# Man Pulls Fake Gun on Cop



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*Man Pulls Fake Gun on Cop: Can You Tell the Difference Between Real and Fake?*

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EASTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS (WWLP) From the barrel, to the handle, to the trigger. Looking at two guns laid out at the Easthampton Police Department, there's not much difference between them. It was only the sound of the gun cocking that prevented Easthampton Police from shooting 22-year-old Kristopher Randolph 8:30 Wednesday night. Randolph attempted something called suicide by cop, where a fake gun is pointed at an officer in hopes of being shot at. "It's very difficult to tell and especially a night officer might not realize it might be a fake gun, but to them it certainly looks real," said Easthampton Chief of Police Bruce McMahon. The only visible difference is the blue tip on the fake gun.

We decided to show some local residents pictures of the two guns in the daytime and see if they could determine which one was real. Nearly everyone we spoke to got it wrong.

"The brown one is the fake one"&#8230; "It's hard to tell, it's very hard to tell"&#8230; "I would just assume that it's real."

Millions of these fake airsoft guns are sold each year at department stores and are completely legal, even for children. In fact, Massachusetts law doesn't even categorize these as weapons. So, before you decide to purchase one for yourself or someone else, remember, to the police, even a replica is considered and assumed to be the real thing.










Written by 22News Reporter
Dion Lim




Watch the video


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## Oscar32 (Sep 20, 2006)

...And in other news 22-year-old Kristopher Randolph was shot in the head 8:30 Wednesday night for being an idiot and pointing a gun at a cop....now moving on to Todd Gross in the Weather Center.


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## justanotherparatrooper (Aug 27, 2006)

I hate those friggin things . that and the little lasers that kids like to point at people...good way to get killed.


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## Guest (Dec 9, 2006)

Assume it's real and shoot 'em. Even if the gun turns out to be fake, at least there'll be one less dumbass in the world.


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## HELPMe (Dec 17, 2004)

"Death by cop" has to be the worst scenario for a member of law enforcement. Not only was the officer forced to take a life but the officer now then has to deal with the aftermath of shooting a mentally ill person who had no real intent of hurting the officer. Granted he will be cleared by the shooting board but it is still something that this officer will have to live with.


On a side note those guns do look real but the day they start to require people to get an FID card for a plastic bb gun that shoots maybe 120fps (barely enough to penetrate a piece of paper from 20 ft away. Is truly sad. My little brother has an assortment of them and there are regulations in place for them. They have to have the orange tip and most will not sell to you unless you are 18yo or older. I have been shot by them plenty of times and they dont hurt if your wearing a sweatshirt you wont even feel it. Its just like anything else common sense plays a big role. Dont go pointing pellet guns, bb guns, paint ball guns, air guns, at police officers and you wont be in a world of trouble.


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## Guest (Dec 9, 2006)

It seems that BB,airsoft, and paintball weapons in the hands of young kids without adult supervision is always a bad idea.


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## justanotherparatrooper (Aug 27, 2006)

HELPME.... I wasnt suggesting that they be banned or that you should need an Fid card to get then. I was just saying they scare me cause if anyone pointed one at me I would probably kill them. Course then I'd be the bad guy cause I killed or maimed some 'poor kid' and I 'shouldve known better'. At night you cant see that orange barrel and Ive seen a few where they blackened it with a marker so it would look more realistic. Alot of people think they can carry those to look tough or to 'scare' people without getting in trouble for carrying a real pistol.
Id be curious to know how many of the cops on here have run across these things?


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## 94c (Oct 21, 2005)

HELPMe said:


> "Death by cop" has to be the worst scenario for a member of law enforcement. Not only was the officer forced to take a life but the officer now then has to deal with the aftermath of shooting a mentally ill person who had no real intent of hurting the officer. Granted he will be cleared by the shooting board but it is still something that this officer will have to live with.
> 
> On a side note those guns do look real but the day they start to require people to get an FID card for a plastic bb gun that shoots maybe 120fps (barely enough to penetrate a piece of paper from 20 ft away. Is truly sad. My little brother has an assortment of them and there are regulations in place for them. They have to have the orange tip and most will not sell to you unless you are 18yo or older. I have been shot by them plenty of times and they dont hurt if your wearing a sweatshirt you wont even feel it. Its just like anything else common sense plays a big role. Dont go pointing pellet guns, bb guns, paint ball guns, air guns, at police officers and you wont be in a world of trouble.


Don't always be too quick to assume suicide by cop. This is a must read for all officers.

http://www.masscops.com/forums/showthread.php?p=129127#post129127


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## HELPMe (Dec 17, 2004)

justanotherparatrooper said:


> HELPME.... I wasnt suggesting that they be banned or that you should need an Fid card to get then. I was just saying they scare me cause if anyone pointed one at me I would probably kill them. Course then I'd be the bad guy cause I killed or maimed some 'poor kid' and I 'shouldve known better'. At night you cant see that orange barrel and Ive seen a few where they blackened it with a marker so it would look more realistic. Alot of people think they can carry those to look tough or to 'scare' people without getting in trouble for carrying a real pistol.
> Id be curious to know how many of the cops on here have run across these things?


I wasnt saying that you suggested that..i was just stating my opinion because with all the negative press on these things i am sure deval will most likely post some type of ban pretty soon. Like anything else common sense plays a big role in what you do and how you act. I would discharge my weapon at a kid who had one pointed at me and refused to secure it on the deck without hesitation.


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## 94c (Oct 21, 2005)

justanotherparatrooper said:


> HELPME.... I wasnt suggesting that they be banned or that you should need an Fid card to get then. I was just saying they scare me cause if anyone pointed one at me I would probably kill them. Course then I'd be the bad guy cause I killed or maimed some 'poor kid' and I 'shouldve known better'. At night you cant see that orange barrel and Ive seen a few where they blackened it with a marker so it would look more realistic. Alot of people think they can carry those to look tough or to 'scare' people without getting in trouble for carrying a real pistol.
> Id be curious to know how many of the cops on here have run across these things?


These things are all over the streets. They even come with detachable magazines that look and feel like the real thing. weight and all.

http://www.masscops.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19769&highlight=lamont+cruz


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## Oscar32 (Sep 20, 2006)

Para,
I ran into a situation like this at a local hockey game. I was on a detail there and a concerned mother approached me about a kid with a gun in the locker room. She was able to point him out to me, I patted him down and found a black airsoft handgun with an orange tip that had been painted black with a Sharpie marker. The gun was an exact replica of a Glock 23, the same as my duty weapon. We use it at the department for "training purposes". If I can snap a comparison picture of the fake and the real side by side, I will post it. If this kid pointed this thing at me, there would be no hesitation to act, it looks that real.


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## Deuce (Sep 27, 2003)

And never assume it's a fake gun just because the tips painted orange. I read somewhere the sh1tbirds are painting the barrels of real weapons orange...


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## jacenlukesolo (Nov 23, 2006)

I actually ran into this while off duty on Halloween talking to a fellow officer. I saw a kid (15 yr old) holding an airsoft gun with the tip painted(didn't know it was an airsoft gun until after). The other officer who was on duty called for backup and approached the kid. I backed him up with my off duty weapon and the kid followed all our instructions. The kid told us it was fake after we had him in handcuffs, and sure enough it was just an airsoft gun. We gave the kid and his parents a stern talk, and his parents let us dispose of the gun. To think what could have happened.


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