Yesterday, on Apr. 17, at 12:40 p.m. in the afternoon, Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) received a call about a "young person walking with a handgun" on Fourth Line and Upper Middle Road West.
HRPS officers attended the area and located the young person, who had a toy cap gun with him; he had recently bought the gun from a dollar store.
He had not been using it in a threatening manner or to commit a criminal offence, so charges were not laid.
A similar situation took place last Friday when three 13-year-old boys were arrested after bystanders reported seeing them carry a "plastic revolver style cap gun" on a soccer field at Grand Oak Park.
The HRPS "strongly urges youth to be careful when playing with any sort of toy that appears to be a firearm."
Criminal charges (such as possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose) could be laid if the police are notified and charges are deemed appropriate.
HRPS' Media Relations officer Steve Elms says that "if a member of the public sees what they believe to be a real firearm (even if it turns out to be a toy) and police are notified, we will treat that firearm as though it is real until we are able to prove otherwise."
"This puts anyone in possession of such an item, the responding police and anyone in the area in physical danger."