[silentknight]

http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4962227

Des Moines, May 29th - He's trained to use real guns...but now a Des Moines airman is in jail for using a toy gun.

Nineteen year old Patrick Thompson was arrested and charged with carrying a gun early Sunday morning. His father says Thompson and his friends were just playing with toy guns that shoot plastic bullets.

Police got a call that someone was in an eastside neighborhood with a gun and police say they responded accordingly by arresting Thompson.

Thompson is being held on $6500 bail
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I saw this story on the news today, and was pissed. He and his friends were playing with airsoft guns (on the news they showed a couple real cheap pistols and one cheap AR type). One the news they said he was charged with carrying a weapon, and even defined a "weapon" as a device that uses an explosion to propel a projectile. Key word here being EXPLOSION. Last time I checked airsoft guns, even high end electrics and gas operated ones, don’t use explosions to propel the bb’s

[inuyasha]

this type of thing already has court cases because of people trying to get paintball guns considered as a normal firearm and was decided against because there isnt an explosion. if they need many examples look at japan. they outlawed guns a long time ago, and people switched to airsoft guns for scenarios. its a rather big thing over there, and none of those people get arrested for it.

as for their definition of weapon... anything can be a weapon if applied correctly, there is NOTHING that cannot become a weapon. not to mention, i believe knives were outlawed in schools because they are considered a weapon :/ these people sure have odd definitions

[SPOCAHP ANAR]

......Thompson and his friends were playing.......

This could be the key reason; How were they playing? In the street aiming at cars? In the backyard playing with each other? If its the first then he deserves to be in jail if its the latter then the ploice need to go @#$^ themselves.

[Shaun]

guess he needs a good lawyer and then to file a nice pricey lawsuit for false arrest