BELLEVUE - Bellevue Police issued a warning Tuesday about Airsoft guns, after officers pulled their guns on teenagers who were playing with the realistic looking pellet guns last week
On friday, the six teenaged boys were shooting pellets at cars near Southeast Newport Way and 129th Place Southeast. When police arrived on scene, they ordered the boys to lie on the ground.
"Basically took them down at gun point," said Bellevue Police spokesman Greg Grannis. "Officers had their guns ready not knowing whether or not they were real."
The teens were eventually released and nobody was injured, but Grannis says this raises concerns about the way people are using the weapons.
"Those juveniles got an eye opening experience and it reiterated the problem we've historically had with airsoft weapons," he said.
The replica guns were first introduced in Japan but they've gained popularity in the U.S. in recent years. "It's just exploded in the last two years," said Erik Fenner, an Airsoft gun user.
Fenner also sells the guns at the Sir Plus store in Woodinville. He says children as young as nine years old buy guns at the store to take part in military type combat games.
"You can sit in a chair and play a video game or go out and be physical," he said.
The replicas have all the markings of the real guns including the trademarks of the real gun manufacturers.
The only thing that distinguishes them are the orange tips on each Airsoft gun. Police say that orange tip isn't always visible and they're concerned they won't recognize the difference in time.
"This is happening at a frequency that is alarming," said Bellevue Police Lieutenant Dan Mathieu.
Customers at Sir Plus can't buy the guns unless they're at least 18 years old, or have written permission from parents. The store also has strict restrictions in place.
"It has to be on private property, you always have your eye protection on, and if you take It out in public and someone gets a little scared, you immediately drop it on the ground, you let it break," Fenner said.
But Grannis says the restrictions aren't required by law, and firearm legislation doesn't apply to Airsoft guns.
He says some children color the orange tips to make the guns look more real. Gangs in some cities are joining the trend, by painting the tips of real guns orange to confuse police officers.
Grannis says that increases the risk for officers responding to shootings, whether they involve airsoft guns or real guns.
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