Costa Mesa : Council Acts to Avert ‘Toy Gun’ Incidents

City Council members on Monday heard a Police Department proposal that would outlaw the use of toy guns--like those used last week in a “laser tag” game that led to the death of a 19-year-old man in San Bernardino County--to frighten or scare someone.

The proposed ordinance, which the city attorney’s office still must draft, would not outlaw toy and replica guns entirely, Sgt. John Fitzpatrick said.

But, Fitzpatrick pointed out, the ordinance, which will be modeled on a law adopted in Anaheim last year, would make it a misdemeanor to brandish a fake weapon in an angry or threatening manner with the intent to frighten or harass another person.

“We’re not out to stop people from playing laser tag,” Fitzpatrick said, referring to the popular game in which toy weapons emit light beams that strike an opposing player’s belt, vest or helmet. “But we don’t want a situation like that one (in San Bernardino County).”

Last January, however, the city did have a situation that could have ended in tragedy. Police officers responded to a report of juveniles brandishing weapons and scaring a group of girls at a slumber party inside a local church. When they arrived, officers saw two boys, ages 14 and 16--one of whom was seen carrying what police believed was a pistol. With their own weapons drawn, officers ordered the boys to lie on the ground spread-eagled and face-down. The officers then discovered that the boys were carrying toy laser pistols, according to a police report of the incident.