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There are 10 comments on A Gun, a Suspect, a Manhunt Shut Down Kenmore Square

  1. Let’s just be clear in our reporting. An Airsoft gun is not a “non lethal weapon”, it’s not a weapon at all. It’s a toy. And while I understand public safety personnel must err on the side of caution, let’s keep this in perspective and not turn it into something it was not.

  2. The cacophony of alerts that I received yesterday with this story started, unfolded and wrapped up finally triggered me to see how I can opt out of BU alert system. I am on Med campus and I see why the university-wide alert system can have some benefits, but there should be a way to unsubscribe from subsequent alerts if the first one is irrelevant. I was teaching a class at the time, and the alerts were highly disruptive and not helpful.

    1. I cannot count the number of times I have received alerts from the Med Campus — far more than Charles River in volume. As staff on the Charles River Campus, it can get a bit annoying. However, since I do on occasion travel to the Med Campus I like to be informed. I am not the only person who spends time on both campuses. If this is such an issue, all you need do is put your phone(s) away or put them on silent.

      1. Unfortunately, as a caregiver for several elderly members of my family, I cannot put silence my phone since I may need to be alert for a medical emergency anytime. And I am not the only one.
        As I said, all we need is an unsubscribe-from-this-story option. One alert is ok and it’s good to be informed.

  3. Regarding the wording, an “airsoft pellet gun” does not exist. An airsoft gun is design to be not even close to lethal to almost any animal, while a pellet gun is designed to penetrate and kill small game and pests. It’s a big difference in terms of threat level.

  4. Is anyone going to interview a BUPD officer? A lot more information could be gleaned from talking to someone with first-hand information about the event.

  5. What was the intention. Whether or not an airsoft gun can kill a person is unimportant; was the purpose to threaten harm, rob a bank, force a student to withdraw money from their atm? I personally appreciate the notifications as they were disruptive for good reason – no rational person openly carries an airsoft gun down the street. If it had been a real gun that caused injury or fatalities, the BU community would be informed and hopefully safe, and no one would be disparaging BU’s notification system.
    If an airsoft gun is held near the temple or pointed at an eye, it would certainly cause some harm – I personally don’t want to find out.

  6. So much debate about the gun and the alerts. I think many people are missing the point.

    The police got a report of someone walking around with a gun. Nobody knew at the time that it was only an airsoft pellet gun. Until confirmed otherwise, they definitely needed to respond with the belief that someone was on campus with a lethal gun or rifle.

  7. I think non-lethal weapon is still a good tag for an airsoft gun.

    And airsoft gun does not actually have to be lethal to be brandished as a weapon. Airsoft guns are made to appear very similar to actual guns and can easily be used to threaten violence. If someone pointed a gun at you, would you stay to figure out whether it is fake or real?

  8. Just an observation, but all the classroom doors open outward and can not be locked from within. The University should consider investing in deadbolts that can operated from inside the classroom. We had quite a few panicky students and professors alluding to this fact.

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