Cape Girardeau police confiscate realistic toy gun

When a school bus driver called 911 to report seeing several young boys with what appeared to be a handgun, Cape Girardeau police responded in force.

The incident occurred Friday afternoon, said police spokesman Sgt. Rick Schmidt. The driver called after spotting the boys riding bikes near the city's Fire Station No. 3 at 429 Emerald. Because the responding officer's report was unfinished as of Tuesday, Schmidt did not know how many boys were involved or their ages.

Police made contact with the group at Frederick and Amethyst, about a block south from the fire station, and confiscated what was discovered to be a toy that realistically resembled a semiautomatic Beretta pistol. In fact, the toy had the word "Beretta" in raised letters on its side.

The toy was dull black plastic, with a removable clip, and appeared to be designed to propel small rubber balls. The worst injury it could have inflicted would be to someone's eye, Schmidt said.

But because it could be so easily mistaken for a real gun, it was a mistake for any parent to buy it for their child, Schmidt said.

"Most little boys and girls at one time or another want to play cops and robbers and want a pistol," Schmidt said. "But buy a pistol that's blue or green or some other bright color. Most real handguns aren't those colors -- they're silver or black. Don't go and buy a toy that looks like a gun. Because if it looks like a real one, that could turn into a police officer's worst nightmare."