Anaheim May Make It Illegal to Point a Phony Gun in Anger

Pointing a phony gun at anyone “in a rude, angry or threatening manner” would be illegal in Anaheim under an ordinance scheduled for a vote today.

Existing laws cover the use of fake guns in rapes, kidnapings and robberies but do not cover other crimes involving fake guns, Assistant City Atty. Mark A. Logan said.

Logan said that “incredibly realistic” guns could cause traffic accidents if waived at moving cars or that fake air guns, BB guns, starter guns and realistic-looking toy weapons could cause anyone with a real gun to react.

Logan said Anaheim police have encountered various incidents involving phony guns. None has led to deaths, he said.

In Stanton, however, one such case received national attention in 1983, when a police officer shot to death a 5-year-old boy who was holding a toy gun.

The proposed law says: “It is unlawful for any person to brandish a replica or facsimile of a firearm in a rude, angry or threatening manner with the intent to frighten, vex, harass or annoy any other person.”