Replica airsoft guns lead to 'intense moments' after reports of shots fired

After receiving multiple calls about "shots fired," and what RCMP describe as a "few intense moments," police discovered a group of young men with airsoftguns in Carbonear this weekend.

RCMP were called around 3:15 p.m. on Saturday by a concerned citizen who saw seven or eight young men cladin body armour get out of vehicles with what looked like multiple long guns.

A second call came in right after, from a resident reporting they heard multiple shots from that area.

"After a few intense moments, it was determined that the males, ages 15-18, from the Carbonear area, were actually in possession of airsoft guns," RCMP said in a release Tuesday.

"These guns, however, resembled firearms, and could have been mistaken as such."

RCMPin the release said they want to caution parents who allow their children to use airsoft, paintball or pellet guns that resemble firearms about using them in a public place.

The toys do not have visible markings to show they are not, in fact, firearms, RCMP said.

"They can easily be confused by the public and police as being real firearms and can cause people to be on high alert."

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