European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 27, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday january 27. 1987 the stars and stripes Calm after the storm bearded briton Joshua Jones and older family numbers peer from heir life met 18 hours after their 35-foot yacht broke up in rough a to str off Acapulco mexi co they were on an around the world sail. The Joneses were rescued by an Ocean liner saturday soon after his photo was taken. Look alike potential san Francisco not just after Midnight Over the school holidays last month three san Francis co police officers responded to a silent alarm indicating that someone had entered a local High school. A Tew minutes later a 15-Ycar-Otd High school student Lay dying in a darkened hallway shot by on of the offi cers who had seen the youth pointing a gun at him. What the teen Ager was armed with turned out to be s Pellet gun hat was also a highly realistic reproduction of a .337 magnum Coll Python pistol. The gun which is capable of shooting Small pointed Lead pellets powered by a Carbon dioxide Cartridge was one of the More powerful such guns and could have caused an injury if i to Pellet sick someone in the face or Eye the police said. Bui it was not nearly so powerful As the .357magnum, one of the deadliest of pistols. While it is illegal to sell or possess a Pellet gun in san Francisco such guns As Well As toy guns have been used in crimes for years. But now a new Genera lion of non lethal guns that closely resemble real Pis Tols and sub machine guns is causing rising alarm among Law enforcement officials. One police official Calls them a potential disaster waiting to  the incident last month which apparently involved stealing from the school s vending machines is still under investigation. Al is the most recent in what the a c say arc a growing number of incidents involving alike guns that cannot readily be distinguished from the real thing even by experienced police offi cers. In new York City about a dozen such look alike guns Haw been recovered annually since 1984 in Inci dents involving assaults on police officers alone a police department spokesman said. Often the use of such guns is associated no with the commission of a crime but with a prank horseplay or thoughtless brandishing in Public. Far example earlier this month police officers in Santa Cruz calif., fired at a Man brandishing Whin turned out to be a toy pistol and officers arc increasingly slopping people carrying such guns Deputy police chief Steven Belcher  Virginia judge Robert . Colby of state District court has begun a Campaign aimed at passage of a state Law that would require All reproductions of guns to be painted Bright yellow. Colby said he began the action because in the last month he Hud three cases guns growing problem a Isa Sfer wailing to happen involving look alike guns which the toy Industry Calls replica guns. In one Case a police officer nearly shot a Young Man who pointed what appeared to be a .22-caliber Luger Al him. When the Man was subdued he was found to be carrying a plastic toy  see it As a Gigantic  Colby said. We re going to kill innocent people and absolutely jeopardize officers  re very much aware that it is a National prob Lem said Jerald Vaugh executive director of the International association of chiefs of police which is based in Alexandria a. He said that the toy is treated exactly As the real thing when police officers Are called in such incidents adding it s a potential disaster waiting to  mentioned a recent incident in Washington in which a Man was seen entering a Bank with what appeared to be an Uzi sub machine gun. Ii turned out to be a cup firing toy that had been taken to work by Bank employee As an office prank. Although no one was injured Vaugh said the Inci Dent could have resulted in a tragic  while most look alike guns Are made in Japan some water guns that resemble sub machine guns Are produced in the United Stales. Jodi Levin a spokesman for the toy manufacturers of America a Trade organization representing 240manufacture s responsible for 90 percent of retail toy sales nationwide said he group has no policy on look alike guns. Police chief Joseph d. Mcnamara of san Jose. Calif., said the problem was exacerbated by the fact that realistic looking reproductions and toys had be come increasingly popular Al the same mm1 that a proliferation of military assault weapons used by drug dealers and acts of random violence hid heightened the  of the Public and to notice. Eighteen months ago a icy Uzi sub machine gun Fig ured in an incident in Larkspur Calif is Miles nun of Here. Security guards at a shopping Center called the police when they saw a Young Man who they Siirid was carrying an Uzi. Police officials conf scaled the toy from its 18-year-old owner. Michael Murray manager of Ciamp i and things a store Hal Sells toys for adults where the $175 toy a i was purchased said the gun is a popular adult make believe  he said the store has a policy against Selling such guns to minors. Since the incident he added adults who Purchase the guns Are cautioned against brandish ing them in Public. And labels now warn buyers that the toy guns May be mistaken fora real gun Murray said one company that has dropped the toy Uzi but continues to sell other toy puns is sharper image a Sanfrancisco based Chain Selling High Quality Merchan Dise for business executives through 29 retail outlets around inc country. In addition it has a monthly Cata Logue that is sent to 3 million people. Richard Thanh Cimer the company s president said the stores sold hundreds of Cap firing toy uzis every month but the item was removed from the catalogue Asl september after the company received letters opposed 10 its Sale from an intelligent and vocal minority of catalogue readers. The toy which could be purchased in a kit or fully assembled was advertised As having Metal pans exactly like a real  to simulate the feel Ana sound of inc real thing. The advertisement said even a Battle tested israeli Soldier might mistake this new Uzi replica for inc real  asked who purchased such toys Thal Hitner said they appealed to an it Rome Type of customer a Little Overly gun Happy and to people who appreciate in history of  sharper image has also sold the water Warrior a water gun made to look like an m-16 automatic Rifle and it now Sells a similar toy modelled after a Summa Chine gun. Thalhimer said the chances were slim that it could by mistaken for a real gun. Hut in an incident in los Angeles last year a 14 year old boy shooting a water machine gun off the roof of a downtown building brought police officer with guns drawn. Art Agnos a California assemblyman from san Francisco  he recently began asking toy manufacturers for ideas to Sulic the problem lie said he he came interested when he earned a toy water Rifle to a committee milling to dernonsjran.1 a Point he was try ing to make in favor of the outlawing of military As Sault weapons. The members of the ways and Means committee of the stale legislature i Haugh it was real he said