Will the apparent accidental shooting death of Tamir Rice by
Cleveland police place stricter laws against Airsoft replica gun ownership?
By: Ringo Bones
The shooting of Tamir Rice, a 12 year old African American
boy occurred on November 22, 2014 in Cleveland, Ohio. Two police officers, 26
year old Timothy Loehmann and 46 year old Frank Garmback responded after
receiving a police dispatch call “of a male sitting on a swing and pointing a
gun at people” in a city park. A caller reported that a male was pointing “a pistol”
at random people in Cudell Recreational Center. The caller stated twice that
the gun was: “probably fake.” Toward the end of the 2 minute 17 second 911
call, the caller stated “he is probably juvenile.” The officers reported that
upon arrival, Rice reached towards a gun in his waistband. Loehmann fired two
shots within two seconds on arriving in the scene, hitting Rice once on the
torso.
Rice’s gun was later found to be an Airsoft replica, though
lacking the orange safety feature signifying that the gun is not real. Rice
died on the day after the shooting. His death has been ruled a homicide by the
Cuyahoga County medical examiner. The tragic incident has yet to raise the
question of the safety of Airsoft gun ownership in the United States.
In the United States under federal law, Airsoft guns are not
classified as firearms and are legal for all ages. Although persons under 18
years of age are not permitted to purchase Airsoft guns over the counter in
stores, however a person of any age may use one. But there are selected local
requirements. Some cities in the state of Illinois consider shipping or
distributing Airsoft guns illegal. Enforcement of local laws with regards to
Airsoft replica gun bans is often intermittent. There are many fields and
stores in operation and sporting goods stores regularly carry Airsoft replica
guns. However a man was arrested back in 2013 for firing a replica gun /
Airsoft gun in his own backyard.
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