Can you tell which two of these four weapons are real handguns, and which are pellet guns? The indistinguishable differences between the guns are a real concern for law enforcement. Officers do not want to make the wrong split-second decision and want parents to know the dangers presented by pellet guns, which are being sold as toys. Chief Tim Matelski (left) and Patrolman Ryan Diehl of the St. Ignace City Police Department display both types. The real guns are on the bottom.

The teen quickly slid the gun he was holding between his shirt and waistband at the small of his back as he saw police approaching. St. Ignace officers were responding to a call that someone was shooting a gun in a parking lot off State Street, said city patrolman Ryan Diehl, who was one of several officers on the scene.

“We pulled our guns,” he said. “We assumed his gun was real. We have to.”

“It’s a split-second decision,” added St. Ignace Police Chief Tim Matelski. Adrenaline is pumping, lives could be at stake, and it’s an officer’s responsibility to protect the public, he said.

Fortunately, the teen cooperated, said Patrolman Diehl, and the weapon, which turned out to be a pellet gun, was confiscated. If the young man had reached for the gun to show police it was fake, Patrolman Diehl said he did not want to think about what might have happened.

“There’s not a whole lot of outward differences in a real or a pellet gun when it is pointed at you,” said Patrolman Diehl. “We’d hate to see someone get shot, only to find out they had a toy gun in their hand.”

At the center of the controversy is a toy air gun called a pellet gun. Pellet guns function like a real gun, said Chief Matelski. They have ammunition clips, and their hammers are cocked the same way. They even have the word “Colt” molded on the side, just like the guns used by local officers.

“They are extremely realistic guns,” said Michigan State Police Sergeant Ken Laninga from the St. Ignace Post. “Some even weigh close to real weapons.”

The only visible difference between a real gun and a pellet gun is a small orange or red ring around the opening on the pellet gun’s barrel, said Chief Matelski, but when officers are involved in a split second decision, or a situation at night, that ring is hard to see.

Sergeant Laninga said the orange ring on the pellet gun barrel could be intentionally removed or covered, or accidentally broken off.

The pellet guns shoot a six-millimeter yellow plastic ball called “Billies,” or similar projectiles. When hitting skin, they will cause a large red welt, said Chief Matelski. They also will put a dent in drywall, he said. When fired indoors at a hard surface, like wood paneling, they will ricochet around the room faster than the eye can follow.

“There’s no point to the pellet gun,” said Chief Matelski. Teens are using them to play war or army, or like the young man on State Street, they try to shoot birds with them. Local officers have received four calls in the last few weeks about teens having guns. All of the guns turned out to be pellet guns.

“We want to be proactive and stop a possible situation before someone gets hurt,” said Patrolman Diehl. “We need to educate parents.”

“We want parents to know that a pellet gun is not a toy and there is a lot of responsibility that must be taken when using a pellet gun,” said Mr. Diehl. If parents allow their child to use a pellet gun, the child should be taught how to respond if they come in contact with police, he said.

Patrolman Diehl said if a teen has a pellet gun and an officer approaches, the teen should set the gun down on the ground, keeping the gun’s barrel pointed downward at all times. If they are within talking distance to an officer, they should tell the officer that the weapon is a pellet gun. The teen should not make any quick movements, since the officer still has to assume the pellet gun is a real handgun until determining, first-hand, otherwise, he said.

Though the guns are sold over the counter at many retail stores and on the Internet, there are legal requirements involving ownership.

“To legally possess a pellet gun, you must be 18 years old and register with the state,” said County Prosecutor W. Clayton Graham.

Chief Matelski said that teens 16 and younger caught with pellet guns can be cited and turned over to probate court and teens who are 17 are turned over to district court.