In what we can call a very unfortunate incident, the young life of a 13-year old was snuffed out by a police patrol in Sta. Rosa California. Andy Lopez was felled by the police after he was spotted carrying two airsoft guns, one an AK replica without an orange tip, and the other a pistol that was tucked to his waist according to the police report.

He was shot when he was called by the police, which according to quote reported by the Huffington Post:

"As the subject was turning towards [the deputies], the barrel of the assault rifle was rising up and turning in [their] direction. The deputy feared for his safety, the safety of his partner and the safety of the community members in the area," he added.

The airsoft AK was said to be not having an orange tip to identify it as a replica whilst the pistol at his waist did have the mandatory orange tip for airsoft replicas in the US.

According to his parents, Andy Lopez was returning the airsoft AK to his friend when he was shot by the police.

Photo: Andy Lopez

The first reaction by many is that it was foolish for Andy Lopez to be carrying a replica weapon in public. Indeed, we often state to airsoft players that they should not display their airsoft guns in public and that if spotted by the police should always follow the instructions they give and to not point the airsoft gun at them. Andy's case wasn't isolated at all, as there were incidents of kids shot whilst carrying an airsoft gun in public in the past. In this case, some comments also directed their ire at the kid's parents for not advising him to put the airsoft gun in a bag rather than carry it openly in public.

Still, we also need to step back before we condemn Andy to the fullest, who after all, was a child in the first place and was not doing something threatening before the police shot him dead. He was, as his father said, that he was on his way to return the airsoft gun he borrowed from a friend. I am thinking if the police used excessive force in this incident, or perhaps a case of paranoid cops. Please do watch the video below that was posted by The Press Democrat, which is a press conference held by the police after the incident:

Please take note that the spokesperson referred to Andy as a "man" rather than as a "child" and thus can be seen as removing the innocence of Andy as a 13-year old boy. Another is that whilst the Police maintain that the AK replica was not showing the mandatory orange tip to denote it as a replica, the airsoft AK that was used by Andy, as shown in the press conference, is missing the muzzle, as it is in the muzzle area where the orange colour is painted. Did the police remove the muzzle from the scene so they can maintain the story that Andy's AK replica didn't have the orange tip? Did the cops make a mistake of shooting a child with an airsoft replica that has the mandatory orange tip and to cover up this mistake, removed the muzzle?

Airsoft replicas are sturdy enough not to break easily when they fall and we do not know also if the AK replica that Andy borrowed already has a broken muzzle or Andy broke it after a game before he tried to returned it on that fateful day.  Thus, there will be questions about the orange tip that need to be answered.

Such incidents in California and around the US (kids bringing replica firearms to schools) would vindicate the likes of State Senator De Leon with his SB798 which eventually passed in its reincarnation, SB 1315. This would also bolster the case for those who are against airsoft guns and firearms replicas available for the public to use in recreational and training activities. Thus, there are also questions for the airsoft community regarding easy access of airsoft guns to minors, especially at big box stores like Walmart. Should these be restricted and that children should only be allowed access to airsoft guns with adult supervision? Other countries already have their answers such as Sweden not allowing under 18s to play with airsoft guns. But then that's for politicians to bicker on.

As for the rest of us, this should be a strong reminder not to show airsoft guns or any other firearm replica in public. We have a public already traumatized by mass shootings in which young lives are snuffed out that just a sight of a replica gun in public would result into panicked crowds or worried neighbours. Airsoft guns have their proper places for use and a public place is not one of them.