Police officers around the country tell me they are attending more incidents involving fake guns and air rifles. (NZ Herald, 9 Nov)

 

The replicas - which can be bought easily and cheaply from high street shops - are dead ringers for the real thing. They are the same shape, same weight, and look just as terrifying when pointed at you by a stranger.

 

It's a real worry. In threatening situations, police officers have to make many split second decisions. When lives appear to be at risk, there is only a limited time to work out if a weapon is real or not.

 

Anyone who presents a fake gun as though it was real is inviting an armed offender response and putting themselves in danger.

 

Apart from the risk to the offender, anyone confronted by a gun suffers considerable fear and trauma. If a shop keeper or bank teller is robbed, it makes no difference whether the gun is real or fake - it is a terrifying experience. Even if the gun is waved out of a car window "for a laugh", it creates unnecessary fear in the community.

 

Police make a full and fast response to anyone wielding a gun. Officers drop everything to attend at the expense of other incidents. When the weapon turns out to be a replica, it's clearly not the best use of valuable police resources.

 

The Arms Act 1983 states that, like real firearms, imitation firearms may only be carried for lawful, proper and sufficient purpose. It is up to the defendant to prove they had a good reason for carrying the imitation firearm in the first place. Failing that, they face up to two years in jail or a $4000 fine.

 

It is not illegal to buy, sell or own them.

 

The laws around imitation firearms are currently under consideration.

 

In the meantime, we rely on people to realise that wielding a replica gun in public creates real fear. The police response will be just as swift, whether it is a real firearm or an imitation.