So if you're going to point a replica weapon at someone in a theatrical production, you have to get a permit?
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/ne...D8FA9419839F231686257093006845E1?OpenDocument
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/ne...D8FA9419839F231686257093006845E1?OpenDocument
Strikingly similar: Lake Saint Louis restricts use of replica weapons
Mandy Sheets
Of the Suburban Journals
Wentzville Journal
10/09/2005
LAKE SAINT LOUIS
An incident several months ago has prompted police to take action to restrict the use of replica weapons.
The Lake Saint Louis Board of Aldermen unanimously approved at its meeting Monday a bill that will limit the weapons' use in the city.
Police Chief Mike Force drafted the bill after an incident in March when a Lake Saint Louis police officer confiscated replica weapons from two juveniles.
The 13- and 15-year-old boys were seen waving the weapons in the Schnucks parking lot, located at Lake Saint Louis Boulevard and Highway 40. While the boys were walking along Lake Saint Louis Boulevard, police caught up with the teenagers, who told an officer that the guns were not real.
Force said that the juveniles are fortunate that the officer remained calm during the incident or it may not have ended as peacefully as it did.
The officer apprehended the Glock model 27 pistol look-alike, which Force said was almost indistinguishable from the real weapon. Uniformed officers carry the Glock model 22 pistol, which is the same model, but a larger version. Officers in plain clothes often carry the Glock model 27 pistol.
The replica has the same shape and weight as the real gun and even fits into the same holster. Even the detailing is the same, including the thumb indentations, trigger guard, finger grip and groves on the back. The logos on the side are even similar, but with different lettering.
Force said that the tip of the barrel of the replica weapon is usually painted bright orange, which would help distinguish it from a real weapon. In the case in March, the juveniles had painted the tip black so that it looked more like the real weapon.
Force said that the toy industry is moving away from having weapons that look like replicas and the toys may be painted bright orange instead of black, like the real weapon.
"We know kids are going to play with guns; I played with guns as a kid," Force said. "We just want to make sure that we can distinguish them from the real thing."
The new ordinance does not ban replica, imitation or toy weapons, but states that a person cannot use the weapons for nefarious purposes or as threats to life, limb or property. The replica weapons also cannot be used in a way that would affront or alarm a reasonable person.
Force said that violation of this ordinance could lead to the confiscation of the replica weapons, a citation or jail time, depending on the situation.
Special provisions are made for theatrical performances, which would require a permit from the city.
Force said that he had not received any negative comments from residents or city officials regarding the ordinance and has received much positive feedback.
Alderman Pearson Buell, Ward 3, said that he supports the ordinance because it may help prevent future tragedies.
"We are trying to prevent more than one tragedy with this ordinance—not only the family or the person who may get hurt in an incident, but also the officer who would have to live with that situation and possibly question his actions," Buell said.
Force said that now that Lake Saint Louis has limited the guns, he is urging similar action from other members of the Missouri Police Chiefs Association, an organization of police chiefs that Force was president of last year.
Force said officers from the St. Louis Police Department had an incident in April that ended fatally. A man waved a BB gun that appeared to the officers to be a .22-caliber pistol and officers shot and killed him. Force said that he hopes this ordinance being in place will prevent anything similar from happening in this area.
"Ultimately, we want parents to be aware of the purchases they make for their children and how they will be used and if they could potentially be dangerous," Force said. "We want to prevent any misuse from happening because if someone gets injured, then it's too late."
And this ordinance will address . . . criminal stupidity???
