Air Gun Home :: View topic - California Lunacy- petition- please read...

AirGunEric · Site Admin

Sent out by Crosman's marketing department this morning:

"Good morning,

Some of you may already be aware, but the State of California is prepared to vote on a new law that will affect the future of the airgun and airsoft industries. It could also jeopardize the safety of the public and especially, police officers.

See below for a link to the SB 798 proposed legislation.

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/sen/sb_0751-0800/sb_798_cfa_20110427_154959_sen_comm.html

California is planning to make it law that all airsoft guns and all BB guns must be brightly colored, so police can distinguish these guns from actual firearms. As most of you know, all airsoft guns sold in the USA already have a bright orange tip and many are clear.

Early on it was recognized the underlying issue is created by consumers who allow potentially dangerous situations to develop. A prime example is the December 2010 incident that apparently prompted SB 798. As reported in the Los Angeles Times, police wounded a teenager when he failed to comply with police commands to “surrender.” Instead, the young man produced an airsoft gun. Expectedly, a police officer feared for his and his partner’s safety. He fired his gun and wounded the young man. Noteworthy is that the young man’s two companions, who complied with the officers’ commands to drop their guns, were not injured.

SB 798 obviously presumes that a “bright pink” airsoft gun, for example, would distinguish it from a firearm, thus providing a police officer with an immediate sense of security that he was not being threatened with a firearm. That assumption, however, might prove deadly to the officers or innocent bystanders. There are firearms sold that are, indeed, bright pink and other bright colors. Coloring an airsoft gun bright pink, therefore, would not distinguish it from firearms. A law enforcement officer should and would never assume a pink or other colored gun is harmless. On the other hand, an orange muzzle on an airsoft gun does distinguish it from firearms.

This bill would require the appearance of airsoft guns to change, but this change would not clear up the confusion issue. To the contrary, it would likely have the opposite effect. The change in appearance would render it more similar in appearance to some firearms. It is the simple and effective placement of orange at the muzzle that distinguishes an airsoft gun from firearm. Furthermore, federal law preempts SB798, because the bill would ban the sale of traditional airguns.

Please click on the link below for more information. If you agree that this law is unnecessary, please fill out the form and join the petition today, before it’s too late.

http://www.pyramydair.com/SB798.shtml

Regards,

~Laura

Laura Evans
Marketing Coordinator"

broommaster2000 · Moderator

Why the hell would you shoot a kid with a gun? I never get that. I'd catch a bullet from a kid who doesn't know what he's doing if I was a police officer. Neutral

DavidS · Banned

Thanks for posting Eric,

I certainly did sign to stop it. It's another alleged intelligent ruling that can all too easily back fire! If it were to pass what would prevent a criminal from painting a real gun to look like what is being proposed?