Castlegar RCMP are warning the public against carrying realistic looking replica guns.
The department recently seized a BB gun strongly resembling an RCMP carbine rifle from a member of the public, according to a press release sent out Tuesday.
“Can you tell the difference?” it asked, above a photo of the BB gun and the real thing. “One of these guns is an RCMP carbine rifle, which is an extremely accurate but dangerous weapon used for very high-risk situations.
“The other is a BB gun seized from a member of the public recently when reports were received of a male holding it in a residential area downtown. Fortunately, the male had put the gun down out of his reach as police arrived.”
RCMP warned that realistic looking replica guns pose a danger to the police and the public, and cautioned members of the public against buying them for themselves or their children.
“Too many unfortunate incidents have occurred in both the USA and Canada where these ‘replicas’ have been mistaken for real firearms,” said the release.
Replica firearms are prohibited, according to the RCMP’s fact sheet on air guns (rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/fs-fd/air_gun-arme_air-eng.htm), unless they are replicas of antique firearms.
For more information, contact the Castlegar RCMP at 250-365-7721.