Thursday February 3, 2022 | LANGFORD, BC [Updated February 9, 2022]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Just after 12 noon yesterday, police were contacted about a man holding a gun while sitting in a parked vehicle in front of the VanCity branch in the 800-block of Kelly Rd in Langford.
West Shore RCMP frontline officers responded immediately due to the nature of the report, says West Shore RCMP Media Relations Officer Cst. Meghan Groulx.
Officers arrested a 17-year-old male who matched the description, having found three airsoft guns inside the vehicle.
Witnesses confirmed the guns were never pointed or threatened towards anyone.
Educational approach:
RCMP says that the teen was released and provided with education by the officers about the seriousness of the incident.
The airsoft guns were later returned to an adult.
“Airsoft guns are legal for an adult to possess,” says Cst Groulx.
Could have been worse:
The public response to what they saw and the police response could have resulted in a much worse ending, says Cst. Groulx. She says this is a reminder to properly handle airsoft guns or any weapon strongly resembling a firearm.
“Anything reported as a gun, we treat as real until determined otherwise,” says Cst Groulx.
Available in Canada:
Sellers of airsoft guns modelled on real firearms have taken advantage of a loophole in existing firearm laws. Under Canadian law, it has been illegal to own a replica firearm (other than one that copied an antique) since the mid-1990s. But airsoft guns are not technically replicas because they fire projectiles.
The popular Canadian Tire retail store chain sells airsoft guns (coming up in the top 10 results of a Google search). There is a Canadian Tire store in the same Westshore Mall area as VanCity where the February 2 incident occured.
RCMP File # 2022-1834