Police issue warning about look-alike guns

Sue Doyle

COSTA MESA -- Police officers who responded to a 911 call last week were

startled when a teen reached underneath his shirt and pulled out a what

looked like an automatic pistol.

The teen held the gun at his side, then put it down when authorities drew

their weapons. It turned out that the boy’s gun was a look-alike that

fired pellets, not bullets.

Authorities searched the teen’s car and found another pellet gun inside,

said Costa Mesa Police Officer Jeff Graham.

Look-alike pellet guns are a growing trend among Newport-Mesa teenagers,

police said. In the last few weeks, authorities have encountered several

situations with these replicas and even confiscated some of them.

It is difficult to distinguish an actual automatic handgun loaded with

lethal bullets from one of the replicas, which fire BBs or pellets.

On the streets, with only a split-second to make a decision, police may

shoot a suspect armed with a weapon that looks like a real gun.

Police say they cannot explain why the teenagers are carrying the

look-alike guns.

“I don’t think kids recognize the dangers of them,” said Graham. “Kids

don’t recognize it’s such a serious situation.”

Authorities, concerned that they will see more teens carrying the

replicas during summer vacation, are turning to parents for help. Graham

said the pellet guns should only be used in a supervised environment,

such as target shooting, and should not be fired in public.

Costa Mesa residents can legally carry pellet guns, but are not allowed

to fire them within city limits. And police can arrest a person who

threatens someone with a look-alike gun.