Hamilton residents call for stricter air gun regulations after rash of youth crimes

Hamilton residents are calling for stricter air gun regulations, as the city grapples with violent crimes involving youth.

Last week, an incident involving two teens and a BB Gun led to school lockdowns, and the arrest of a 15-year-old boy.

“When you’re walking through the park with your kids, you don’t think, ‘oh someone’s going to point a gun at me,’ said Brittany Hanula.

This summer, Hanula says she was walking through her neighbourhood park with her two toddlers and her dog, when someone in a car driving past her pulled out a gun.

“This is our family neighbourhood, this is where we come and play, and yeah it was just really jarring seeing that happen,” said Hanula.

READ MORE: 15-year-old charged after BB gun incident at Hamilton learning centre

Hanula and her family were unharmed, and the gun turned out to be a BB gun.

“Why would anybody ever think it’s okay to point a gun, real or fake, at somebody?,” said Hanula. “It’s a threat, it’s jarring — you’re vulnerable when you’re walking anywhere, but especially with children, like, there’s nothing that you could’ve done.”

Hanula’s story is not an isolated incident — the prevalence of youth armed with BB and pellet guns has raised concerns from residents across the city, calling for stricter regulation.

“I do think there should be restrictions, for sure,” said Hanula. “Nobody needs that.”

Air guns, BB guns and pellet guns, like the ones depicted in photos provided by Hamilton police, can be purchased by anyone 18 years of age or older without a license.

READ MORE: Lockdown lifted at Hamilton learning centre, police investigating BB gun incident

While owning them is legal, when they’re used in violent incidents they can lead to criminal charges.

“Any time there is an offence, if there’s a BB gun associated with the offence, it doesn’t matter so much whether or not the gun is real, replica, or BB gun,” said Hamilton Police Det. Const. Jared Millington. “It’s treated automatically as a firearm, so that increases the severity of the punishment ten-fold, obviously.”

The use of these guns in crimes is not new, and their use by youths is also not new.

“I think typically, we’re more prone to find young people carrying BB guns simply because they’re a lot easier to get, and they’re a lot less expensive,” said Millington.

Police are asking anyone who witnesses misuse of BB or pellet guns to contact them.

READ MORE: Hamilton man faces weapons charges after road rage incident

“The most important part that we can get in our unit is assistance from our public,” said Millington. “They’re instrumental in solving or helping us solve the majority of our cases.”

Hanula says she did contact police after the incident, and so far there are no arrests.

For now, she says she plans to avoid walking through the park where it happened.

“You don’t want to live in a family neighbourhood and then still wonder, ‘is my safety at risk?,’ said Hanula. “‘Who on the outside is going to come in and disrupt that sense of security?’ — it’s not a nice feeling.”

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