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Monday, February 05, 2007

Gun Ordinance Passed

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posted by Bob at Monday, February 05, 2007

3 Comments:

Blogger Bob said...

CITY OF SAINT PAUL
Mayor Christopher B. Coleman

390 City Hall
15 West Kellogg Boulevard
Saint Paul, MN 55102

February 5th, 2007

PROPOSED SAINT PAUL ORDINANCE TO TAKE ACTION ON REPLICA GUNS

INNOVATIVE ORDINANCE DESIGNED TO BAN POSSESSION OF SOFT AIR GUNS IN PUBLIC PLACES

(Saint Paul) -- Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and City Councilmember Lee Helgen announced today that they are supporting a proposed ordinance that prohibits the possession of Soft Air Guns or ‘Airsoft’ guns in public places in Saint Paul. Mayor Coleman and Helgen made the announcement at an afternoon news conference with Saint Paul Police Chief John Harrington.

“Soft Air guns are not toys. In the hands of those with malicious motives, these guns can be easily mistaken for the real thing. We are taking this action today in the interest of Public Safety. When Police Officers encounter these guns on the street, it creates a potentially lethal situation for the public and most importantly, for our officers. This ordinance sends a clear message that we will not tolerate misuse of these guns, nor will we wait for a tragedy to occur before taking action. Banning the possession of these guns in public places will make Saint Paul a safer City,” Mayor Coleman said.

“These replica guns are being used as though they are real to intimidate innocent people and commit crimes. This ordinance gives us another tool to prosecute those who threaten public safety, and helps us protect our officers who have to make quick judgments as to whether a gun is real or not,” Helgen said.

The proposed ordinance is in response to concerns by the Saint Paul Police Department and the City Attorney’s Office regarding contacts police are having with offenders carrying these replica guns, and recent cases where they have been used to scare or rob people in the City. Of the 690 guns confiscated by police last year, 125 of them were replica guns. Coleman and Harrington also noted the dangerous situation that arises when Police encounter someone with a replica gun on the street.

“Replica guns pose a very real threat to the peace of the City. Whether they are being used in robberies or ‘for fun’ they place the holder only a split second away from a totally senseless death when an officer or citizen sees them and takes action to end what appears to be a serious threat,” Harrington said.

The proposed ordinance requires that non-lethal guns must be properly cased to be transported or possessed in a public place. Residents will still be able to have these weapons in their homes or businesses.

Mayor Coleman and Chief Harrington also announced that they will be writing a letter to retailers in the City which calls on them to pull replica guns off their shelves.

Gander Mountain, which has its corporate headquarters in Saint Paul said today that they will be pulling realistic toy guns off their shelves.

“This kind of leadership in the corporate community will make a big difference in our effort. I applaud Gander Mountain CEO Mark Baker for this outstanding example of responsible corporate citizenship and taking action to keep our City safe.”

2:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This might be a good law if it were used to go after people using these guns for bad things, but in St. Paul it will be used to criminalize the inncoent on a technicality rather than be used for what it was intended for.

4:38 PM  
Blogger Bob said...

Minnesota / Sports chain will pull some toy guns
Move comes as St. Paul prepares to introduce ban on replicas
BY TIM NELSON
Pioneer Press
Gander Mountain, one of the nation's largest sporting goods chains, plans to pull realistic replica guns from store shelves across Minnesota and phase them out nationwide as soon as it is practical.

"We're about safety, and we want to make sure that everything that comes out of our store is handled as safely and responsibly as possible," said Gander Mountain spokesman Tim Martin. "It's just the right thing to do."

The retailer's announcement came as St. Paul officials touted a proposed ordinance that would restrict possession of realistic toy guns.

Both moves target "airsoft" guns, which shoot 6mm plastic pellets propelled by springs or compressed gas, rather than burning gunpowder.

Their appearance though, may be one of their most dangerous features. Realistic versions are virtually indistinguishable from firearms, giving kids access to potentially threatening "toys" and possibly provoking a deadly response from police or armed civilians confronted with the replicas.

Mayor Chris Coleman and City Council Member Lee Helgen held a City Hall press conference Monday featuring 21 handguns, noting that the real firearms were all but impossible to pick out from the replicas they had on display.

"These replica weapons really are being used to intimidate innocent victims, and they're really used to commit crimes," Helgen said. "It's not just somebody doing target practice or playing war games."

The ordinance he is sponsoring bans public possession of firearm replicas, much as statute now bans carrying pellet and BB guns in public places.

"You need to transport and handle these like you would any other firearm," Helgen said.

Police said they are finding more and more people who don't do so: of the nearly 700 apparent firearms confiscated by police last year, 125 of them turned out to be airsoft guns, on which there is no legal restriction.

Although the law doesn't distinguish between real and replica weapons used in crimes like robberies, authorities fear there may be some impression that the fakes are a lower-risk alternative and may encourage crime.

"The accessibility of these supposedly toy weapons is increasing," Coleman said, "and we want to make sure the loophole is closed."

Police officials said they hoped action wouldn't be limited to retail stock and city ordinances, but that parents would reconsider whether their children ought to have such replica weapons.

"We want to reach out to you, to talk to your children, that airsoft guns, replica firearms are not things that should be taken outside," said assistant St. Paul Police Chief Thomas Smith. "They're not something that your children should play with … it's a bad practice."

Gander Mountain said it will continue to carry airsoft guns that are "obviously toys," typically those made of clear plastic or painted a bright color or with some other distinguishing characteristic that marks them as nonlethal weapons. Gander Mountain sold $3.5 million worth of airsoft products in 2005, the most recent full year for which figures are available.

The new city ordinance will be introduced this week. It would allow the replicas in homes, businesses and in other defined situations, but ban them from being carried or brandished in public.

Tim Nelson can be reached at tnelson@pioneerpress.com.

or 651-292-1159.

9:34 AM  

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