In 2010, Helena, Montana, police had to respond to three different incidents in one week:



Helena police have responded to three incidents in the past week of toy guns being mistaken for real weapons, triggering an alarm from police that someone could get shot when waving fake firearms. “Usually, we don’t know if it’s fake until we actually put hands on it,” Lt. Steve Hagen said.

"Quite frankly that scares the hell out of us, because none of us want to be put in a position where we're going to have to shoot anybody, much less a young person because they have a fake gun," Urquhart said. Police don't have the luxury of knowing what is fake or what is real so they treat every gun, toy or not, as the real deal.

Sean Jackson, 23, found that out last week in Everett. Jackson and some friends had just bought some real-looking airsoft guns at a sporting goods store. They needed them for a music video they were planning to make. The group of friends were driving on Highway 527 when other drivers saw them holding the toys and called 911. The police arrived from all directions, "Out of nowhere they swarmed," Jackson said. "They pulled us all out one by one, put us on our knees, handcuffed us, and threw us in the back of the car." Jackson and his friends were staring down assault rifles and handguns from more than a half-dozens officers, and those officers were not fooling around. "Somebody can just go out and get shot-up over a big mistake," Jackson said. "This shouldn't have gone down like this, man, this is too crazy."

"Police officers are trained to meet deadly force with deadly force," said Capt. Dave Davis, who heads the Canton Police Department's Detective Bureau and Special Investigations Unit. In a emergency, "there's no way an officer can detect that this is a toy."

While BB and air pellet guns don't pack the punch of a bullet, they look real enough. So real, in fact, they often are hard to distinguish from the real thing.

Canton police are seeing more crimes involving "toy" guns, Davis said.

Police records show five incidents so far in 2014 involving BB or pellet guns. Last year, police responded to 118 incidents in which these weapons were used.

Law enforcement in the Seattle area say the realistic looking guns "scare the hell out of us." And for good reason. From Sergeant John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff's Office in Washington: A group of Seattle-area youngsters found out the hard way:In Canton, Ohio, law enforcement are warning of a growing problem: The list goes on and on and on and on.

Here is a video created by the Essex Police Department in England to show how these "toys" compare with the real thing:

Manufactures have gone to great lengths to make these guns look like real firearms, from handguns to assault rifles. Kids love them because they can affordably obtain a gun that looks like the real thing, yet they can safely shoot them in their backyard —at targets, critters, or even each other — when wearing proper safety equipment. Visually, about the only thing that sets airsoft guns apart from a real thing is a blaze-orange piece of plastic affixed to the end of the barrel. Federal law requires that these airsoft guns and other realistic-looking toy guns feature a blaze-orange marking, at least 6 millimeters in length, permanently affixed to the exterior surface of the barrel. The same law does not make it illegal to remove or alter that orange tip, meaning those who buy these guns and wish for a more realistic look can paint that orange tip, cover it with tape or simply remove it.

We would urge lawmakers to take a careful look at this situation. Police officers put themselves at great risk when responding to calls involving violent acts, and we don’t blame them for taking extreme action when they see a suspect flashing around a gun. We owe it to our police force to make it easier for officers to know what they’re facing when they’re in the field. Airsoft guns and BB pistols, and even BB rifles crafted to look like actual firearms, should all include an orange marker at the end of the barrel.

After the incident in Muskegon, Michigan, the Grand Haven Tribune editorial board noted how dangerous it is these guns are made to look realistic: The editorial board rightly concluded that more needs to be done to prevent tragic situations like those listed:In other parts of the world, like the United Kingdom, you must be 18 years old to purchase BB guns and they must be distinguishable from a real firearm, like this:So, why not here? Isn't it time to move forward with regulations on these "toys" and start to remove some of the danger? Yes, children and adults could make alterations to make them look more indistinguishable, but shouldn't manufacturers be doing all they can from the start to avoid tragedy?