Victoria, BC – Officers are warning the public not to carry, or produce replica guns in public. This warning comes after a release at the beginning of March where two replica guns were seized.
On March 23rd, officers dealt with four separate calls involving replica firearms. Shortly after 2:00 p.m. officers were dispatched to the 900-block of Pandora Avenue after a woman was seen with a firearm. Officers quickly attended the area and located the female. She was safely arrested and an airsoft pistol was located.
At 6:20 p.m. officers attended the area of Tyee Road and Bay Street for the report of a man who reportedly pointed a firearm at a business. Officers were unable to locate the suspect.
Shortly before 6:30 p.m. officers were called to the 200-block of Simcoe Street after somebody observed two men with a handgun. The person who called us believed it to be a real firearm as they had knowledge of guns. Two youth were located a short distance away, carrying the firearm. It became apparent to officers that it was in fact a toy and not a functioning firearm. The youth were cautioned about the seriousness of their actions as according to a witness, they pointed the toy at a bystander.
At about 6:40 p.m. officers were called to the 1200-block of Wharf Street to assist Victoria Fire as they had located a firearm while dealing with a medical call. Officers attended and determined that the firearm was actually a replica. The replica was seized by officers and the youth was transported to hospital.
Two of the Replica Firearms Seized on March 23rd
Seized on March 2nd, the top firearm is a replica and the bottom is a VicPD service pistol
While nobody was injured in these calls, officers have split seconds to make decisions, and each firearm is treated as real until it can be determined to be a replica. Officers are not recommending any charges in any of these calls.
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