Over the last several months the Sheboygan Police Department has investigated a number of damage to property complaints involving BB guns. Several arrests have been made in these cases, which involved residential windows and vehicles being damaged by intentional discharge of a BB gun. Police have also assisted school authorities when a juvenile brought a BB gun to school and investigated cases in which individuals were injured and later treated after being struck by a BB gun pellet.
The Police Department is asking for help from the public to address this problem.
• Parents, if your children own BB guns, please closely scrutinize how and where they are being used. Keep in mind it is illegal to discharge air powered guns anywhere within the city (Municipal Code §70-256). It is strongly recommended that parents maintain possession and control of the BB guns.
• If you see CO2 cartridges or loose BBs in your child’s possession, they may also have a BB gun you’re not aware of. In addition to the damage to property complaints, we’ve also investigated numerous thefts of BB guns from local retailers.
• If anyone sees suspicious activity, they should call the police. It’s not uncommon for the key break in an investigation to come in the form of a tip from an alert citizen. Some things to look out for include:
o Unfamiliar vehicles parked in the neighborhood
o Unfamiliar people loitering around the neighborhood
o People walking through areas that are not typically pedestrian thoroughfares, especially at night
In addition to damaging property and causing personal injury, BB guns can cause other unintended consequences. Every year facsimile firearms look more and more like the real thing. There are any number of potential encounters where a person may be carrying a BB gun and it is mistaken for an actual firearm. This can result in heartbreaking tragedy which is easily preventable.
Please take the time to consider the pros and cons of owning BB guns. Our goal at the Police Department is to ensure a safe community where people are free from being victimized. With the public’s help we can change the recent trend of problems caused by BB guns. Thank you.
