A good deal has been written about the risks of paint ball weapons and toy guns that are designed to look real. The marketplace has far too many facsimile weapons that can be mistaken as potentially lethal. Police officers frequently report being unable to tell the difference between individuals armed with real guns from kids armed with toys, the most famous example being the police shooting of Cleveland 12-year-old, Tamir Rice, at a neighborhood playground.
As Americans arm themselves for purported self-protection, there is an increasing risk of gun owners using real guns in response to the perceived threat they see in a facsimile or toy. An incident this week that is horrifying on many levels illustrates the problem. An Opa-locka, Florida, homeowner shot and wounded a ten-year old whose father had taken him to surprise his friends with a paintball gun “drive-by” shooting:
Michael Williams, 26, told Opa-locka police his son begged him to drive by a home where young people were gathered Sunday night so he could fire his paintball gun out the window, according to a police report released Tuesday.
Williams drove by the home as his son fired off several rounds, police said. The homeowner confused the paintball for real gunfire, telling police he thought his family was being attacked. He fired one shot, which struck the child. The boy then lost his balance and was run over by his father’s vehicle, police said.
Williams was charged with child neglect. According to police, Williams “acted recklessly by agreeing to conduct a drive-by paint ball shooting.”
Replica guns pose serious risks. Not only should parents recognize and protect their children against the risk that their toy guns will be misidentified as real, but better government safety regulation is necessary to protect children who thoughtlessly engage in dangerous conduct with fake guns.
Source:
Associated Press, “Boy, 10, Shot Sfter Florida Man Let Him Use Paintball Gun in Drive-by Shooting, Police Say,” Tampa Bay Times (June 2, 2021).