Editorial: Giving BB guns to kids just crazy

Linda Hall.

I hope the person who gave BB guns to the two young boys who sparked an armed police callout yesterday afternoon has learned a lesson.

The boys, aged 10 and 11, were playing with a family member who pulled up in a car beside them.

They pretended to shoot her as countless children have done and will continue to do in play.
The trouble is these guns are not fake.

They look like the real deal and can be lethal if used in close proximity.

They are classified as airguns therefore anyone under 18 can only use one if they have a firearms licence or are under the "immediate supervision" of a firearms licence holder or a person over the age of 18.

So although they weren't breaking the law, as they were with family over 18 years, they were playing a very dangerous game.

If parents want to allow their children to use these things they should be doing it in a safe and controlled environment, not the middle of the city.

BB guns are not toys.

No they didn't shoot them, but the fact they were pointing them at someone and they looked real enough to prompt a passerby to call the police makes me wonder what the person in charge of these boys was thinking.

What's wrong with giving them a water pistol if they want to have a bit of fun.

The children were reportedly "very scared" when they saw the police who responded to the call with guns and bullet-proof vests.

Their mother says she had told them not to aim them at people and that they would now be "going in the bin".

Best place for them if you ask me.