Shooting pellet and BB guns is against the law in Oak Park, and police wonder whether parents know the damage caused by the weapons or the risks their kids take when using them.
While the majority of BB gun-related offenses reported to police involve vandalism, many involve injuries to people. The realistic-looking weapons are becoming increasingly popular for use in armed robberies, too.
“This is a priority,” said Oak Park Chief of Police Rick Tanksley. “We’re going after this behavior.”
Tanksley said Monday that he hopes parents reconsider allowing their kids to own such weapons. If they don’t know if their child owns one, they should find out and confiscate the guns, he said.
Unfortunately, in some instances it’s parents themselves who purchase the guns for their kids.
In a recent case, police confiscated a BB gun from three teens who were shooting it in Lindbergh Park. One of the teen’s parents had purchased the gun for just that purpose, according to Tanksley. Eventually, the police were required to return the gun to the parent.
The costs of BB vandalism can be high. Last September the Oak Park Library suffered some $10,000 in damage to several tall, wide windows overlooking Scoville Park, part of a month-long span of BB vandalism that did well over $30,000 in damage.
Over the past 10 days there have been 33 reported instances of BB or pellet damage to cars in Oak Park, ranging from $150 to $500 damage in each instance. Also, a store window valued at $420 was shattered.
While the vehicles targeted by BB gun vandals run the gamut from beaters to new luxury cars, Detective Paul Kerley said it’s the average person with an older car who takes the biggest hit in such vandalism.
“They’re the ones who can least afford to replace a $200 car window,” he said, adding pointedly, “I have a $500 deductible.”
“That’s why I want to solicit parent’s help,” said Tanksley. “People are suffering financial loss.”
There is no geographic pattern to BB gun crimes, which police say occur throughout the village at all hours and on all days of the week. The offenders are both white and black. They are, however, exclusively male, according to Tanksley.
While simply firing a BB or pellet gun within Oak Park is against the law, the offense can easily escalate into a more serious charge.
“They’re capable of piercing skin,” said Kerley. “That can turn it into a felony.” Particularly if the victim is in a public space, such as a sidewalk.
Kerely said that of 43 BB gun incidents in the past month, “six or seven” have involved injuries to people.
Police are looking for a pair of suspects involved in a battery committed with a BB gun last Saturday night. Just before 11 p.m. two black teens sporting dreadlocks pulled up in a newer model black Dodge Neon and asked a group of teens in the 1100 block of North Lombard for directions to another teen’s house. When the other teens said they didn’t know, the pair drove off, then returned and fired six shots at the group, wounding one of them.
Police believe the recent spat of shootings isn’t the work of just one or two individuals.
“It’s not just one or two kids,” said Kerley. “There’s a lot of kids out there doing this.”
The simplest model of BB gun can be made more dangerous and damaging, Kerle noted. “Toy” guns are sold with a bright orange tip on the barrel. However, that’s often the first thing their new young owners modify, either removing the orange plastic, or blacking it out.
That’s the least of the modifications kids make.
“You can turn it into an automatic,” Kerley said. “Young people are smart. They’re taking a generic product and turning it into a dangerous weapon.”
Now it appears manufacturers are more than willing to do that work for people.
“They’re now selling models that shoot 250 rounds a minute,” said Kerley. The guns, which cost less than $50 each, look like real MAC 10s or uzis, and can even be equipped with a laser sight. Powered by electricity or gas, they can shoot either 6 mm pellets or paint balls 60 to 70 feet.
BB rifles powered by carbon dioxide (CO2) gas, while less realistic looking, are more powerful, and can break a car window from a distance of 200 feet or more.
Such realistic appearance has led to BB guns being used in several recent armed robberies, including by an 11-year-old boy who robbed an adult.
That, said Tanksley, could easily result in an 11-year-old being shot should his selected victim be armed with a real handgun.
