By Jennifer Balmforth
Air guns are replacing paint ball guns as a new form of recreation, but the new toy may be putting lives in danger.
An increasing number of BYU students are buying air pistols and overlooking the similarity they bear to the real thing.
Within the last 90 days, about a half dozen gun reports on campus have turned out to be air pistols, Lt. Arnold Lemmon, University police officer, said.
'Given today''s society and the tragedies that have happened in the past, we can''t go to a scene assuming the person is going to have an air pistol,' Lemmon said, 'even if we know it is a student.'
It is against University policy to possess a facsimile of a firearm on campus or in on-campus housing, but some students don''t understand that policy, Lemmon said.
Unless the firearm is handled, there is no way to know if it is real or fake because of the close resemblance it bears to a real firearm, Lemmon said.
Officers could finding themselves in difficult positions, he said.
'Worst-case scenario would be an officer responds to a call of a man with a gun, and when he arrives the man points the gun at him,' Lemmon said. 'The officer has to make a split second decision.'
Sgt. Ryan Judd of the University Police Department said because air guns are so similar in appearance to real firearms, the University police cannot afford to take any chances.
'The increasing popularity and possible threat of these guns are requiring us to become more aggressive,' Judd said.
Jake Hinmon, 22, a freshman from McMinnville, Ore., majoring in communications, said he witnessed first-hand the intense security measures being taken with gun reports on campus.
Two weeks ago while carrying a silver toy pistol in his pants around campus, Hinmon said he was arrested.
'I hadn''t thought that much about carrying a fake gun,' Hinmon said. 'I thought people would be able to take a joke.'
He said after carrying the toy gun all day, it only became a problem when he entered the BYU Bookstore to buy a folder for his next class. The bookstore employee must have called the University police after seeing the gun, Hinmon said.
Five minutes later on the way to his next class, Hinmon said a police officer came running toward him.
'The officer jumped from his car and shouted at me ''hold it right there, put your hands on your head'',' Hinmon said.
The officer handcuffed him and told him he was under arrest for possession of a firearm on campus, Hinmon said. But, as soon as the officer realized the gun was not real, Hinmon said the handcuffs were removed.
'The officer was very professional, he took the situation as serious as it had to be taken until he realized that it wasn''t a real threat,' Hinmon said.
Hinmon said next time he will think twice about carrying something that many resemble a handgun on to campus, especially into the BYU Bookstore.
'I understand why possible threats of weapons on campus must be seriously dealt with,' Hinmon said. 'But, I still think the lady in the bookstore overreacted.'
Students who own air pistols should be aware of the dangerous resemblance and act responsibly, Lemmon said.
'You just don''t go out in today''s society and brandish a firearm,' Lemmon said. 'No matter if it''s glamorous or appears to be a social thing, it''s just wrong.'