The Lake Country RCMP seized what turned out to be a pellet gun after reports of someone shooting at ducks from the dock of the local lake side pub on Thursday.
On May 10 at 6:30 p.m., the Lake Country RCMP received a report of a man on the north side of the dock at the Turtle Bay Pub with what appeared to be a black handgun. The report indicated that the man was shooting at ducks.
The 20-year-old Lake Country man was still on the dock with friends when police arrived and claimed that they had been using a pellet gun to shoot across the water to the other dock, not at the ducks.
The pellet gun was seized by police and will be destroyed. Police say it could have been mistaken for a real firearm, even up close.
No charges have been recommended.
When police receive complaints about firearms, they have a duty to intervene accordingly, based on the information received. This presents a great challenge to the police as they must respond appropriately, to ensure public safety and that of the responding officers, all the while mindful that the gun seen may not be real. There is always the real possibility that a police officer may perceive a deadly threat and respond with irreversible consequences.
Appropriate safety measures should always be taken when using firearms, air soft guns, pellet guns, paintball guns or anything that may be perceived to be a firearm. When transported in a vehicle, they should be secured in cases in the trunk and not handled by vehicle occupants. Most importantly any type of firearm should only be used in designated areas—gun club ranges, paintball ranges, etc.