Photo of boy carrying 'assault rifle' in Yishun has Singaporeans discussing toy guns

[UPDATE June 8] Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the police said they were alerted to the photo circulating online on Tuesday (June 7) morning.

Officers from Woodlands Police Division has since identified the child and confirmed that the object was a toy gun.

Just days after a man was seen carrying a 'shotgun', a boy was seen walking around a parking lot with an object resembling an assault rifle.

In the previous incident, the police said they are investigating two men for causing public alarm.

While the boy's antics was shared in a Reddit post this morning (June 7), some pinpointed the location to Yishun and our checks online showed that the photo was taken along Yishun Street 22.

In the Reddit posts, several netizens were alarmed at how the boy was able to carry a 'rifle' around in broad daylight.

"What if that gun is real and loaded with a 20-round [magazine]. The whole scenario would be real scary now, won't it," A netizen said. 

But several netizens played down the incident, arguing that the boy was just "playing with a toy plastic gun".

"Now, it's a crime for kids to carry toy guns," a netizen lamented. 

Other netizens were not surprised that it happened in Yishun – given its notorious reputation for making the headlines over the years.

"Yishun. That explains a lot," a netizen on Reddit wrote. 

Toy guns, which can be bought off the shelf, are excluded from the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Bill that was passed in Parliament last January. 

These include Nerf guns, since they are unlikely to cause injury if used properly, The Straits Times reported at that time. 

However, any gun that shoots pellets using compressed gas - including airsoft guns - are considered arms under the Arms & Explosives Act.

This was after a 38-year old man was arrested last January for the possession and importation of airsoft guns without a valid licence, the Straits Times reported then.

The police said in that article that no one is allowed to possess or control any such arms without a licence and those convicted of possessing or having under their control any gun without a licence face a fine of up to $5,000 per gun and up to three years in jail.

An Instagram video shared by Singapore Incidents last Saturday (June 4) showed a man carrying an object resembling a shotgun.

The police have since identified the suspects, with preliminary investigations revealing that the object was a toy gun. 

Last April, a man was charged in court for possessing 156 replica guns from which pellets could be discharged, as well as component parts of such guns. 

The man, who ran an online business selling guns, was also accused of trying to hire a Grab driver to deliver the goods, The Straits Times reported. 

chingshijie@asiaone.com