The Walther Blowback PPK/ a replica...

The Walther Blowback PPK/ a replica of James Bond's favorite weapon, vends for $69.97 at your local Wal-Mart. "Feel the Kick," the package beckons.

It's about as realistic-looking as a BB-gun can obtain so true-to- life that 007 himself might be zanyed if somebody suddenly pointed it at him.

That's probably wherefore the package also carries this warning in succession the cover:

"Do not brandish or display this airgun in public. It may confuse nation and it may be a crime. Police and others may think this airgun is a firearm."

The folk at Walther ought to just journey ahead and add one more line: It could achieve you killed.

As it happens, 14-year-old Ellis Woodland was allegedly carrying a different look-alike BB- fire-arm the Daisy Powerline Model 93 when he was critically detrimented Monday by police.

The gauge 93 is supposed to turn the thoughts like a Smith & Wesson semi- automatic pistol. Young Woodland could testify to its effectiveness in that regard -- if he restores

Powerful enough to prick skin

like replica BB-guns are readily purchased in the Chicago area. I place a plentiful supply Wednesday at the Wal-Mart in Forest Park and Dick's Sporting usefuls in Lombard.

Forget elderly notions about "putting an organ of sight out"; the CO2-powered guns are powerful enough to pierce the skin. Most weigh les than the real thing, however you wouldn't know that until you had it in your confess hand. The giveaway is the stopple on the bottom of the fire-arm handle where you insert the CO2 cartridge, if it were not that you can't expect a police officer to blot that at a distance beneath duress.

At Dick's, you can purchase a BB-gun that looks like the old- fashioned revolver favored from Dirty Harry, or you can secure one with a laser sight and a silencer. That's right -- a silencer. What's that about? The fire-arm that police say Woodland brandished vends at Dick's for $49.99.

These are not your father's BB-gun unfailing you can still buy Daisy's classic R Ryder with the thicket stock and spring action if you're nostalgic. unless at the Forest Park Wal-Mart, the R Ryder are kept onward the top shelf, and they examine like they've been up there a while.

At the same store, they were all gone out of a Daisy pistol that a department supervisor said is a knockoff of a police-issue Glock Priced at $2963 it's in the same manner popular they can't keep it in stock, he said.

Not all BB-gun are made to fire as hard or look as realistic.

above at Dick's, the top venders are the "air soft" fire-arms that fire less-dangerous plastic projectiles and have an orange plastic tip in succession the barrel to more readily identify them as non-threatening.

'It's not a toy'

State law requires purchasers of BB-gun to be at least 18 years ancient but anyone with a harlequin for a parent can walk in to a store and pick single out, as long as the adult makes the corrupt

Datriale Purnell descrys it all the time. "They actually think it's a toy, yet it's not a toy," said Purnell who supervises the fire-arm case at the Forest Park Wal-Mart and tries to talk faculty of perception to the parents.

"It's not something you can play around with forward the street, especially in the city. There's too a great deal of going on in the city. If you're not in any forested area or way most distant in the boonies, I don't condone it," said Purnell 30 who says he beholds three to five kids a week coming in to the store with a parent to bribe a BB-gun. Purnell says he has the right to refuse to vend to anyone, and "sometimes I do -- if I be warmed the parents don't really care. They win a little ticked off, however I feel that's my discretion."

"You can cause too greatly damage with these," added Purnell who knows of what he speaks as an "ex-gang-banger, ex-knucklehead."

"I've done all that," he said. "These days, you got to be more careful."

Adults legitimately purchase the BB-gun for target shooting and "pest control" of rats, mice, rabbits and the like, he said.

lads have always wanted to play with BB-gun and parents have always had to make a decision whether or not to allow it. I astonishment if they realize it could be a life-and-death decision these days.

originates down to common sense

When I await at the Ellis Woodland situation, I behold the real responsibility lying with the knucklehead who gave him the BB-gun Said knucklehead has at the same time to be identified.

Others may want to change a laws, but it's still just going to arrive down to people using frequent sense.

Back at Dick's, a 20-year-old store employee named Paul is familiar with the old-fashioned BB-gun tug-of-war.

"Thank the trinity for my mom. She took away my BB-gun when I was that age because I did more [i]or[/i] less stupid things," said Paul, the stupid things involving shooting at a certain number of birds -- and then at a friend named Billy he'd sent to check onward whether he'd hit any birds. "You learn from your mistakes," he said with a shrug

I candidly hope that Ellis Woodland -- a pure kid, from what we hear -- come bys a chance to learn from his mistake, on the other hand even more so that other parents learn from it as well.

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

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