Dangerous Toys

Last week Benton County deputies drew their weapons on a ten-year old carrying what they thought was a real gun. Officers reported to an area in Lowell after it was reported a child had a gun. The ten-year-old made a motion for his BB gun as officers approached. The officers drew their weapons before realizing the gun wasn`t real. Deputy Doug Gay says the child came extremely close to getting shot, law enforcement trains officers to shoot to kill. Many toy manufacturers sell play guns painted and designed to resemble the real thing. Gay says before giving a child a toy gun, parents need to talk to children about the dangers of handling a weapon...real or fake. "This is a BB gun, it`s certainly capable of killing and injuring adults as well as animals so we want parents to try to educate their children to be responsible with these things," Gay says. "This ten-year-old child was just milli-seconds away from being shot and killed." If you have real guns in your home, Gay recommends putting a lock on them. You can pick up a free gun lock at the Benton County Sheriff`s office. No criminal charges were filed against the child involved in this incident.