http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2015/11/city_launches_ban_on_replica_guns_in_public
City launches ban on replica guns in public
More than a few people at the Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury recoiled this morning when the Rev. Jeffrey Brown suddenly stood up while holding a replica of a 9mm Glock handgun.
The gesture illustrated why clergy, community and law enforcement had gathered to witness Mayor Martin J. Walsh sign an ordinance outlawing the public use, display and sale of replica handguns across the city, effective immediately.
“When you think about toy guns you think about a Super Soaker or some other kind of squirt gun. I held it up because I wanted people to see that this gun looks real. It feels like a real gun, and to an officer who’s out there on the street or to anyone else who’s out there, it’s kind of hard to discern which is which,” Brown, former leader of Boston TenPoint Coaltion, said afterwards.
The ban, which received unanimous backing by the City Council, empowers police to confiscate on sight any replica handgun that could reasonably be mistaken for the real deal, either because it was intentionally manufactured that way or because a federally mandated orange or red muzzle plug was snapped off. Parents of juveniles found in possession of replica handguns will be notified and required to show up in person if they want the toy back.
“We’re trying to decrease the trend, if you will, of these fake guns. We want to avoid any tragedies like the one that happened in Cleveland,” Brown said, referencing last year’s fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by police who mistakenly thought in the heat of a moment he was drawing a real gun.
Walsh, who said the city “is blessed” a similar tragedy hasn’t occurred here, stressed the measure is also about creating opportunities for dialogue with parents.
“Kids shouldn’t have them on the street. It’s sending a bad message,” Walsh said. “We’re asking parents to take the guns away before police have to. Some common sense has to be used here.”
Walsh conceded the new ordinance “isn’t the be-all, end-all. I mean, we can’t charge people for carrying toy guns around the city of Boston. They’re legal. But we’re going to talk to the manufacturers, as well. Why produce a gun that is an exact replica of a handgun except that it doesn’t shoot bullets? There’s no reason for that. There’s no reason for that at all.”
Evans said police have seized 673 real guns year to date, and another 153 replicas “that look no different than real guns” that were either brought to school or used to commit crimes.
“The less we have them on the street, obviously, the safer our community will be,” Evans told reporters. “We’ve had a lot of incidents already where our officers used tremendous restraint, and afterwards couldn’t believe that they could have possibly taken a young life. These aren’t just toys. These are something that really can impact a family’s life forever.”
City launches ban on replica guns in public
More than a few people at the Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury recoiled this morning when the Rev. Jeffrey Brown suddenly stood up while holding a replica of a 9mm Glock handgun.
The gesture illustrated why clergy, community and law enforcement had gathered to witness Mayor Martin J. Walsh sign an ordinance outlawing the public use, display and sale of replica handguns across the city, effective immediately.
“When you think about toy guns you think about a Super Soaker or some other kind of squirt gun. I held it up because I wanted people to see that this gun looks real. It feels like a real gun, and to an officer who’s out there on the street or to anyone else who’s out there, it’s kind of hard to discern which is which,” Brown, former leader of Boston TenPoint Coaltion, said afterwards.
The ban, which received unanimous backing by the City Council, empowers police to confiscate on sight any replica handgun that could reasonably be mistaken for the real deal, either because it was intentionally manufactured that way or because a federally mandated orange or red muzzle plug was snapped off. Parents of juveniles found in possession of replica handguns will be notified and required to show up in person if they want the toy back.
“We’re trying to decrease the trend, if you will, of these fake guns. We want to avoid any tragedies like the one that happened in Cleveland,” Brown said, referencing last year’s fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by police who mistakenly thought in the heat of a moment he was drawing a real gun.
Walsh, who said the city “is blessed” a similar tragedy hasn’t occurred here, stressed the measure is also about creating opportunities for dialogue with parents.
“Kids shouldn’t have them on the street. It’s sending a bad message,” Walsh said. “We’re asking parents to take the guns away before police have to. Some common sense has to be used here.”
Walsh conceded the new ordinance “isn’t the be-all, end-all. I mean, we can’t charge people for carrying toy guns around the city of Boston. They’re legal. But we’re going to talk to the manufacturers, as well. Why produce a gun that is an exact replica of a handgun except that it doesn’t shoot bullets? There’s no reason for that. There’s no reason for that at all.”
Evans said police have seized 673 real guns year to date, and another 153 replicas “that look no different than real guns” that were either brought to school or used to commit crimes.
“The less we have them on the street, obviously, the safer our community will be,” Evans told reporters. “We’ve had a lot of incidents already where our officers used tremendous restraint, and afterwards couldn’t believe that they could have possibly taken a young life. These aren’t just toys. These are something that really can impact a family’s life forever.”
