Things aren’t always as they appear. In fact, more often than not there is some degree of deceit in play at any given moment, and sometimes that deception can be deadly. Gang-bangers have for years tried to gain advantage over police by painting the tips of their pistols red or orange in an effort to make cops hesitate for just an instant.
Or a child with a toy is shot because the thing looks just like a real firearm. The image to the right has made the rounds lately and it is a compelling reminder that “You have to assume every gun is real. Why would someone point a toy gun at us?” These were the words of Street Survival Seminar instructor and Police1 columnist Dave Smith back in 2006 and they’re just as true today.
Here is one possible reason a suspect might point what appears to be a toy gun at an officer. Pictured above is a Mossburg 12-gauge shotgun concealed within a “Super Soaker” water-gun. The commonplace summertime toy was disassembled and altered, allowing the shotgun to remain fully functional while encased within the water-gun.
“When a suspect points a gun — or something that looks like a gun — at an officer, time becomes that officer’s most critical ally or enemy,” says Dr. Bill Lewinski, Executive Director of the Force Science Research Center. “His or her ability to make a split-second decision to fire can — and often does — mean the difference between that officer living or dying.”
There is no single tactical answer to the question about “toy guns.” It’s the totality of the circumstances that ultimately dictates what an officer will do when he or she encounters what may be a harmless child with a toy, or may be a dangerous suspect bent on taking the life of a cop.
