To the Editor: Guns that are not firearms are still guns

Editor's Note: The following letter to the editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer was published in response to an article and photo comparison piece entitled "Can you differentiate between a toy gun and a real one?"

The March 13 Plain Dealer article, "Can you differentiate between a toy gun and a real one?," repeatedly refers to guns other than firearms as "fake" or "toys," but while many of the guns in the photos are neither firearms nor toys, they most certainly are guns.

A firearm is a gun that uses the action of an explosive force -- gunpowder. An airsoft gun, pellet gun, or BB gun uses the action of compressed air or a spring. A toy is a plaything.

The more people refer to the guns in the second category as "fake," "not real," "toys," or "replicas," the more they contribute to the problem. These are guns, and they need to be treated as such.

The media can help correct this misunderstanding and help educate the public by differentiating among types of guns in all articles in which one of the types is mentioned.

Instead of "the homeowner used a gun to fend off a home invasion," the proper statement would be "the homeowner used a firearm to fend off a home invasion." Likewise, instead of saying "police shot a boy holding a replica gun," the proper statement would be "police shot a boy holding a BB gun."

Chad D. Baus,

Archbold

Baus is vice-chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association