Last week
’s incident in which four teens were stopped by the police when
they were reported for walking near a school with what appeared to
be real guns, had me thinking about a lot of bad stuff involving
guns in unexpected settings.
Last week’s incident in which four teens were stopped by the police when they were reported for walking near a school with what appeared to be real guns, had me thinking about a lot of bad stuff involving guns in unexpected settings.
When a guy in San Ysidro walked into a McDonald’s a decade ago and blew away 20 people, nobody expected to get a hail of bullets along with your burger and fries. Columbine High School and Springfield Oregon’s Thurston High are two other examples of “where you least expect it” happening. From schools to churches, restaurants to post offices, people are being gunned down. Some people think that the Morgan Hill incident was blown out of proportion. I think they have malfunctioning brains.
Police always have to err on the side of quick, decisive action because they know that a moment’s indecision can cost their lives and the lives of others. It’s lucky that Morgan Hill’s officers acted calmly and professionally. And those four fake-gun-wielding teens should be glad, despite a couple of them stupidly running to take cover when ordered to do otherwise.
Other, tragic scenarios could have unfolded. If the police officers had pre-emptively shot those four teens, the community might have called for their heads. And, had the officers not been diligent, and it turned out that the guns were real and the teens slaughtered a bunch of kids, the community would have been equally incensed. Officers are trained to assess dangerous situations and to act quickly, and in this instance they guessed right. Things might not work out as well every time.
This whole incident is a sign of our times. As little kids, my siblings and I were forbidden to even think about touching my grandfather’s shotgun. However, we were allowed to play with a rifle that shot Ping-Pong balls, and later with BB guns. It was always assumed that you didn’t shoot at people.
Occasionally, you heard about some kid shooting another, but it was typically an isolated incident involving poor aim or carelessness.
If anyone ever brought a BB gun to school, nobody panicked, but the offending bearer was suspended and the gun was confiscated. Accidents involving real guns were usually crime-related or entirely isolated incidents, the majority of which involved adults, hunting, and/or alcohol.
Manufacturers of BB guns and pellet guns have always made their products look real, which is part of their appeal, but today it’s also part of what makes them more dangerous than their actual “firepower.” Something like a bright orange tag on the gun that says “This isn’t real” won’t help to allay the fear of someone who is confronted by a person wielding one, especially if (1) they don’t know the difference between a real gun and a fake one and (2) they don’t know that fake guns are required to have orange warning tags or orange-painted barrel tips. In the Morgan Hill case, the orange labels were removed or painted over, making them appear like the real deal.
So, with tragedy averted, what’s next?
The four teenagers and their parents should be held responsible and tasked with some community service work, if for no other reason than to give them time to think about the concept of good judgment.
A bigger issue also has to be addressed by all of us: Is it enough to merely change the color on a part of a look-alike fake gun, or should all non-guns be entirely redesigned so that they don’t appear real?
A colorful barrel can only be so helpful: Anyone can take a real .357 Magnum, for instance, and paint the tip of the barrel orange, effectively camouflaging it to look (to anyone who’d know) as if it were “just” a BB gun.
New, unmistakable designs might be the most effective approach. Think of the SuperSoaker squirt guns. If someone were to walk into a bank with one, with its bright colors and fun shape, it’s not likely that everyone would dive to the floor, expecting an apocalypse.
Millions of people own guns. It’s their right, and it’s not likely to change.
However, as a society we need a more nuanced discussion than “no guns/pro guns” and to deal with the realities such as the fake gun/real gun issue, teaching kids to be aware of the ramifications of their actions, and how making the right decision – whether you’re a teenager or a police officer – can be instrumental in averting dreadful consequences.
A tech writer, editor and web developer, Tom Mulhern is a longtime South Bay resident. He and his wife have been living in Gilroy for three years. His column appears periodically in The Times. You can reach him at tm************@***oo.com
