‘Somebody could end up shot’: Halifax police warn about growing trend of fake firearms

Halifax police are warning about a trend of young people carrying fake guns.

Police in the Halifax area have issued a warning about the “growing trend” of youth using replica firearms – and they’re seeking support from parents, guardians and teachers to help get the message across.

Since Jan. 1, Halifax Regional Police officers have responded to more than 60 calls involving fake firearms, with one-third of those involving youth.

“When we are called to a possible firearms threat, this is an all-hands-on-deck type of response,” said Staff Sgt. Nick Pepler, whose Special Enforcement Section oversees the Guns and Gangs Unit.

“We are responding to stop a shooting, or worse, a potential mass casualty,” he told reporters at a news conference Wednesday.

“The number of officers dispatched is significant. That means resources are being taken away from other serious crimes.”

It’s particularly challenging because imitation firearms look so similar to real ones.

“We respond to that complaint armed with a real firearm,” said Pepler. “We can’t tell the difference.

“There’s a real possibility of us going to these calls three times a week that somebody could end up shot and dead by the police.”

Pepler said that would lead to an investigation, inquiry, and he noted “that’s one of us going home knowing we shot somebody that didn’t have a real gun in their hand, and we can’t tell the difference.”

Aside from the public safety concerns, those calls also pull officers from other “serious crimes.”

“It’s frustrating to have to waste those resources when there are other people in our community that need our help,” Pepler said.

He said charges can range from mischief to possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace or carrying a concealed weapon.

In one recent case, police said youths had BB guns “pointed at each other” inside a McDonald’s restaurant on Peakview Way, off Larry Uteck Boulevard, on May 26.

One 15-year-old was charged with the following offences:

• uttering threats to cause bodily harm or death
• possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose/possessing a weapon dangerous to public peace
• two counts of carrying a concealed weapon
• mischief
• failure to comply with an undertaking

“This is a real sense of fear that comes with seeing a weapon produced in our community,” Pepler said. “Bystanders do not know the weapon isn’t real, and suddenly people fear for their lives, their children, their families and their loved ones.

“The impact can be traumatic.”

When asked if he could explain any reasoning for the uptick, Pepler said: “I think it’s probably a cyclical thing where teens are feeling a little dangerous and want to present themselves that way.

“But I don’t know for sure.”

He also noted there is a “huge concern” regarding an uptick in the production of replica firearms using 3D printers.

He pointed to a recent incident in Bedford West where printers were “actively printing fake firearms.”

Sometimes metal parts, which are required for fake firearms “to make them work as a real firearm,” will be tracked with help from the Canada Border Services Agency.

But since 3D-printed firearms don’t have serial numbers, Pepler said they can’t be tracked, which is an issue across Canada.

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