Here’s the stark reality: Police officers of all backgrounds, all ages, and varying years of experience have a tough enough time. They have to make split-second decisions that mean life and death every day, and they have to do it in Real Time. They don’t get to go back and run it again in slow motion to see if they made a good call. They have to live or die with their decision.
So let’s take a look at two serious examples that make it tougher on them. Both examples can have the same horrible ending. Both will deal with young people and both results will come from what I would say is a very bad decision.
First example: The new I-phone case that looks like a handgun.
Consider that many people young and old carry their phone in their back pocket. So, here comes a phone case that looks like a semi-auto handgun. It comes in a few colors including black and pink. It features a tactical hand grip and working trigger, and even sounds like a real gunshot through the phone speaker if you pull the trigger. Like the producer of this phone case says in its advertisement, “you can even play Russian roulette at parties and no one will be killed!” Are You Serious? Who in the Hell would think this is a good idea? Go one step further:
What happens when a law officer stops someone because he thinks they are brandishing a weapon? The individual trying to explain raises the case up while gripping the handle to show that it’s a phone. That historically is when the officer, defaulting to his training and practice, responds to what appears to be an armed threat and he shoots the individual. It is a judgement call with grave consequences. The officer, the victim, countless family members… all the people involved are irrevocably changed.
Who is at fault? Remember, no slow motion – no play backs. What would you do?
Second example: Air Guns that look like semi-auto handguns.
In 3 years of being a professional firearms inspector for a major outdoor retailer I saw many things I thought were very dangerous. Probably the one that bothered me the most were the BB and Pellet guns that looked like real Semi-automatic handguns. They are designed for young kids and look as real as they can, especially when you take out the orange plug in the barrel. When you take out the plug, it appears authentic because the hole in the barrel is now the size of a 45 ACP handgun. Not surprisingly, the first things that kids do is take out the plug. In 3 years of checking thousands of firearms, I never once inspected one with the plug in. That is the reason I inspected them, it is impossible at a glance to determine if they are real. Again, Who in the Hell thinks this is a good idea? Every time I saw this, I wondered if the parent who bought that “toy” had a death wish for their child?
I will say that I observed gross negligence in that the majority of the people whose kids had these guns didn’t appear to be trained in handguns. I say this because I would take time to talk with them about the dangers of these guns, and firearm safety in general. They were usually glad to have the information. It is a perfect instance of Education and safety winning over the tragedies that occur because of pure ignorance.
In a case that made national headines, a man calls 911 and reports a 12-year-old boy (Tamir Rice) was playing with a “gun” on the playground at Cudell Recreation Center, pulling it from his pants and pointing it at people. The toy’s orange safety tip had apparently been removed, and the caller said the boy was “scaring the s— out of everyone.” He also noted that the boy was “probably a juvenile” and that the gun was “probably fake,” but that message was reportedly never relayed to police.
When two Cleveland police officers arrived at the scene, a rookie officer saw the boy picking up the gun and tucking it into his waistband. Police said the officer ordered him to raise his hands, but he raised his shirt instead — reaching for the gun. The officer fired twice. One shot hit the boy in the stomach. He died from his injuries, according to the medical examiner.
Similar accidents have been reported across the country. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported in 1990 alone, police in the United States use force some 200 times per year “in a confrontation where an imitation gun had been mistaken for a real firearm.”
“The officer had no clue [the kid] was a 12-year-old,” Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association President Jeff Follmer told local news. “He had no clue it was a toy gun; he was kind of shocked. He was concentrating more on the hands than on the age. [a phenomena called tunnel vision] It’s not ‘Go shoot a 12-year-old with a good fake gun.’ It’s not that scenario at all. This is a compassionate officer.” “We have to assume every gun is real. When we don’t, that’s the day we don’t go home.”
It is important to note: this IS NOT a police problem. This IS bad judgement by parents. There is no reason for kids to be carrying these guns around as toys. We at FFSD train officers and civilians with Air Soft guns. It is a great way to train anyone in gun safety, but the point is that every gun must be treated as a dangerous tool. We handle both airsoft and BB guns as destructive weapons, and we teach gun safety with them. The problem comes when there is no training and no regard for the potential destruction. These ARE NOT toys, THEY ARE weapons.
I think that this is where the effort to make a novelty into a profit at any cost outweighs common sense. There is nothing wrong with toy firearms, but the key to stopping senseless tragedy is to make them easily identifiable – like when they are bright orange or yellow. Why do they need to look SO REAL? Are you going to sneak up on a pop can to shoot it?
I’ll ask this question again, but this time: I will ask you, the reader. Presumably, you are a CCW holder who trains like you should. Remember, this is real time. It all happens in 8 seconds. You are in a poorly lit parking lot getting your car door open. Three teenagers are coming at you. Two have handguns. You don’t have enough time to get in your car and leave. You move around your car to get distance. The kids are laughing and joking and one says, “Maybe we should….“ and raises his gun. Is it an airsoft gun? Should you shoot? Let’s make it easier and look at a few samples:
#1 Real or fake?
#2 Real or fake?
They are both fake. Anyone with a little cash can purchase a toy (or phone case) that looks authentically real. This is not freedom of choice. It is not “practicing consumerism”. It is irresponsible and indefensible to participate in the trend toward ignorance that endangers our children. It is plain stupid to make the policing of our communities even more difficult.
The FFSD philosophy states that we each must be ready for When Every Move Counts. We don’t need government bans and state legislation. We don’t need politicians and enraged citizens to go wild and wage campaigns of fear. We need common sense and good people to practice restraint. We need each of us to take responsibility for ourselves, our families, and our communities. It’s time to build a Safer Lifestyle. It’s Time to Take the Initiative. Take care of yourself, and take care of each other.
Gary Norris is the founder of the Game Hill Hunting Club, Executive Director of US Sporting Clays Assn National Championships 1988 and 1989, and former Director of the KC Trap Range, and a security consultant and instructor in Tactical Pistol, Long Gun and self defense. He is a lifelong bow hunter and speaks on archery, shooting sports, and security for schools. You can email him at Gary@FightingForwardSelfDefense.com