A report of a man carrying a rifle near St. Joseph’s Elementary School turned out to involve a pellet rifle rather than a true rifle.
But RCMP are still warning people about the dangers of carrying pellet guns following the incident.
On Oct. 17, around 3:10 p.m., as school was being dismissed for the day, calls from the public to police reported a man walking on the street holding a rifle, near to St. Joseph’s School.
The man was seen walking into the backyard of a residence on the 4100 block of Broadway Avenue.
When police arrived they found the 20-year-old male who was described to them. He was cooperative with police and showed officers the reported rifle.
Police said it was a pellet rifle with a scope.
There was no indication the individual was going to use the rifle for any criminal purpose and no charges will be laid.
The local RCMP took the opportunity to let people know that it is dangerous to carry a pellet gun in public, as they are hard to tell from normal firearms. Use of them in public can also result in a “careless use of a firearm” charge.
RCMP react immediately to all calls of a firearm.
“The police take these calls seriously and must approach these situations with caution,” said Sgt. Kirsten Marshall.
A firearm, real or not, is considered real by the court when used in committing an offence.