Lincoln Police is urging parents to not provide their children with splat, pellet and airsoft guns. “We have seen a 259% increase in the recovery of these types of guns so far in 2022 compared to the most recent five-year data and we recently had incidents where young people fired splat guns at unsuspecting people in the community,” LPD said in a statement.
The injuries have been minor but police say the fear it has caused has been significant. LPD says in addition, it can be extremely challenging, if not impossible, for a police officer to tell the difference between one of these guns and an actual firearm on a call where the stakes are high.
“And it’s not unusual for us to encounter look-alike firearms that have been painted or have had the parts removed that indicate it is a toy, adding to the risk of mistaking them for a firearm,” LPD says. “Please do not provide your child with any of these types of guns. It’s for their safety, the safety of the community and most are a violation of Lincoln city ordinance.”
Click here to see the city ordinance.