Airsoft rifle looks real; Port Angeles neighbors alarmed
Peninsula Daily News sources
An Airsoft SKS model is demonstrated. Note the orange tip.
By Rob Ollikainen
Peninsula Daily News
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Five Port Angeles police units blocked the apartments near the intersection of C Street and Lauridsen Boulevard after a 9-1-1 caller reported a man or a group of people brandishing a "rifle of sorts" at the back of the apartments, Deputy Chief of Police Brian Smith said.
"Based on the initial information, it appeared to be something that looked like a semiautomatic rifle," Smith said.
After surrounding the building, police talked with the men, who were all adults.
No one was cited.
"It was a very realistic duplication of an SKS rifle," Smith said.
The Airsoft replica had a 30-round magazine -- identical to the look-alikes police use for training. The gun was heavy and lifelike with sturdy metal and a wooden stock.
"It was an extremely realistic semiautomatic rifle that any reasonable person would think was a functioning weapon," Smith said.
Fake guns typically have orange caps that distinguish them from a live weapon. This gun did not have an orange cap.
It's not illegal to have a replica gun, but it is illegal to point or brandish one in a threatening manner, Smith said.
"It's not a crime if it's not alarming people," he said.
Smith said the people playing with the gun "didn't have a lot of situational awareness."
"We spent some time talking to them," Smith said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
Last modified: December 18. 2009 12:32PM
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