play a crucial role in a training scenario aimed at preparing officers for one of the most dangerous circumstances they're likely to encounter -- responding when a suspect reaches into his pockets. The move creates uncertainty for an officer; a suspect could be reaching for a driver's license or a pistol. Facing such a situation in October, a Seattle officer shot and wounded a cell-phone-wielding 13-year-old boy.
Demonstrating the training in a Seattle police gym, Kim played the perpetrator as Officer Robert Mahoney, another defensive tactics trainer and former college instructor, moved to arrest him. Kim's hand darted into his baggy camouflage jacket; Mahoney drew an airsoft pistol modeled on a Glock service weapon and fired.
Before airsoft, officers trained with paint-filled rounds that were dangerous at close range and cost 50 cents each, Kim said. The airsoft weapons let them get closer and allow officers to run through the drills dozens of times to refine their responses.
"It's the only method where you can drill decision-making skills," Mahoney said.
Though he spends his days surrounded with airsoft guns, Pfingsten said he's not convinced he'd be able to tell the difference if a robber drew one on him.
And, he said, he wouldn't risk guessing wrong.
"If somebody came and pulled a gun on me -- orange tip or not -- I'm not going to take a chance," Pfingsten said.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
10 Year Old Boy Holds up fellow classmate with airsoft gun
A 10-year-old boy was sent to juvenile hall after holding a airsoft gun to a classmate's head and robbing him of his Pokemon trading cards.
No one was injured in yesterday's incident.
Redwood City police say the fourth-grader brought an Airsoft gun to Roosevelt Elementary School and held it to a 6-year-old's forehead, demanding that the younger child give up the trading cards.
The fourth-grader has been suspended, school officials are considering whether to expel him
No one was injured in yesterday's incident.
Redwood City police say the fourth-grader brought an Airsoft gun to Roosevelt Elementary School and held it to a 6-year-old's forehead, demanding that the younger child give up the trading cards.
The fourth-grader has been suspended, school officials are considering whether to expel him
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