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October 8th, 2008 19:57 |
Local kid brings bad attention to airsoft
Boy arrested for shooting pellet gun
by Castanet Staff - Story: 42344
Oct 8, 2008 / 4:27 pm
It was a painful wakeup call for a young Westside boy.
A 12-year-old boy was shot in the leg with an ‘airsoft’ gun Wednesday. The shooter was a 13-year-old boy who was playing with the gun while they were waiting at a school bus stop.
Constable Steve Holmes says the 12-year-old was struck with a plastic pellet.
“It did not penetrate the boy’s clothing, but did cause minor swelling. The airsoft gun was brought to school where it was eventually confiscated by school staff. Police were called and seized the airsoft gun,” says Holmes.
He says the 13-year-old was initially arrested for assault with a weapon.
“When he was interviewed by police, it was clear that the young man was remorseful for his actions. As he has no history of being in trouble, police are looking at pursuing the matter through restorative justice.”
Holmes says this is not the first time an airsoft gun was taken to a school and a student injured.
“Police are reminding students not to bring these kinds of things to school as the temptation to show it to others is too great and, as in this incident, trouble can result. Police are also asking parents to be cognizant of their children’s use of these guns and to be in control of where they are kept.”
He says airsoft guns are made mainly of plastic with some metal parts, and some look like real firearms.
“Though most airsoft guns in Canada are made from clear plastic with bright orange muzzles to differentiate them from real ones, they are not toys and can still be dangerous if not handled properly. Most airsoft guns employ a spring loaded pump system that can propel a .12 gram plastic pellet to a velocity in excess of 300 feet per second. This can easily cause minor injuries or possibly more serious permanent ones such as the loss of an eye.”
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