imported post
Kind of sounds like living in the U.K., where guns are basically outlawed, and any idea of a gun gets you arrested.
Snipped from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=513875&in_page_id=1770
Man arrested at gunpoint after police mistake his MP3 player for a gun
Darren Nixon, 28 years-oldand a mechanic for Olympus Engineering who has no previous convictions, had finished work at midday on Saturday (Jan 26), turned on his black 4GB Phillips MP3 player and started walking to get the bus home.
"The police found me on CCTV and followed me. I got on the bus and the police followed. I was listening to my music so I didn't really notice all the cars behind the bus." "I got off and started walking home. I saw this cop gesture at me and at first I couldn't hear what he was saying. I turned the music off and they were telling me to put my hands up in the air." "As I got closer I could see that two of the cops had guns. There were two police dogs there as well. I was searched at the scene then hauled off to the station and interviewed." He was then swabbed for a DNA sample, had his mugshot taken and was fingerprinted.
"I was really shocked when I saw the guns. They were pointing them right at me. It was a pretty scary experience. I had no idea what was going on." "I wasn't happy at all about it. I didn't even really get a proper apology from the police." "They just dropped me off at home and said a quick 'sorry for any inconvenience', and that was all I got from them, which I thought was pretty out of order." "It happened really near to where I live, so anyone could have seen me getting arrested - it's a stain on my character." "It was unreal - I had a completely clean record before this and have always been a law-abiding citizen."
A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police said: "We received a report from a member of the public who had seen a male in the area who had appeared to pull a hand gun from a jacket pocket, grip it with both hands and aim it towards something." "An operation was put in place and a man matching the description was detained." "No weapon was found on him at the time but he was taken into custody on suspicion while the surrounding area where he had been was searched." "These searches proved negative, so the man was released and taken home, as no further action was required." "The description was extremely good and if that's the report we get we have to act quickly."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=455037&in_page_id=1770
Armed police raid home after mistaking Lara Croft dummy for gunman
When police spotted a gun-wielding suspect lurking in the shadows of a suburban front room, their response was swift. Armed officers burst into the house, shouted at the owner to lie on the floor, and ordered him to surrender his weapon. But efficiency turned to embarrassment when the "gunman" turned out to be a life-sized model of the video game character Lara Croft, complete with trademark outsized pistols.
Computer shop owner David Williams, 42, had taken the dummy home to put it up for sale on the auction site eBay. As the source of the confusion dawned on all concerned, it might have been the moment for an apology from the police. Instead, however, Mr Williams was taken to the cells and held for more than 13 hours before being released. He is now on bail for a suspected firearms offence, and Lara Croft remains impounded as evidence.
At least they know how to use the English language, unlike Amerikans:
Snipped from: http://airsoftgun.blogspot.com/2006_02_01_archive.html
Fake Guns In School Raise Serious Concerns
SAN DIEGO, CA-- One of the newest trends on school campuses is also one of the most dangerous, 10News reported.
It was about noon in the boys' locker room at Kroc Middle School when an eighth-grader brought an airsoft gun to school and aimed it at a seventh-grader. "He shot one other student, (it) hit him in the arm (and) left a little red welt," said Vice Principal Doug Coffey. "It wasn't a serious injury, but there's zero tolerance on school grounds and punishment is swift[.] You will be suspended five days (and) recommended for expulsion. Even if you touch it (or) bring it for fun. All we want at school is school supplies."
"There's the kid who brings (a) gun (and) risks being shot by police. There's the kid who gets injured (and) goes home and gets (a) gun and comes back. Third, the kid who's asked to hold a gun as a favor," said Katherine Nakamura, with the San Diego School Board.
About a year ago, Scripps Ranch High School was locked down briefly when a student was reported to have a submachine gun in his backpack. It was an airsoft -- a toy that one boy was going to sell to the other for $150. They were two good students with good records, but they were led away in handcuffs, 10News reported.
That was one of 88 such incidents in the past year. Most lead to expulsion.
The fake guns are easy to acquire. The are sold at many stores and the Internet. 10News is told they have even been sold from the back of an ice cream truck in San Diego. They are illegal for under anyone under 18 in public places and are dangerous for anyone in the wrong situation[, even though they are just kids toys--something found across America for decades].
