Honestly, I doubt this is what the "control" groups had in mind when they were formed.
Some of this just goes without saying. The convenience store, in a vehicle...one shouldn't be playing with a toy gun in a situation like that where all too often it could have been real. I still think this law goes beyond what is needed---a common sense check; these punishments are fairly severe and the people I see being affected most by this would be kids. In my neighborhood, it's no big deal because no one would be mistaken for a gang member with a fully automatic firearm but in other places that seems more likely. Take a look at this last line of what I quoted, too: "Exceptions include justifiable self defense, lawful hunting, and displays such as a museum collection." <<< This is absurd, as there is no reason to carry a blasted fake firearm for either of the first two purposes and the third museum exception is odd because what kind of person has a museum of fake guns?
However, what do you think about this proposed legislation?
Full articleBills seek punishment for use, display of fake weapons
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Concerns that realistic-looking toy weapons are confusing police and threatening safety have led 15 states to try going beyond gun control and cracking down on fake firearms.
Officer Micheal Hoover knows a fair amount about guns as a sniper instructor for a Tennessee SWAT team. He recalls the night two years ago when a car pulled up beside him on a highway and the passenger waved what looked like an Uzi.
"It scared me," he said. "If anyone is in their right mind, I don't see how it wouldn't."
Hoover was off duty and called for police help. A 20-year-old man was charged with aggravated assault after police found a black plastic Uzi submachine gun under the car's passenger seat, but he was acquitted because jurors felt the officer should have been able to tell it was only a toy.
Lawmakers across the country are coming to a different conclusion, deciding that it is so hard to differentiate the toys from the fakes that public safety demands they take action.
Among those 15 states, seven bills limiting fake guns are pending this year and 21 have been enacted since 1990, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Some states have enacted or are considering multiple measures. They range from prohibiting imitation firearms in vehicles to banning the toys from convenience stores.
Tennessee lawmakers are considering a proposal by state Rep. John Deberry to make it a misdemeanor to intentionally display or expose "an imitation firearm in a public place in a threatening manner." Exceptions include justifiable self defense, lawful hunting, and displays such as a museum collection.
Some of this just goes without saying. The convenience store, in a vehicle...one shouldn't be playing with a toy gun in a situation like that where all too often it could have been real. I still think this law goes beyond what is needed---a common sense check; these punishments are fairly severe and the people I see being affected most by this would be kids. In my neighborhood, it's no big deal because no one would be mistaken for a gang member with a fully automatic firearm but in other places that seems more likely. Take a look at this last line of what I quoted, too: "Exceptions include justifiable self defense, lawful hunting, and displays such as a museum collection." <<< This is absurd, as there is no reason to carry a blasted fake firearm for either of the first two purposes and the third museum exception is odd because what kind of person has a museum of fake guns?
However, what do you think about this proposed legislation?
