Free Republic

In Iowa, criminals who use imitation guns are not treated as harshly under the law as are criminals who use real guns. It seems an obvious policy decision. When criminals use imitation guns, the vast majority of the risk is on the criminal. They are more likely to be shot. They are not able to shoot back. They are relying on the power of bluff and image to coerce people who they are attempting to victimize. It seems like a win-win for law and order.In a recent AP article, a county attorney and a police chief want to change...

Atlantic City police officers confiscated 62 realistic-looking toy guns from a Boardwalk shop, police said Tuesday.

Criminals tend to be optimists, at least when it comes to carrying out crimes.  They often envision only one scenario, and assume that everything will go as planned. It is one of the reasons that many criminals depend on imitation, toy, or replica firearms.  A number of  states treat the use of a replica or imitation gun the same as the use of a real gun in a crime. No state requires a defender to determine if a gun pointed at them is real or imitation. There is no controversey in the law about that.  If the defender reasonably...

Eric Provost's father called Orlando police on Monday night, concerned for his son's well-being. But when officers responded to the Courtney Landing condo complex to check on the 28-year-old man, it was Provost who was the perceived threat, Orlando police Chief John Mina said. Provost walked out of one of the units armed with an airsoft gun that appeared to be a real firearm, Mina said. Officers Tino Cruz and Sonja Saunders fired their weapons after Provost kept ignoring their orders to drop the gun, according to police. Provost was struck by the officers' gunfire and later pronounced dead at...

(12/03/03) WALL - Police in Wall Township say fake guns are creating a serious problem for law enforcement officers in the community. In the past few months, police say they have seen an increase in the number of people carrying toy guns that appear real. Officers are afraid the fake guns may cause them to discharge their weapon on a suspect that is actually unarmed. Wall police have already confiscated five imitation guns including two that belonged to children. In nearby Barnegat, two teenage girls recently robbed a bank after painting the tip of a fake gun so that it...