Boy Scouts Of America Bans Water Gun Fights

Opposing Views

The Boy Scouts of America recently released a list of approved activities for their members and have revealed that water gun fights are prohibited.

The list also makes mention that water balloons must be no larger than a ping-pong ball.
According to the 2015 Boy Scout’s Manual, “Pointing any type of firearm or simulated firearm at any individual is unauthorized. Water guns and rubber band guns must only be used to shoot at targets, and eye protection must be worn.”

The organization’s leaders released a statement on their blog on May 6 explaining why the prohibition is in place.

“Why the rule? A Scouter once told me this explanation I liked quite a bit: A Scout is kind. What part of pointing a firearm [simulated or otherwise] at someone is kind?” Bryan Wendell wrote on the website.

As for water balloons, the Boy Scouts of America National Shooting Manual states that scouts must “use small, biodegradable balloons, and fill them no larger than a ping-pong ball.”

Along with the new stipulations put in place for water guns and water balloons, the organization also has a list of other banned items such as boomerangs, crossbows, potato guns, and marshmallow guns, according to the Washington Times.

Teen Left Paralyzed after Pellet Gun Negligent Discharge

Javier Castillo, 18, is facing aggravated assault charges after leaving his friend paralyzed from the waist down this week from an air rifle pellet in the spine. (Photo: WMSV)

Guns dot com

Three teens found out first hand that an air rifle is not a toy when one aimed a pellet gun at another’s spine, pulled the trigger, and left him instantly without feeling below the waist.

The incident occurred in Shelbyville, Tennessee earlier this week and resulted in one teen being charged with aggravated assault and another fighting to regain the ability to walk.

As reported by WSMV, Javier Castillo, 18, of King Arthur Trailer Park was sitting around with two of his friends when he picked up an air rifle he believed to be unloaded, pointed the gun at Kyle Lee Burnett, and pulled the trigger.

“He told me he was just going to point it at Kyle and aim at him through the scope, but he somehow pulled the trigger,” Shelbyville Police officer Tory Moore noted in his report. “He said he was just messing around and did not mean to shoot his friend.”

The air rifle used in the accident, an Ignite Black Ops Tactical Sniper, fires a .177 pellet at velocities of up to 1,000fps.

Black Ops notes on its website that, “Safety is the top priority when handling, transporting, storing, and shooting air guns,” and cautions its users to only point an air rifle in a safe direction and always act as if it were loaded.

Cleveland Cops Shoot Boy, 12, Carrying 'Airsoft' Toy Gun

NBC

Cleveland police shot and wounded a 12-year-old boy who was allegedly carrying an "airsoft" toy gun at a recreation center, police said. The 12-year-old was shot in the torso and was in surgery Saturday, police said in a statement, and two officers were placed on administrative leave.

Police said the officers were responding to a report of a person waving a gun around at a playground at the Cudell Recreation Center at around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, and the boy was shot after he refused to put his hands up and reached in his waistband for what appeared to be a handgun.

The handgun turned out to be an "airsoft" replica toy gun, which shoots pellets in a similar way that a BB gun does. Cleveland police said in a statement that an orange marking designed to make the toys distinguishable from real firearms had been removed. Police said the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office and police are investigating the shooting.

Toy Gun or Real Gun? Wal-Mart Fatal Shooting has Ohio Lawmaker Inspired

Protesters rally in Beavercreek earlier this week following the shooting death of John Crawford III by police last month. Federal officials announced Wednesday they will review Crawford's death after a Greene County grand jury said the officers' actions were justified. (AP Photo/The Daily News, Ty Greenlees)

Cleveland dot com

A state lawmaker says he wants to explore potential ways to help first responders tell the difference between weapons and toy guns following the fatal shooting of a man by police inside an Ohio Wal-Mart this summer.

Republican Rep. Rick Perales of Beavercreek told The Dayton Daily News he is open to ideas about preventing incidents like the Aug. 5 shooting in his hometown.

A special grand jury in the racially charged case has decided that the Beavercreek police officers' actions were justified. Police responded to a 911 call that a man was waving what appeared to be a rifle. Officers have said John Crawford III, who was black, was shot after he didn't respond to repeated commands to drop his weapon.

It turned out to be an air rifle. Crawford, 22, had been talking on a cellphone and carrying the air rifle he picked up from a shelf as he walked through the store.

The newspaper reports that there are no state regulations for the use and sale of air rifles, BB guns and others that resemble deadly rifles. Federal rules require airsoft guns -- which are different from air rifles -- to be sold with an orange tip to avoid confusion with real guns. But that regulation does not apply to BB or pellet guns.

Republican Rep. Wes Retherford of Hamilton called the Wal-Mart incident in Beavercreek an "isolated" event. He said the private sector should decide how to package and sell such merchandise.

"If we're going to start locking everything up that poses a potential risk, that would be a lot more items locked up than just a BB gun," Retherford told the newspaper. "Eventually, you're going to be locking up everything in the store."

Atlantic City Votes to Ban Toy Guns

Shawn Bertke, manager of Rich's Pawn Shop in Dayton, Ohio, has two guns for sale that look virtually alike. At left is a $45 Crosman BB gun; the other is a $1,200 real AR-15 rifle. (Chris Stewart/Dayton Daily News/MCT) (Chris Stewart)

NJ dot com

Atlantic City officials voted last week to ban the sale of toy guns.

Gladys Luardo-Hemple said she doesn't allow her grandchildren to play with the toy guns, and believes children need to learn what they are, even if they are fake.

"Parents need to talk to the kids and explain the dangers of guns," Gladys Luardo-Hemple said. "Some of these toys look so sophisticated, they look real."

The ban, introduced by Police Lt. James Sarkos to Atlantic City Council, prohibits the sale, possession or use of any imitation firearms, except for non-firing antiques and film prop guns.
Paulsboro Police Chief Chris Wachter said he doesn't know how much of an impact the ban would have until a study was conducted.

"It's a very serious issue across the country, the toy guns are very realistic in the weight, the way they're designed," Wachter said. "If it didn't have the bright orange tip, you'd have no idea it was a toy AK-47."

Oklahoma 12-Year-old Shot in the Head with Pellet Gun Dies

Local news reports


A 12-year-old boy died Saturday after being shot in the head with a pellet gun.

Justin Ingle, 12, was taken to a McAlester hospital Friday after being shot and was flown to a Tulsa hospital where he died Saturday.

“Two boys were playing with a high-powered pellet gun, and one boy pulled the trigger and hit the other in the head,” Pittsburg County Sheriff Joel Kerns said.

Ingle’s mother was at home when the shooting happened but was in another room, Kerns said. She rushed the boy to the hospital in her own car after he was shot.

Proposed Bill Would Ban Realistic Toy Guns

SF Gate

Toy guns made to look like the real thing would be banned in California under legislation announced Friday in Sonoma County, where a sheriff's deputy last month shot and killed a 13-year-old boy after mistaking his replica AK-47 pellet gun for an assault rifle.

The bill, to be introduced by five lawmakers, would require pellet and other toy guns to be brightly colored or translucent so they are easily recognized. Federal law requires the replica guns only to have an orange mark on the tip of the barrel.

The legislators held a news conference in Santa Rosa, a few miles from where Deputy Erick Gelhaus shot and killed Andy Lopez Cruz on Oct. 22 as the boy walked with a pellet gun near his home just outside the city.

According to police who are investigating the killing, Gelhaus pulled up behind the boy and ordered him to drop the gun - which did not have an orange tip - and then fired eight times when the boy began to turn. The shooting prompted street rallies and a lawsuit filed by Andy's family.

State Sen. Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles, one of the sponsors of the new legislation, introduced a similar bill two years ago after police shot and paralyzed a 13-year-old Los Angeles boy with a toy gun. That bill stalled in committee.