Replica Leads to Real Incident
Prince George, B.C.- Two men arrested following a weapons report yesterday afternoon.
Around 3:30 yesterday afternoon, Prince George RCMP received a report of hand gun in a vehicle that was driving near the corner of 15th Avenue and Highway 97 in Prince George.
Officers attended the area and began looking for the vehicle involved. A few minutes later, the vehicle was located in a restaurant drive through near the corner of Massey Drive and Westwood Drive in the City.
The two occupants were arrested and taken into police custody. A replica handgun was located and seized by police. As the replica firearm was not pointed at someone or used in an offence, the occupants were released without charge. The replica will be destroyed.
Replica guns are treated by the public and the police as real, until proven otherwise. Police ask that people refrain from possessing these items in public places.
Comments
“As the replica firearm was not pointed at someone or used in an offence, the occupants were released without charge. The replica will be destroyed.” .. What? It was just “reported” as being in a car and that gives them the right to destroy someones property? Where in the law books does it say you CANT have a toy gun in your possession? Shouldn’t the cops have determined the toy wasn’t a real gun BEFORE they arrested them. A little overly paranoid I would say. Yes, check it out absolutely, BUT, arrest them and then destroy their property?
I assume “arrested” that means handcuffed and secured so they could then properly carry out the investigation without fear of finding out the hard way that it wasn’t a replica. There is a big difference between toy guns like kids played with 30 and 40 years ago and replicas that are made today. Many replicas now can’t be distinguished from the real thing unless the cop can get it into his own hands. Destroying it probably saves the idiots from themselves.
Replicas have been used in crimes since they were made. Usually in circumstances such as this suspect didn’t know the classification as you don’t, and say yah, I don’t want it, therefore its destroyed. You might want to take a look at the Criminal Code, it’s online, section somewhere in the 80’s.
If police receive a complaint that there’s a handgun in a vehicle, and the caller doesn’t know its a replica, how do you think they are supposed to respond?
Maybe they are known, have a criminal history and at the moment are clean? Hard to say what the real story is. Wonder what kind of replica the gun was? Too many variables and questions that really can’t be answered? How many times have people been shot or arrested by walking down the street with replicas. Can you imagine e what is going through a peace officer’s head when this type of incident happens? Stress personified! Glad the replica was confiscated, why was it in their car to begin with. You see what I am getting at eh?
I saw this takedown, well done.
I see two issues here. One is whether the replica should be destroyed. If it is hard to distinguish from a real weapon and was being displayed irresponsibly then it probably should be seized, though not necessarily destroyed. Some replicas are collectors items or works of art. The other is due process. The RCMP should simply be taking and destroying people’s property on their own say. A court should have to order seizure or destruction.
Oops. I wish my fingers would type everything my mind told them to. I meant: “The RCMP should NOT simply be taking and destroying people’s property on their own say.”
“The replica will be destroyed.”
It may be a mistake to assume that the RCMP simply decided to destroy this replica weapon. I bet they asked the (possibly embarrassed) owners for consent.
Really ? Openly displaying in public a replica of a resticted weapon . This a perfect example of a missing law other than Darwins law . The kick in the pants for excessive stupidity law .
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