Over the last few weeks I have noticed a worrying trend that I fear will grow during the school holidays. Youths have been congregating in public areas with cheap plastic BB pistols shooting each other, ambushing each other. While they believe it to be a bit of harmless fun, there may be consequences.
I have fielded several calls for this behaviour over the last few weeks from concerned members of the public, especially from parents at local playgrounds.
The concern is they don’t know the BB gun is relatively harmless. Parents tend to be protective when their kids are involved. Recently a member of the public witnessed teens with what appeared to be a pistol. This necessitated an appropriate response including armed police officers from other towns and a dog handler.
That drew resources from those towns, leaving them unattended should an emergency arise.
Parents – please if your teenagers have a plastic BB gun I ask you to destroy it. If you own the shops that sell these cheap trinkets; I urge you to reconsider selling them.
