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the HERALD Friday August 1991 Features Dont take your guns to town Sergeant Carey Smith media relations officer with the Halton Regional Police service dropped by the Herald Wednesday to ask employees which of the above five guns was real Almost no one could immediately pick out Sergeant Smiths Smith and Wesson revolver the middle gun on the right He said toy guns are becoming a big pro blem for police officers who cant tell the difference between the real thing and the fake Herald photo By LISA The Herald Is it real or fake Thats a question Halton Regional Police officers cant answer when theyre looking down the barrel of a gun if they take the time to find out they could be killed Halton Regional Police officers are finding they cant tell the dif ference between real and fake guns which nowadays are replicas of the real thing said Sergeant Carey Smith media relations officer with the police service Were really concerned about the large number of imitation handguns being used to threaten other people he said The toys look so realistic the officers cant tell from a distance whether they are real or fake Sergeant Smith showed by ex ample how difficult it is to dif ferentiate between the real thing and a toy or pellet gun He placed five guns on a table four were imitation and one was a police issued Smith and Weston revolver and asked passersby to quickly choose which was the real gun Out of five people no one could quickly identify the real revolver Picking up one of the toy replica semiautomatic guns he said if someone pointed this at me Id shoot them Even at close inspection the guns look real They feel real You cant tell whether its real or not until its fired and by that time it could be too late he said Someday somebody is going to get shot because all we see is a gun not whether its real or not he said In Halton Hills the most weapon offence charges are laid against people carelessly using pellet guns The majority of our weapon offences involve pellet guns said Detective Sergeant Keith Woudstra Mostly its just kids shooting at each other That happened in January of this year when a Georgetown boy was held in a full nelson by three youths while another pointed a pellet gun to his face and released the trigger six times The gun was empty but the terrified boy didnt know that until the trigger was pulled Police later charged a 14-year- old girl with pointing a firearm and assault with a weapon In February this year a boy who was just playing war games had the police services Tactical Rescue Unit team after him and the roads around his home closed after a passing motorist saw him point and aim a rifle at a passing truck The area at Steeles Avenue and Line was blockaded for almost three hours for public safety before police determined the young offender was using an inoperable toy rifle He was cau tioned by police Police say an Acton boy could have been shot in December when an officer saw him hiding between a home and garage with a handgun in the waist of his pants Fortunately before anyone drew a gun the suspect was apprehended and was found to have a loaded 177 calibre pellet gun He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon These occurrences contributed to the seven offensive weapons charges that were laid against residents in Halton Hills during the first six months of this year Last year offenders were given offensive weapons charges in Halton Hills In all of offensive weapon charges were laid an in crease of six over the previous year Though pellet guns and toy gun replicas cant be considered firearms unless they are capable of discharging a shot capable of causing bodily injury or death they are considered a weapon if theyre used or Intended for use in causing death or injury to per sons whether designed for such purpose or not or if theyre us ed or intended for use for the pur pose of threatening or in timidating any person states the Criminal Code of Canada Under the Criminal Code a fake gun can come under the same as a real gun said Sergeant Smith who finds it strange that a toy gun can be pur chased in many stores for as little as now the police service is just making a lot of noise about their discontent with the similiarity between real and toy guns said Sergeant Smith who hopes someday legislation will be put in place to make toy gun manufacturers make distinguishable changes in their product for the safety of both police officers and toy gun owners FAC applicants facing stricter scrutiny By LISA BOONSTOPPELPOT The Herald More and more people are ap plying for Firearm Acquisition Certificates FAC but Halton Regional Police Firearms Registration Officer Sherrie McAdam says shes shooting down applicants by the volley Refusals are up 220 per cent over last year said Ms from her office at Halton Regional Police head quarters Under the Criminal Code of Canada she has the right to refuse any persons applica tion if she receives any negative information about the applicant that leads her to believe he or she could jeopardize the publics safety with a firearm And she does I really worry about the repercussions of my decisions she admitted I go with my gut feeling quite a lot If it doesnt feel right to me I dig in their records a little further and a lot of times I come up right Her gut feelings must be right for in the three years shes been a Firearms Registration Of ficer with the police service she has never issued a firearm to an individual who used that firearm in a crime Im very proud of that track record because its a point of con- PHOTO SPECIAL Oil Hum f rirt cem she said When processing an applica tion she has the right to all police files psychiatric files and other personal information of the appli cant If she finds out the applicant has a criminal record is mental ly unstable or has a history of violence shell often deny the ap plication These issues are addressed on the FAC itself Applicants are re quired to submit a yes or no answer to questions such as Have you been convicted of an offence in which violence against another person was used threatened or attempted Have you been treated for a mental disorder associated with violence threatened or attemp ted violence The is the certificate a person needs to purchase a non- restricted firearm explained Ms McAdam When you receive the certificate you can purchase a nonrestricted rifle or shotgun the same day From January to June of this year shes received 689 ap plications which is applica tions more than last years total for the same time period If a person wants to legally own a restricted firearm one that can be fired with one hand or has a barrel length less than mm and is capable of discharging am munition in a semiautomatic manner or is less than 660 mm in length total they must apply for an and a permit A restricted weapon user must have a permit to carry his weapon out of his home or another place Up until June of this year Ms has had 277 applica tions for restricted weapon and permits down from last years figure in the same time period Weapon offence statistics from the police services records bureau prove that Region especially Halton Hills has few criminal incidences involving restricted firearms Only one person in Hills was charg ed with a restricted weapon of fence between January and May of this year Last year three peo ple got trouble with restricted weapons In all of from January to May five people were charged with a restricted weapon offence while last years total for Halton was Ms McAdam said the statistics are low due to in part the the tight reins the Regional Police Service has on issuing gun permits and Were strict in this region she said I personally meet JAKES AUTO CLEAN Steam Cleaning Interior Shampoo Under Car Oilng Scotch Guard 265GUELPHST 8773802 DONT FORGET OUR ADDRESS CHANGE Retardant Engine Shampoo Perma Sheen Paint TouchUp GEORGETOWN every person who comes into this office to apply for an thats a major part of the control Shes hoping Halton will be able to have even tighter reins on gun regulations if the federal govern ment passes new gun legislation that has just been given second reading in the House of Com mons She said she supports the revis ed rules that if passed would mean people would have to wait 28 days to purchase a firearm after receiving their FAC cer tificate would have to pay more for the FAC application now and be required to take safety courses before they could pur chase a firearm Anyone who has any questions on FACs or firearm registration can call Ms McAdam at extension 538 food stores target OPEN HRS 7 DAYS A WEEK 51 GUELPH ST GEORGETOWN FLYERS Watch for these MONEYSAVING flyers inside this edition of THE HERALD CANADIAN TIRE GEORGETOWN FOOD MARKET H you did not receive your flyer please our circulation department Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm