PD Editorial: The deadly risk of toy replica guns

How many times does this tragedy need to be replayed before the lesson takes hold? The message: To give children replica firearms is to put their lives at risk.

It doesn’t matter if the gun is fake. It doesn’t matter that it fires soft pellets. It doesn’t even matter that it comes with an orange tip to indicate that it’s a toy. What makes a life-or-death difference is what others believe – particularly those in law enforcement.

This was demonstrated on Oct. 22, 2013 in Sonoma County with the shooting of 13-year-old Andy Lopez who was killed by a sheriff’s deputy who believed the airsoft pellet gun he was carrying was real.

And it happened again on Saturday in Cleveland, when an officer shot and killed an individual armed with what appeared to be a semi-automatic pistol. It turned out to be a 12-year-old boy carrying an airsoft replica gun designed to look like a semi-automatic pistol.

Cleveland authorities say the youth, Tamir Rice, had been brandishing the weapon at a park near a recreation center. When an officer responded to the call, he ordered the youth to raise his hands. But authorities say the boy instead pulled the weapon from his waistband. The officer reportedly fired two shots, striking the boy in the abdomen. He was taken to a local hospital where he later was pronounced dead.

As with the Lopez case, debate began quickly on whether the officer overreacted to the situation. Transcripts show that the person who called to report the incident noted that the gun the youth was waving was “probably a fake one.” But it’s not clear whether that information was passed along to the officer who responded.

As with the Lopez case, the firearm also was missing a key piece that could have saved the young man’s life - the orange plastic tip that indicates it is a toy.

Authorities indicated on Monday that all aspects of this shooting will be open for analysis and will likely be reviewed by a criminal grand jury. But one aspect that’s not debatable is that children need more protection from these kinds of deadly confrontations than a small piece of orange plastic - a piece that can too easily be removed.

California lawmakers this year added some additional protections. Legislation co-authored by state Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, and recently signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown requires BB, pellet and airsoft guns to be brightly colored or to have fluorescent strips prominently displayed on key parts so as to make it clear that they are not the real deal. But that law will only apply in California, and it won’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2016.

The best protection is prevention - keeping replica firearms out of the hands of children. Parents, grandparents and others should take that to heart when it comes to selecting gifts this holiday season. No toy is worth this kind of life-or-death risk.