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Burlington Wants Rules for Carrying "Guns"

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Burlington wants to make sure there is no confusion when police are called to potentially deadly situations.

Police Chief Doug Beaird said last year, his officers responded to 26 calls of a person with a gun, in which the weapon turned out to be a BB gun or a pellet gun.

The city council, in response,  is considering an ordinance that would require those types of realistic-looking guns to be transported in cases or containers.

Beaird said this would eliminate any confusion or second-guessing for officers and the general public.

"The way we are trying to view it is if it is predictable, it is preventable," said Beaird.  "We have 3,400 people in this county with carry permits and they are extremely responsible people, as the police are, but at the same time, how much time do you have to make a decision on a pellet gun versus a real gun.”

Beaird says in no way does this restrict someone’s ability to own one of these guns.

The city council must vote twice more on the carry requirement before it becomes law.

Jason Parrott is a former reporter at Tri States Public Radio.