IMAGINE asking yourself that question when a weapon is pointed in your face.

It's too horrible to think about, but perhaps not as bad as 'toy' BB guns being sold to 14-year-olds in Worcestershire.

That is what is happening entirely legally even though these weapons may have been used in the most recent spate of armed robberies in the county.

Today the Worcester News calls on MPs to back the Government's new Bill, which raises the minimum age limit on buying BB guns to 18.

I could not tell if raid gun was real--so ban them all

A BOOKMAKER who feared for his life when an armed robber stormed his business has backed a total ban of BB guns.

RJ Racing in Malvern was raided last New Year's Eve when a masked man holding a weapon demanded money and then escaped with £1,200.

Owner Bob Mason still does not know whether the gun held to his head was real or fake - but said he

was never going to take any chances.

"You can't tell the difference. Who knows if it is a BB gun or the real thing? That's the problem. At the time of an attack you just presume it is a real gun," said Mr Mason.

"I've been shown some pictures of BBs by the police quite recently. I was shocked quite how real they looked.

"I would support a ban without a shadow of a doubt."

BB guns, often carefully manufactured to look like real firearms, fire small plastic pellets or ball bearings - which is what BB stands for.

They usually bruise if fired at people, but can cause blindness.

They can be bought legally by 14-year-olds but a Bill has been introduced by the Government to raise the age limit from 14 to 18.

It is a move that Dave Richardson, who works at Worcester BB shop Antics, in St Swithin's Street, says is 'sensible'.

"They are classed as replicas for people walking on the street and I've heard tales about people being arrested for that," he said, adding it is already company policy to sell BBs to people aged 17 or over.

"I couldn't say why people buy them. I think a lot of

it is about the looks of the guns - they like the guns in their hands. I don't see it myself."

A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: "West Mercia Constabulary treats every report of a person carrying a gun in public very seriously.

"Those who carry weapons of this kind put themselves in considerable danger as we must respond appropriately, and armed officers will be called to the scene.

"The best training in the world cannot equip a police officer with the necessary skills to identify a real weapon from a replica or air pistol in a split second. Often, this can only be achieved through close examination by a firearms expert.

"It is an offence to carry an airgun or replica firearm in public.

"Under legislation introduced last year, anyone in possession of such a weapon in the street or public place 'without lawful authority or reasonable excuse' can be arrested and prosecuted under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act.

They had a gun

October 2004: A Worcester taxi driver is threatened with a replica firearm that is held to his temple by a drunk passenger. An 18-year-old received a 12-month detention and training order.

December 2004: Three men, one carrying a revolver, make off with cash from Lidl, in Newtown Road, Worcester, after threatening staff.

December 2004: £1,200 was stolen from RJ Racing in Malvern by a man wearing a balaclava and brandishing a pistol.

January 2005: A woman in Leigh Sinton, near Malvern, defies a man carry a replica weapon who asks for money on her doorstep.

March 2005: A would-be robber carrying what is thought to be a shotgun flees from a post office in Upton-upon-Severn

empty-handed.

What our Mps say

Worcester's Labour MP Mike Foster said the Government believes increasing the age limit for BB guns should deter anti-social behaviour.

"The experience tends

to suggest that post-18 people are less likely to use them in an anti-social manner," he said.

"I think the realistic

look of these weapons is one of the biggest fears

the law enforcement agencies have.

Mid Worcestershire MP Peter Luff said he thought an outright ban on BB guns would be fruitless.

"You can't ban things to stop anti-social behaviour, but need to win hearts and minds. People who want to behave in a thuggish way always find ways to do so," said the Conservative.That's why I'm nervous of bans they tackle symptoms, not causes, and people find other ways to be anti-social very easily.