Gloucester Township NJ police recently arrested a man for possession of an Airsoft gun.
Police received a report of a man with a handgun near Campus Plaza in Gloucester Township, NJ. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a 42-year-old Blackwood man who had an Airsoft gun and was walking in an area behind the plaza.
Police immediately instructed the man to drop the gun and get down on the ground. He complied with the request; officers then took him into custody.
Officers searched the man and found an ammunition clip filled with metal BBs and soft pellets.
According to police, the man indicated that he was just “looking for items to shoot.”
Police placed the suspect under arrest and took him to Gloucester Township Police Department headquarters. The suspect has been charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
In New Jersey, being unlawfully in possession of an Airsoft gun or a BB gun is almost as serious as handgun possession offenses. This is because all of these weapons are considered “firearms” under the NJ criminal code. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5(b), unlawful possession of an Airsoft gun can be classified as either a second degree felony or a third degree felony. In this case, the suspect could face a sentence of between five and 10 years in state prison if he is convicted.
After being charged and processed, the suspect was taken to the Camden County Correctional Facility, where he was being held in lieu of bail.
To learn more about this case, see the NJ.com article entitled “Gloucester Township Police Arrest Man with BB Gun, Loaded Clip.”
