The Calgary Police Service (CPS) is raising awareness about the safety risk posed by air guns. This comes after two teens were detained by CPS on June 16 for firing off air guns at each other in the Market Mall parking lot located in the city’s northwest, one incident among an increasing number of others reported to police, as CPS are now responding to an average of one incident per day. At a Tuesday press conference, Staff Sgt. Chris Tudor of the CPS Firearms Investigative Unit said the CPS recently was called to eight incidents involving the use of air guns — including air soft, pellet and BB guns — in the space of a single day.“These weapons are not toys,’ Tudor said. “We saw the use of an air gun in a carjacking and others being used to threaten and intimidate people.”.In 2024, 817 air guns were seized in the city. In the first five months of 2025, 333 air guns were seized according to CPS. Tudor believes many of the youths involved in these incidents don’t understand the consequences of mishandling an air gun as some of these incidents have led to emergency responses, and, in some cases serious injuries.“The seriousness of the situation is minimalized,” he said.While discharging an air gun within Calgary city limits is illegal and can lead to criminal charges, Tudor says use of them is fine however, when supervised by an adult or guardian in the proper and safe environment..Despite the fact a person does not need to legally possess a firearms licence to buy an air gun, another alarm being raised is the fact many modern air guns are being manufactured to look just as real as both restricted and non-restricted firearms. Tudor said, “it’s amazing,” how the weight and feel of new air guns is very similar to that of his police sidearm.This causes the CPS to respond to a reported incident with the assumption they are dealing with a real firearm until a safe conclusion has been reached.“These incidents can escalate quickly and will result in a serious response from police officers, who must treat every potential threat as real,” said Staff Sgt. Sarah Roe of the Youth Education Unit.“These weapons are not toys and what may seem like a game or a prank can quickly escalate to a very serious situation.”.Roe says the main goal now is to promote safety and education among the community.“We’re working closely with schools, families and community leaders to help educate youth about these risks. With the increase in incidents, we have increased concerns over public spaces and safe spaces for children. “We want to keep schools and community centres safe.” Anyone with concerns or information about the unsafe use of air guns is encouraged to report it to police by calling 403-266-1234, or 911 in an emergency.
