A Sherriff’s Office in Monterey Bay, California has issued a warning to the public, after a cosplay photoshoot held on a public beach raised concerns due to those involved using a large rifle.
Locals alerted the authorities after becoming worried about the intentions of those in possession of the firearm. As per KRON4, the incident occurred at Seacliff State Beach on July 3rd. Now, pictures from those who were at the scene clearly show both the photographer and model walking along the beach, with the latter carrying the huge rifle on her arm, seemingly unaware of any panic they may cause to onlookers.
Since the images emerged, the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office has publicly reiterated the seriousness of such actions. Sgt. Dee Baldwin said in a statement:
As we’ve seen in the picture they’re walking around having a good time with what they know may be a fake firearm, but our responding officers don’t have any idea what they’re walking into.
The state of California does not allow you to “openly display or expose any imitation firearm in a ‘public place'” unless said firearm is “entirely transparent” or covered in “certain bright colors.”
Check out the video to see the full news report of the incident.
Dumb...dumb...dumb!
I'm even careful with my air rifle at the cottage. A public place is out of the question whether it's a prop or not.
Forget the police, what if some nut job gun carrying American sees that as an opportunity to do his duty and take you out?
Your an idiot. That's not how that works.
Until it works exactly like that and they're shot either by law enforcement or folks "standing their ground".
It’s “You’re” ... idiot
😂
LMAO...
https://www.aptitude-test.com
We live in a social hierarchy and you sir have chosen to defend the grammatically challenged automatically lowering your status. I’ve offered you a link to use while you sit and think about what you’ve done.
Oh really?
School us then. Tell me how it works.
I know words sound similar, especially when calling someone an idiot, but believe it or not even though they sound the same, different words mean different things. I'm sure you're highly educated, which is why you felt the need to call someone an idiot. However, may I suggest when calling someone an idiot, you use the correct word. "Your" means something different than "you're." Look it up on Google. It's crazy right? Anyway, you seem super chill and most certainly mentally stable. Have a good one.
I signed in just to down vote him and LAUGH
Your mommy let you have an air rifle? Be careful, you could shoot your eye out. By the way, if you pay attention to the context of the story, you'd know that there were no "nut job gun carrying Americans" because of California's extremely strict gun laws.
Oh...because nut jobs care about the strict laws...right?
Well, it seems like you care a lot.
Seriously, it's almost like you think all American gun owners go to the beach packing nothing less than a .50 Desert Eagle in their speedos. In real life, it's really no different than having a driver's license... most of us are pretty responsible.
I’ve been told many times that I was packing a 50 caliber shooter in my speedos. I never knew I might be shot for it!!! 😳
It's harder to get a driver's licence than a firearm in America.
Carry on with your hyperbole though...because a car makes people take notice so much more than a person strolling around with a weapon (real or not).
Please don't take my word for it. Go buy yourself a realistic airsoft rife and walk down the main street of your town. Let's see what happens.
Not every American town is in California. I’ve lived in and currently frequent several places where open carry is perfectly legal. And, once again, for the most part people act responsibly.
“It’s harder to get a driver’s licence than a firearm in America.” You believe too much of what the professional talkers on CNN tell you, because that’s only a partial truth. As an American that has both a driver’s license and a firearm (as well as a permit to carry one) I can honestly say that, yes, the physical (actually driving the car) driving test is more difficult than the physical (actually firing the weapon) CWP test. However, there are more stringent requirements and background checks not only to obtain the CWP permit but also to purchase the firearm to take the test in the first place. The written test is long and thorough and a class is required, but I got my driver’s license with no formal driver education classes... my dad took me out to an abandoned parking lot, spent a couple of hours showing me how to maneuver the car around obstacles, and then took me for my test. No fingerprinting, no background checks, no real education at all. They just took my word that I was ok to drive a 2 ton death machine in public.
A lot of this comes down to proper understanding of why the murder rate is so high in many cities... it’s not about the tool being used to commit the crime, it’s the mentality and intention of the person committing the crime.
But this is a photography site, not a gun forum. Leigh, I hope you have a great day, and happy shooting (with your camera, of course)!
Oh stop sheesh...made a mountain out of a golf ball.
First, I AM AN AMERICAN. Not every American lives in the continental US. I'm well aware of how easy it is to obtain a firearm.
Criminals and stupid people don't care about strict gun laws. They do whatever they need to for a given objective.
Lastly, this is about common sense and how your actions could affect other people and possibly result in inconvenience, arrest or death. Cops don't respond to someone carrying a fake gun. They head to a scene based on reports of a person walking around with A GUN!
As my great grand daddy used to say...crosswalks are for people but don't forget to look both ways. There are no cars occupying hospital beds.
"Criminals and stupid people don't care about strict gun laws."
Ha- I love it! Remember this when they call for more pointless gun laws.
And yes, it was harder for me to get my permit than my drivers license by far.
I'm positive the gun laws are sufficient (for law abiding citizens). It's the background checks etc that need to be strengthened. Our family ranch is in a rural area...I'm not waiting for police if someone enters my home. Doesn't mean I'll be walking around town with a bare firearm anytime soon though.
As for the driving license...I'm split on that. I have friends who have failed the test multiple times before acquiring one. I don't think they should be driving. I'm gratified to hear that you were such a good student driver that you sailed through the process.
The way she's carrying it and the body language you can tell she's clearly no threat.
My first instinct was to really say something bad but I understand where you are coming from.
There are bodies in morgues and cemetaries that shouldn't be...because they posed no threat. You can't predict how people will react to seeing someone walking with what appears to be a long assault rifle. I am super careful with my air guns because I know that perception/optics can be an issue.
Doesn't even look like a real gun...so obvious it's just an Anime shoot.
People are too hypersensitive nowadays... 😛
Neither do cellphones, wallets or cameras on tripods look like real guns. They don't even look like guns at all. Yet people have gotten shot for displaying them "incorrectly".
.
It sure looks like a Dragunov sniper rifle - even though it's an airsoft model.
People are 'hypersensitive' about guns for a reason, but the fear isn't always rational and they often forget to observe the context.
They could've just wrapped it in a blanket ...
Someone would have still probably called the cops while they were photographing.
Hypersensitive with good reason. People worshiping in their church, synagogue and mosque get shot for reasons only known to the shooter. Even law enforcement is edgy.
To those commenting that the calls are “dumb” you are missing critical information to why it was called for.
We just had a shooting July 2nd in San Bruno and one June 15th in Vacaville. It’s not exactly the smartest idea to have any sort of thing resembling a firearm in public right now in NorCal.
No common sense. Idiotic. Just shows you how oblivion and careless people are.
We occasionally have prop guns on our film sets. It's good practice to let the police know when filming in public. If we are in a studio, I typically place signs stating "FILMING IN PROGRESS - PROP GUNS ON SET".
This. Exactly this.
In Toronto, when I called the police to tell them that we were using a prop for a shoot, I was told that it is a recommended guideline under the Health and Saftey Act to have a pay duty officer on set. Not law, but, if something goes wrong, you won’t have much of a leg to stand on in civil court.
A few minutes of observation to determine the context would have revealed that the gun was only a photography prop...or at least that mass slaughter was not the intent.
The prop looks a bit fantastic, but it could have been a real Dragunov or a functional imitation of one. But in that case, it would not have been treated so casually.
However, c'mon, fellow photographers, we all know how silly and hypersensitive people are today. There are people around who would call the police even knowing it was just a prop--and that has been done before.
That's exactly what happened in the Tamir Rice case...the 911 caller even said the gun was probably a toy. But the kid got killed anyway by police who weren't going to wait long enough to find out.
There was a different case where the police recording revealed the officer saying for the record as he drove up, "The kid has a toy gun," but he still cuffed the kid, stuffed him in the car, and waited for a couple of hours for the kid's mother to come searching.
People call the cops when kids just point their fingers like guns.
So we know such silly people abound around us, and we have to protect ourselves from them. In this case, it would have been smart for the photographer to have the prop in a case or wrapped in a blanket at least.
Precisely...I would never transport a firearm without a case (in public). It invites too much attention for all the wrong reasons. God forbid you are a minority or someone who "looks" too young to be in control of one.
Police don't treat you as if they suspect it's a fake. My own sister was in the service for nearly 25 years. I wouldn't want her to take that chance.
This was plain dumb!
This is further proof that commonsence is not so common.
Whether I'm shooting still or video, if I'll be outside with any kind of gun (Airsoft, Nerf, etc.) I notify the local police. Better safe than sorry.
Have Fun,
Jeff
i remember the first time we went shooting at my brother's house; i was blown away how we just loaded up the truck without any trip from the neighbors... haha. santa cruz, probably a couple from gridley on "vacation" and "doing a photo shoot"....
I agree with one of the comments in the Petapixel post of this story a few days ago. Just paint it fluorescent green and fix it in post. Easy. All of this avoided. But that takes more than few seconds of actual thought about something other than themselves.
How long before criminals just start painting their guns orange, pink, or neon green? I'm surprised they haven't thought of it yet; then again, criminals rarely think.
You can already buy a real gun in orange, pink, or neon green. they're sold specifically for women.
But did you get the shot?
The hoplophobia is real.
I half read the article and came here for the comments.