Published: Thursday, 24th July, 2008 12:00
Boys find loaded gun in street
By Russell Steele
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GUN FIND: Princes Street in Port Glasgow.
TWO children stumbled upon a fully-loaded and potentially-lethal BB gun in Port Glasgow town centre.
The young boys, aged just eight and five, found the gun — packed with ball bearings — stashed next to St Andrew’s Church, in Princes Street, on Monday, during a shopping trip with a family member.
They had the presence of mind to tell the adult accompanying them, and she made arrangements for it to be handed in to police.
The furious mum of one of the boys told the Tele: “My little brother, who is eight, and my wee boy, who is only five, were out shopping in Port town centre with my mum when they found the gun. It was full of ball bearings.”
The woman, who did not want to be named, hit out at the people who left the weapon lying in a busy street.
She said: “I think neds might have left it there. I was raging when I thought about it.
“At the age my little brother is at, he is into everything. I think the only reason he didn’t shoot it was because it was so heavy. If one of them had fired it I dread to think what could have happened.”
Senior police officers praised the two youngsters for their conduct and issued a stern warning to anyone thinking of using a BB gun.
Chief Inspector Grant Manders said: “I can confirm a BB gun was handed in to Port Glasgow police office on Monday. We would like to thank the youngsters concerned for taking the right course of action and handing in the gun.
“These weapons are definitely not toys. They can cause serious injury to people and damage to property.”
Chief Insp Manders added that anyone brandishing a BB gun also ran the risk of putting themselves in the line of fire.
He said: “These weapons can closely resemble genuine firearms.
“If someone was seen in possession of one it is highly likely armed officers would be despatched to deal with the incident.
“I can think of no genuine reason for possession of such a weapon and would strongly advise people not to buy them.
“If they do have one, it should be handed in to the police for destruction as soon as possible.”
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