City discovers big information gap on toy gun rules

Council supports plan, but sees need for extensive outreach to quell misconceptions

By Christina Lent

The Beaverton Valley Times, Jan 25, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (3 Reader comments)

Jonathan House / Times Newspapers

Eric Motto asks the City Council Monday if his son’s toy gun would fall under replica gun restrictions.

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The city discovered Monday night that there’s a lot of work ahead to tackle misunderstandings about its proposed replica firearm ordinance.

The importance of a substantial educational campaign to inform the public about the city’s new rules became apparent at a public hearing on the ordinance during a City Council meeting.

Concerned parents, Airsoft gun enthusiasts and one eighth-grader all had questions about a proposed ordinance that would prohibit Airsoft guns and other realistic looking toy firearms from public places.

While some showed up to Monday’s public hearing ready to blast the toy gun ban, by the time their turn to testify came, some of their concerns had been put to rest.

Jeff Loveland was one of those who changed his mind about the toy gun ban after hearing a Beaverton Police Department report and reviewing the ordinance.

“This is something I can stand behind,” Loveland told the council.

He also supported the city’s plan to launch an extensive 30-day education campaign to inform the public about the new regulations for replica firearms expected to be adopted by the City Council in February.

Others stuck to their guns in their support or opposition of the police department’s request for the new regulations.

Scott Porter felt the new rules did not go far enough, while Dave Chaney and Ken Kirkham adamantly opposed city officials’ plan.

“I’m in favor of some sort of action, but I’m not sure this is the right one,” said Dave Chaney, a veteran, reserve law enforcement officer and World War II re-enactor.

Kirkham went a step further calling the ordinance absurd.

“The problem is people’s behavior, not the guns,” Kirkham said. “At some point, common sense needs to kick in and people need to take responsibility for their actions.

“The behavior of pointing a gun – real or fake – at an officer or threatening someone with one is illegal, not the possession. Banning the possession of an Airsoft gun in a public place is unexceptable to me because it does not solve the problem. This ordinance will turn honest citizens into criminals.”

Both Kirkham and Chaney said they would rather see the city enforce laws already in place and show the public ways to safely play with toy guns and handle them properly so that they do not alarm others.

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