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Published 3:38 pm Wednesday, July 27, 2022

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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, β€œ???? ??? ???????? ???????, ??? ???????? ??? ?????, ???? ???????? ??? ????? ??????? ??? ?????? ??? ???????? ???????????, ??? ??? ???????? ??????????? ????? ??? ?? ????? ????. ??????????? ??? ????????, ??? ??? ???????? ??? ???????’? ????????, ??? ???????? ??? ????? ???? ?????????? ???????. ??? ????????’ ??-?????????? ???????? ??? ????????? ?? ????????? ??? ????????.”
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,β€œ? ???? ????? ??????? ???? ????????? ???? ???? ???? ??? ??? ???? ???? ????????? ?? ???? ??? ??? ??????, ??? ???? ???? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ?? 40+ ?????? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ?????? ??? ??????? ?????? ???? ?????-???? ??????? ?????? ?? ?? ????.”
Added Conley, β€œ?????? ??? ???????? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ????????? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ??????? ??????? ?? ? ?????????????. ?? ??????? ? ??????????? ?? ????????, ??? ? ?? ?????? ??????? ??? ????????? ?? ?? ????? ???????? ?? ? ????? ?? ??????? ??? ???????? ???? ????????? ??? ? ??????? ?? ???. ?????? ????? ???? ??? ???????????????? ?? ?????? ???? ?? ?????????? ??? ???? ???? ?????????? ??? ??????? ?? ????? ????????? ???? ?? ? ???????? ??????. ? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ??? ??????????? ??????????? ?????? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ???????? ?? ?????? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ? ??????????????? ???, ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ??? ??????? ??? ?????? ??? ??????? ???????? ??? ?????????? ??????? ?? ????????? ??? ??? ???? ?????.”
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 β€œsemi-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 β€œking 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 β€œcarbon 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, β€œ? ?? ? ?????????? ??????? ??? ???????, ??? ???? ?? ??? ? ???????? ?????. ??’? ? ??????????? ?????. ?????’? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ??????? ???? ?????? ?????? ???? ?????? ????.” 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.