these cops are parnoid of kids with bb guns and would probably shoot and kill a kid with one Original Article Air guns trigger trouble Lindsey Collom The Arizona Republic Apr. 5, 2005 12:00 AM Chandler elementary schools are places of learning by day but are becoming battlegrounds by night, thanks to the renewed popularity of air guns that shoot plastic pellets. School and public safety officials say that's because a number of children have taken to playing with these AirSoft-type pellet guns, along with paintball guns, in public areas, including greenbelts and elementary school playgrounds, after hours and on weekends. Authorities want to send the message to parents that war games are fine on their home turf, but it's illegal to possess any weapon, including these types of firearms, in public. "We're concerned about (kids) harming other people, damaging property," Officer Sean McKenzie said. "My biggest thing is, a sixth-grader can't look beyond the moment. The pellet guns can really cause some serious injuries. . . . They don't understand. They think it's a toy." Municipal code prohibits anyone within city limits from possessing or carrying weapons, air guns, BB guns, slingshots, or bows and arrows, except on private property. Letters were recently sent home with all Chandler Unified School District elementary students, notifying parents about air gun incidents and reinforcing district policy. "Possession or threatening use of any weapon, real or simulated, is a severe violation of the student code of conduct, as well as illegal, and will be dealt with very severely," the notice says. District spokesman Terry Locke confirmed "we've had incidences" after school and on weekends . McKenzie, a DARE officer at several Chandler elementary schools, said a number of parents have approached him about the weapons. One parent told him of buying a pellet gun for their child because it appeared to be safer than a BB gun, and "all the neighborhood kids have them," McKenzie said. "They think, 'It's a toy, a plastic pellet,' " McKenzie said. "I had a student show me where he had been shot. It was a pretty good-sized welt, and it was the day after." Police also are concerned because some manufacturers are producing pellet and paintball guns with realistic features. "You wouldn't know the difference," McKenzie said. "We don't have the luxury of determining, 'Does that kid have a real gun or a fake gun?' " McKenzie said. "If I get there and I see this, I'm going to treat it like a real gun." That's what happened to a police officer in Minneapolis in October when he shot and killed a 15-year-old armed with a pellet gun. At the time, police believed the teen was carrying a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun. McKenzie doesn't want that to happen here. "If we can do our best to educate the public, maybe we can eliminate future problems," he said.