Gilroy
– The city of Gilroy will not write its own ordinance
restricting the use of replica guns, but the police chief wants the
sellers and owners of imitation weapons to be aware of the state
law already in effect.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – The city of Gilroy will not write its own ordinance restricting the use of replica guns, but the police chief wants the sellers and owners of imitation weapons to be aware of the state law already in effect.
Chief Gregg Giusiana had said he would consider proposing a city law restricting “airsoft” plastic-BB guns, which are nearly identical to real handguns and assault rifles. Morgan Hill passed its own city ordinance after an April incident in which police came alarmingly close to shooting several teen-agers playing with replica weapons at a school, but a state law passed last month makes a Gilroy ordinance unnecessary.
“The state ordinance does what Morgan Hill’s does, but goes even further,” Giusiana said.
Airsoft guns are now banned from public places, after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the bill into law in early October.
The weapons may only be used on private property and cannot be brought to public parks or school campuses. A federal law already required that replica guns be brightly marked to distinguish them from the real thing – usually with florescent orange or red barrel tips.
Brandishing the guns in public is an infraction, although a third or subsequent offense is a misdemeanor. Removing the bright markings to make the gun appear real is a misdemeanor.
State law also requires that manufacturers print warnings on the guns’ boxes, stating that the weapons look real and could put the owner at risk if confronted by police. Manufacturers have until June 2005 to make various changes now imposed, and could face fines for failing to comply.
Aside from having the brightly colored tip, airsoft guns are accurate replicas of a wide assortment of real weapons, from handguns to M-16 and AK-47 rifles. They are the same size and usually about the same weight as the real thing.
