The Sioux City Council has passed the first reading of an ordinance that will make it a misdemeanor to carry a BB gun in public.
The council voted 5-0 Monday on the proposal to bar people from carrying “toy” firearms, such as pellet guns, which police say are becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from actual guns.
Sgt. Scott Hatting of the Sioux City Police presented the proposal to council members and says BB guns have evolved well beyond the traditional rifle used by youngsters:
OC………a lot of damage. :18
Sgt. Hatting says officers have had several encounters with individuals carrying the replica weapons and are faced with the question of whether to use deadly force:
OC………..with BB guns. ;09
Hatting says officers will not be looking to cite someone taking target practice in their yard but people carrying the guns in public:
OC……..do something criminal. :15
Hatting also has a personal reason for proposing the ordinance.
Three years ago he encountered a 17-year-old carrying a bb pistol that looked like a real handgun:
OC…….over a bb gun. ;22
He says thousands of people in the area also have conceal carry permits, and it could be tragic if someone armed with a bb gun unknowingly confronted someone legally carrying a concealed real gun.
The council will hold a public hearing and must vote two more times to pass the proposal before it would become a local ordinance.
