Just after 7 a.m. this past Saturday, Kenner Police Department 911 Dispatch received a call from a concerned citizen who witnessed a man brandishing what appeared to be a semi-automatic assault rifle on Roosevelt Boulevard. According to Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley, “???? ??? ???????? ???????, ??? ???????? ??? ?????, ???? ???????? ??? ????? ??????? ??? ?????? ??? ???????? ???????????, ??? ??? ???????? ??????????? ????? ??? ?? ????? ????. ??????????? ??? ????????, ??? ??? ???????? ??? ???????’? ????????, ??? ???????? ??? ????? ???? ?????????? ???????. ??? ????????’ ??-?????????? ???????? ??? ????????? ?? ????????? ??? ????????.”

The 52-year-old man was suffering a mental health episode. And, it turns out that he was pointing a ??-??? ?????????? ?? ??-??-????? ????-????????? ????? at passing motorists. Said Conley,“? ???? ????? ??????? ???? ????????? ???? ???? ???? ??? ??? ???? ???? ????????? ?? ???? ??? ??? ??????, ??? ???? ???? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ?? 40+ ?????? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ?????? ??? ??????? ?????? ???? ?????-???? ??????? ?????? ?? ?? ????.”

Added Conley, “?????? ??? ???????? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ????????? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ??????? ??????? ?? ? ?????????????. ?? ??????? ? ??????????? ?? ????????, ??? ? ?? ?????? ??????? ??? ????????? ?? ?? ????? ???????? ?? ? ????? ?? ??????? ??? ???????? ???? ????????? ??? ? ??????? ?? ???. ?????? ????? ???? ??? ???????????????? ?? ?????? ???? ?? ?????????? ??? ???? ???? ?????????? ??? ??????? ?? ????? ????????? ???? ?? ? ???????? ??????. ? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ??? ??????????? ??????????? ?????? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ???????? ?? ?????? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ? ??????????????? ???, ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ??? ??????? ??? ?????? ??? ??????? ???????? ??? ?????????? ??????? ?? ????????? ??? ??? ???? ?????.”

In 1998, Congress passed a law that required imitation firearms to have a blaze orange plug permanently affixed inside its barrel. But a 2015 federal bill that attempted to help police distinguish fake from real weapons by painting a portion of the fake a bright color failed.

In May of this year, NYPD officers fatally shot a man in the Bronx who pointed an imitation “semi-automatic firearm”. The gun resembling a department-issued, polymer-framed Smith & Wesson Military and Police semiautomatic pistol with a laser sight led to police shooting and killing a teenager. A BB gun recovered after police killed an Ohio teenager, was made by Umarex USA, one of the largest air gun and firearm manufacturers in the world and the self-proclaimed “king of replicas.”

Umarex sells BB guns that are copies of such firearms as the iconic Colt Peacemaker, the Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine, and the Umarex 40XP AR-15-style BB gun. Gunmaker Sig Sauer advertises BB gun “carbon copies” of the P226 semiautomatic handgun. The BB gun involved in the Kenner incident was manufactured by a company named DPMS- a manufacturer of actual AR15 rifles for public sale. Said Conley, “? ?? ? ?????????? ??????? ??? ???????, ??? ???? ?? ??? ? ???????? ?????. ??’? ? ??????????? ?????. ?????’? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ??????? ???? ?????? ?????? ???? ?????? ????.” Efforts to stop production of imitation guns or radically change their appearance have mostly failed because of resistance from gunmakers and gun rights groups, such as the National Rifle Association.